Let Others Be

"Many paths lead from

the foot of the mountain,

but at the peak we all gaze

at the single bright moon."

Ikkyu

Have you ever noticed that, while we often have no clue about what to do with our own lives, quite magically, we believe that we know exactly what others should do with theirs? Often unsolicited, we can find ourselves offering our sage advice to others, with an air of authority that belies our own confusion and uncertainty. This in turn often pushes away, and alienates the very people who come to us seeking our support. If we are honest however, we can never really know what's best for someone else, despite our belief to the contrary.

Seen from another perspective, we can always know that whatever a person is doing at any given moment is exactly what they need to be doing. How can we know this? Because it's what they are doing! We can know, without a doubt, that wherever they find themselves always holds the perfect opportunity for their awakening and growth. From this perspective, everything that happens is always unfolding perfectly for their highest good, and this is true not only for others, but for ourselves as well.

When others know that they can trust us to listen without prejudice , it frees them to find the perfect solutions to the challenges they face and allows us to be there for them without our judgements getting in the way. It also allows us to listen with compassion, which is simply knowing that everyone (including ourselves) are doing the best that they can. When we realize that we can never know what is best for someone else, and simply accept them for who they are, we open up a space for true friendship to flower, and the possibility for Love to unfold.