‘Let it be what it is’
By Jim Hatton
When we were children, most of us were taught about “good and bad” and “right and wrong.” For many, it was mostly about wrong and being bad.
“Wrong” things included:
If we did any one of these things (and got caught), we were labeled “bad.”
What if we could all stop labeling each other, and ourselves, as “good or bad” or “right or wrong”?
I am not saying that we should condone or endorse the actions that ultimately harm others. Not at all. Nor do I believe that thieves, rapists, killers, pedophiles, etc. should be allowed to walk the streets.
But what if we could see people who do “bad” things as little children? If a child steals a piece of candy, most people would not condemn the child but simply understand that the child is learning. We might judge that a person over the age of 18 or 21, an adult in the eyes of the law, should have learned that stealing is not an acceptable act, but aren’t we all here to learn about life at our own pace and according to our own individual curriculum?
When we judge somebody, the energy we emit is typically angry, hateful, and hostile. It is certainly not one of joy, happiness, or love. What if we did not judge but just observed other people’s actions and words, allowing every situation to just be what it is? And what if we could go a step further and replace the judgment with understanding and compassion?
At times when we emitted adverse energy via our judgments, we attracted more of the same adverse energy back to ourselves. The Law of Attraction always works perfectly in bringing negative or positive energy back to us. A person being judged negatively is likely to react by sending back the same negative energy toward the source of the judgment. But if they feel compassion, understandin and love, they will reflect those kinder vibrations back to where that loving energy came from.
Judgment, hatred, racism, misogyny, condemnation, discrimination, etc. are learned traits, and they are relative to every culture. What is considered “bad” in one culture is not in another. No one is born with any of these biases. They are taught — mostly by parents, teachers, religious leaders and the media. The good news is that if they are learned traits they can be “un-learned” and replaced with a growing understanding and acceptance of the fallibility of human nature.
If a child were to touch a hot stove, the child would pull away the blistered hand and learn not to do that again. Now if the parent were to scold the child and call them “bad” or “wrong,” that would be judgment and the child would experience and learn judgment, even self-judgment.
As a society, we may blame the thief or the murderer and call them evil, bad, and certainly wrong. But what is the benefit of doing that? The emotion of that blame is affecting no one except ourselves and our bodies. The thief and murderer are simply doing what they are doing, trying in the best way they know how to get their needs met in life. They will have to face any legal consequences for their actions plus the karmic consequences of the Law of Attraction.
The Beatles’ song “Let It Be” has a pertinent message for us: “Let it be what it is.” Observing the “isness” of life is a wonderful Buddhist practice. “Isness” is simply observing what is and letting it be just that. Good or bad, right or wrong, has no place in “isness.”
I challenge you to start to practice just letting it be and see how much your life improves.
The World is not broken, Be in Peace…
Jim Hatton is an Author, Spiritual Teacher and Speaker. He makes his home in the Rogue Valley, Southern Oregon. Contact him at jim@jimhatton.com. Send 600- to 700-word articles on all aspects of inner peace to Richard Carey (rcarey009@gmail.com).
