Acceptance

The individual who believes itself incapable of certain errors is an individual who has never stepped into the abyss and been faced with the awful shortcomings of its own mind. We are all capable of all errors. Most of us will not perform most of them. But given the circumstances, or the smallest chemical imbalance, we could and we might.

It is well to know that. It is a knowlege that can, if it is truly accepted, bring great peace as well as increasing one's capacity for recognizing oneself in others, which in turn increases one's capacity for loving kindness, a perhaps naive but nonetheless essential goal of Amethysm.

This loving kindness must be extended to include ourselves. Most people are more critical of themselves than of others, and the damage such criticism can do is severe. The messages we give ourselves about ourselves are like post-hypnotic commands that our subconscious does its best to obey.

You may know that if you tell a child over and over again that it is stupid, clumsy, worthless, etc., the child will unconsciously strive to obey by becoming stupid, clumsy, worthless, etc. The same is true of one's own subconscious. And the damage can be counteracted in the same way that you would counteract such damage in a child: with love.

It takes a lot of love, a lot of work, often a lot of time, but eventually if the love-messages outweigh the criticisms, the subconscious begins to believe it and thus to make the new image, that of a valuable and well-loved person, true. Amethysts strive to love themselves. Only by succeeding in that can we free ourselves to truly love, and accept love from, others.

Copyright © 1992 by Melisa Michaels. Reproduction and distribution specifically prohibited. All rights reserved. Melisa Michaels is the author of the science fiction novels Skirmish, First Battle, Last War, Pirate Prince, Floater Factor, and Far Harbor, the fantasy novels Cold Iron and Sister to the Rain, and the mystery novel Through the Eyes of the Dead.