Everything we give is given to ourselves

The Six Human Needs

1. Certainty: assurance you can avoid pain and gain pleasure

2. Uncertainty/Variety: the need for the unknown, change, new stimuli

3. Significance: feeling unique, important, special or needed

4. Connection/Love: a strong feeling of closeness or union with someone or something

5. Growth: an expansion of capacity, capability or understanding

6. Contribution: a sense of service and focus on helping, giving to and supporting others (Tony Robbins, motivational speaker and author)

Yesterday I had a meeting to attend as part of my Rural Development Programme Project. The village is about 2 hours North of the capital and is extremely scenic, nestled in a valley, the lush hills surround the village and can be seen at every vantage point, there are rivers, nature trails, a beach and waterfalls, the village grows food to survive, cocoa, coffee and christophene. I always like going there, this time I was meeting a new set of villagers, the farmers! I met the driver who was about to take me and I approached him all smiley and happy and he was, as we call it here, sour! Just a grunt to acknowledge my presence. I myself wasn't please, I got in the car thinking, ok then, somebody is grumpy let me relax its a long drive! We get to the meeting and I did my bit, presentation, answering questions and so on. The driver says," you're too high falutin for this. you aren't getting through to the people, be more like the people" well I will confess I got mad! How dare he? what does he know about me? Why was he in the bloody meeting in the first place? I was mad, I just responded , thanks for the advice!
I told my friends, who thinks I should get angry one day and cuss someone to which I always respond, nah, not my style, that wow this guy may just grant you your wish! So I gathered my wits, finished the meeting and jumped back into the car for the ride back into the city. As he dropped me off he said. Edwards, I decided that you are a nice lady, you are nice and calm and cool.
I said thanks and got out the car
As I got out I was preparing for bed and started reading and randomly (although I know nothing now is random) I opened A Course in Miracles one of my favourite books and this is what jumped out at me (thank you Universe for the lesson)

"If we understood that everything we give is given to ourselves, we would realize that other people are not apart from us. Their behavior does have bearing on our thoughts, and our behavior has bearing on their thoughts. Our attitudes affect other people. Their appeals for help are intimately related to our own

If we understood all this and believed it, forgiveness would happen naturally. We would realize that judging someone as sinful causes our own guilt and loss of peace, and we would not choose to do it. We would realize that how we see the other person is how we see ourselves, and we would not want to see ourselves that way. We would learn very quickly to perceive that their ego actions are not sins but calls for help, closely tied to our own calls for help, and we would respond accordingly. We would know that our judgmental attitude has an adverse effect on the behavior of others, and would choose to change our attitude. We would adjust our thoughts so as to have a beneficial effect on their behavior instead of a detrimental effect. We would recognize that we are not separate and apart, but share in the same struggle with fears and doubts, as well as sharing in the release from those things."

Peace