Well, it comes back to what we talked about earlier,
that, that, that fragmented perception is the problem.
So when these specifics arise, each time they arise,
it's, you know, it's not the thing that seems to be happening.
It's not the actual specific that is ever the problem.
It's the whole cosmos of specifics, you know, is more the underlying problem.
That's like the root of it.
And, so, um, you know it would be like saying, some people would say, well, let's think of a situation that is unpleasant:
like um, like uh, being robbed.
I mean, most people don't think of being robbed as like a pleasant experience.
And yet, what's underneath the being robbed is this interpretation that I have been unfairly treated.
I've been victimized. Something happened to me, apart from my will.
Something happened to me, apart from what I wanted.
That there was a loss involved.
You know, you could throw a whole bunch of things that are tied into that upset of being robbed.
And yet, if you follow the root down, you know,
you would find that you couldn't even be robbed, unless you believed in possessions.
It would be absolutely impossible, you know, to rob a being that didn't believe in possessions.
It's like, "Ha, ha! Took it!"
(Responding) "Go ahead. Have all you want."
(Laughing) You know, it's like, "It's not mine to hold."
And some of you remember that saying: Love does not possess.
That's what we're going for. We're deepening to that heart-space of just pure love.
So, when you start to follow down,
it's never the situation, it's never the specifics that are really disturbing us.
It's like, lesson number five from the workbook: "I'm never upset for the reason I think."
We're loosening our interpretations. We're loosening our definitions.
And we're going deeper and deeper into an experience that is, literally, invulnerable,
that, literally, cannot be harmed.
So, it's not like we're learning to accept the specific situations.
It's more like, there's a Divine Principle that's underneath,
and we're clearing away our beliefs.
And we're letting go of those beliefs and thoughts that are covering over our Divine Love, our Divine Innocence.
So, for me, that's the most important thing.
And then, as you go deeper and deeper with it, you know, it's like, um,
I don't think it was too long ago when people,
I mean, people have been asking me about perennial topics like, you know, sickness and death and finances and relationships and so forth.
And, lately, people have been asking me about how I view relationships now.
And I use the three words: undefined, guided, collaborations.
That's what I see all my relationships as: undefined, guided, collaborations.
I was sharing this at the monastery (Barbara, you've been out there),
and Suzanne said when I used the word undefined, she (gasps) she just had this (gasp) she thought to herself, "Oh, I like my relationships defined."
"I don't like them undefined. Ah! That's really scary!"
But then came the guided word, like guided, you know, guided, and then collaborations.
Well, collaborations I find are fun!
You know, that collaborative spirit, all working together, and this and this and this.
Now, more and more, it's starting to just catch on,
except that the ego doesn't like undefined, guided collaborations.
It doesn't like undefined; it likes them highly defined.
It doesn't like them guided, you know, it's like, "No, do what you want. Forget this guidance stuff."
"You can do just fine without guidance."
And collaborations? It's like, " No, you know, conquest."
You know (laughing) it's not into collaboration. It's like, "Win!"
"I want you to win!"
And, so you find that it gets stirred up a bit by this,
but then, the more I find that I just ease into it, there's such a sense of ease.
There's such a sense of relaxation.
The relationships become just as easy as breathing, you know.
There's a soft rhythm to them, and they're very loving and nurturing and everything.
But, as soon as you define it, then it's like, "Oh, you crossed the line."
"Oh, that's it! You've crossed the line."
What line?
Who put the line there in the first place?
It's really loosening that way.
To really answer your question, it's not so much that I accept specific circumstances.
But, it's more, there's this underlying presence that's underneath that's another way of looking at the world.
And, in this other way of looking, there's a state of non-judgment.
When there's no judgment, all outcomes are equally acceptable.
That's when the ego goes, "What? What did you say? What does that even mean?"
"All outcomes are equally acceptable."
"What about everything I was raised with? The good and the bad? What about morality?"
"Wait! What does that do to morality?"
It's so high that it literally transcends morality; it transcends ethics.
'Cause it's peace; it's just pure, pure peace.
And peace doesn't have a judgment.
Peace isn't breaking the world apart going, "A little bit of this, a little more of that. Oh, you're not quite there yet."
It's like full-blown love, just total, unconditional love and acceptance.
But it's acceptance of the love.
It's not condoning specific situations, and saying, "Oh, I had to learn to, you know, oh this is a bitter pill, but I have to learn to swallow it."
You know, that's not the way this goes.
It's more getting in touch with the perspective that's underneath it all.