My quest to be a “better” person

Is no longer. I’m over it.

As I said in yesterday’s post, trying to be a “better” person strikes me as laughable because who is the judge of what a “better” person IS? What does that look like and who decided it? And why?

So what am I saying? Did I actually decide to take my favorite 1970’s era bumper sticker to heart?

“Do unto others…then, split.”

-Unknown

As much as that bumper sticker has amused me for the past 45 or so years, or how intriguing the possibility that I’d actually be capable of bastard-ish behavior with nary a second thought or regard for others, the answer is no.

And while it’s not about other people, it’s not not about other people either. It’s about me being me. More to the point, it’s about me allowing myself to be me, AS IS and actually being OKAY WITH IT.

Without the self-abuse, recriminations, shame, and disappointment that I’m not where I think I should be in becoming a “better” person at this point in my life, and when I get there, THEN I’ll deserve to be okay with myself.

It’s bullshit. Each of us is already THERE.

To believe there’s a “better” version of me out there is to believe that a “better” version of everybody else exists out there as well. If that’s the case, what are these “lesser” versions of ourselves even doing here and who appointed each of us to serve as judges over one another’s progress?

One thing I know for sure is that NOBODY IS ANY “BETTER” THAN ANYBODY ELSE.

Nobody.

Nope, not them.

And not you, or even some “better” version of you.

Or them. No, I hear you, but that’s your societal conditioning speaking. Clear your head and REALLY THINK ABOUT THIS.

How could anybody possibly, actually be “better” than somebody else?

Nobody is any “better” than anybody else. And get this: they’re no “worse” either.

As I said before, it’s laughable.

And that fills me with joy. Because when I “get” that, I realize I’M OKAY JUST AS I AM.

And do you know what happens when EACH of us truly digs into the understanding that we’re okay AS IS?

We begin to accept ourselves and our imperfections unconditionally.

And do the same for others.

And we become willing to dig and explore deeper within wherever we’re led to, discovering our gifts. Not because of a desire to be “better”, but because we eventually realize it’s all part of learning just to BE.

JUST BEING is a gift.

The gift that allows us to behold and encourage one another’s capacity to change the world and routinely bask in the awareness of that.

And now if you’ll excuse me, I believe it’s time to split. 😉