Acceptance

Harilal Gandhi ( 1888-1948) , Manilal, Ramdas and Devdas were the four sons of Gandhiji and Kasturba . However , the children could not really accept their father . The bore resentment that the illustrious father did not impart formal education to the children.

Harilal Gandhi , became an alcoholic, an embezzler, known for public drunkenness and destitution  was an apostate . He converted to Islam and was known as Abdullah Gandhi. Though he loved his parents , he could not accept the ideology of parenting by his father.

What do we really mean by acceptance? Acceptance in human psychology is a person's assent to the reality or situation , recognising a process or condition( often  a negative or uncomfortable situation) without attempting to change it or protest . The concept can be mirrored as acquiescence.

" Each one of us, in the cosmic perspective ,is precious. If a human agrees with you ,let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies , you will not find another." says Carl Sagan

A woman is married in a family and brings with her the baggage of her ideology . Similarly the family she is married into have their thought process . Are they able to accept the lady?

Nathan Branden says ," The first step towards change is awareness . The second step is acceptance."

A rich person during the times of Buddha , was desirous of becoming  a monk  and join the Sangha . Buddha the compassionate was willing to accept the person in the fold but made it clear that he needs to accept everyone in thought and deeds . The wealthy person with all abundance meditated and returned back to Buddha and accepted the condition . But added that he could accept everyone save two people. Buddha smiled and said , that the Sangha  would make an exception in the case of the individual , that he need not accept 98 persons , but accept those two individuals.

" The greatest gift that you can give to others is the gift of unconditional love and acceptance' says Brian Tracy . That is the power of acceptance.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ,  elucidates  further that there is a concept of active and passive acceptance .  Incase there is corruption in the society . We may just tolerate the corruption and do nothing about it . However incase of active acceptance , we take a stand . Given this background , Guruji established India against corruption ( IAC) , which fired the imagination of  youth and populace.

In our minds , we need to create a space where we are willing to accept all the  qualities( may be acceptable or not) of a person . Only through unconditional love we can accept a person.

But this is possible only if we are able to live in the present moment. A meditative mind , would be in  a state to accept situations, conditions and people . The locale and circumstances keep changing thus our minds should be trained in such a manner , that it is willing to accept those situations . As Buddha says , the only permanent thing in life is its impermanence . So if the compartments and the walls of our minds are fixated in certain patterns , without realising the ever prevalent change in the society , we would not be able to accept people or situations . As everything is so transitory in life .

By not accepting people and situations we are only torturing our minds . Our minds need rest and peace. Unnecessary thoughts keep cropping up in our system as to what the other person feels about us without discerning that the concerned individual is not even bothered about what is our state of mind.

To save our minds from mental destruction , we need to open the windows of our minds and accept various facets of life.

To my mind all religions and faiths need to accept each other to maintain sanity in the world . Political barriers have collapsed  with increasing globalisation and technology .The world has become flat , thus individuals and nations need to accept all ideologies , to avoid conflict.

John Lennon penned those iconic lines  , ' Imagine there's no heaven

Its easy if you try

No hell below us Above us only sky

Imagine all the people..........

" The art of acceptance is the art of making someone who has just done you a small favour wish that he might have done you a great one" wrote Martin Luther King Jr