Acknowledgment Transcends Pride And Humility

Humility in the sense of being aware of one’s areas of challenge can be a key awareness in forging a successful path through life since you can then take measures to mitigate these blind spots and liabilities. Often it is a far better use of resources to broaden, deepen and heighten strengths than to build up weaknesses. Here is where hiring a consultant or delegation to another who has complimentary strengths in areas you do not have is the height of wisdom, efficiency and effective living. Such wise decisions looks like you are playing square in an honest self-awareness and not humility at all.

Isn’t humility, as with pride, just another strategic angle the ego-mind uses to take and keep apparent control? The whole notion of staying humble for fear of appearing arrogant, egocentric and selfish appears not only self-manipulative, but also utterly misguided and misdirected. Driven by the mind’s fear, how can humility be a contribution to anyone? Humility often looks like another ego agenda and manipulation to look good, not look bad and get whatever the mind thinks it wants. For instance, one experiences a lovely achievement in life and acts in a magnanimous and gracious manner in accepting some award or accolade, and gives thanks to everyone who assisted the effort. This is simply acknowledging what it is, and I suggest has nothing to do with humility. Does our Source desire or need our acting humble? What’s the point?

Awakening in awareness is a remarkable movement because in this space or “where you are coming from” inside yourself you can begin to recognize and identify the timeless acknowledgment of uplifting qualities, far from the pride of puffed up ego. In pride notice in this moment the mind apparently thinking and feeling great about itself over the unearned or unmerited, a chance or random event, achievements in normal development that are all blown out of proportion, and triumphant achievements as well. Simply see what the mind does with these phenomena. Simply see what the mind gets out of the imaginary praise that typically lifts it one notch up, while pushing others and their labor one notch down by contrast. Once seen, what draw, pull or interest does it have?

Acknowledgement offers another verbal or written recognition in words for what intentions and actions are taken as well as for the person taking them. Feedback in the form of an acknowledgement can help provide breath-taking joy and honesty in our relationships. Also it can serve as social lubricant to a well-functioning relationship by letting the receiver of this feedback know that they make a difference. Sweet moments.

For example, you acknowledge your partner’s intention and efforts to clear their “piles” from the living room or you acknowledge your client’s openness to learn, grow and adapt in your professional consulting relationship. He or she glows. One can also acknowledge another for character qualities he or she possesses and point to specific actions that support this. For instance, you notice how well someone follows through with agreements, stays in touch when plans change, and is candid and disclosing in conversations, and you point out these actions and acknowledge this one for clearly demonstrating responsibility and honesty as well as being a responsible, honest person. It’s likely to make both your days!

What is more acknowledging, heart-warming and fulfilling in human relations than for one to be seen, heard, felt and known, have his or her character, personality and contribution spotlighted? Better still is to give and receive acknowledgment for who you truly are in expressing some divine virtue, quality or sentiment. Does it get any better?

It’s perfectly fine and helpful to give everyone support and positive reinforcement in the form of acknowledgment as progressive steps are taken to realizing your vision for your life. At the same time, you may question whether it is necessary to give strokes in the form of pride for what you are doing. Sure it may spur you on and give a boost to you and your efforts, and whom is it boosting? In looking and seeing for yourself, isn’t it the ego-mind that is boosting itself, as it typically can be counted on to do unendingly? How helpful is this once you recognize that you are only further handing over your life to you mind? All you end up with is only another supped-up version, imitation, fabrication and simulation of your life, instead of your actual life? Does this call and beckon you?

Another possibility is to lightly and joyously touch the base of authentic acknowledgment of life itself, including you and others and all that is progressive and uplifting as well as all the breakdowns and failures, since everything can be seen to serve as springboards and catalysts to our continued growth, development and evolution. Without making anything wrong-the poison of condemnation-you can bet on everyone and everything, just like Our Source does moment by moment by moment timelessly.

What does it cost to extend and lend a hand to life being life, ranging from the exaltation of authentic achievements to the sorrow of loss and failure in some venture that has yet to work? Does the ego-mind’s agenda of using pride and humility to further take control of our lives have any place in this picture? Do any polarities, particularly negative and judgmental ones, have any place in a well-lived life? We can all move on with life very well indeed in straightforwardly seeing what we see, learning from everything and everyone, all without the mind’s stirring the pot once more. God knows the ego as a fictive sense of self could use a very well deserved vacation for a very long time, and leave all of us alone to carry on with the joyous and challenging work of life itself. If polarities are only relative conceptualizations, none of which are “true” or “real” in the sense of being present in this living moment, then what is always here, never changes, and is infinite, eternal and undivided without an opposite? What transcends polarities?

The divine qualities of Love, Light, Truth, Beauty, Kindness, and the Good have their opposites reversed through the lenses of the ego-e.g., hate, darkness, falsehood, cruelty, ugliness, and the bad. Conversely, in the Pure Perception of Original Nature, these qualities do not have an opposite. Each purely reflects God’s Wholeness. Through Pure Perception, a felt sense of Being in this moment has no opposite, only Being itself.

The absence is as close as it comes to depicting what has no opposite-divine qualities in the Absolute Reality. Medieval philosopher St. Augustine was possibly the first to articulate this understanding with the precept “privatio bonum” or “absence of good”. Defining evil as the absence of good, for example, illuminates how paired qualities have an inverse relationship of absence and presence, rather than opposites.

The Absolute Divine possesses no opposite, whether appearing as qualities, virtues, or sentiments. All gets misperceived through the lenses of ego. An appearance of opposites is only two aspects of the same thing. The Tao Te Ching says, “When something positive occurs, it contains within it the seeds of negative and positive.” Also, something appearing negative contains within it the seeds of the affirmative and negative.

Darkness is an absence of light; unconsciousness is an absence of awareness; phoniness is an absence of authenticity; being uninspired is absence of being enthusiastically inspired; and all ignorance, separation, attachment and suffering are only an absence of Oneness. Similarly, indifference is an absence of love; deception is an absence of truth; despair is an absence of faith; ugliness is an absence of beauty; cruelty is an absence of kindness; and abuse, violence, and war are an absence of the Good.

Now it can be self-evident that Truth, Love and Acknowledgment have no opposite and reveal timeless changeless Awareness and True Self. See polarities for just what they are, and you remove your ego’s lenses and distorted perceptions, revealing the Absolute. What is already here within you-actually who you truly are-awaits only Awareness.