Inspiration: Finding Acceptance…
“As you become more clear about who you really are, you’ll be better able to decide what is best for you – the first time around.” Oprah Winfrey
Inspiration: Finding Acceptance... man at sequoia tree
Recently, a Daily Post prompt asked the pivotal question: Where do you find acceptance? It was followed by a series of related questions that tied in self, family, friends, co-workers and other people. Since today is Easter Sunday, a Christian feast/celebration, I felt it would be the perfect question to start the week.
It is common practice for most of us to look for acceptance in our circle of family and friends first, and then to broaden it to include others outside the circle. We seek the approval and support of our loved ones and of our secular affiliations; be they religious, professional, social, or collegial. However, as I carefully considered the question, what resonated more was the importance of self-acceptance. If we don’t accept ourselves, with all our quirks, kinks and even oddities, it becomes hard to feel accepted in our community circle. It becomes even harder to accept others too.
Just like the man at the base of the tree, there are other complex life forms around us, we have people of other faiths and cultures but, if we are not grounded in an appreciation of who we are, how can we see value in who others are?
“A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you just the way you are.” Anon
Inspiration: Finding Acceptance... animal diversity
When I look at the picture above which shows the diversity in the animal world, I am reminded again that each contributes something of value to the ecosystem, to our world, to our interconnections, in the same way that our human diversity and myriad cultures add same to the world. Yet, within that interconnectedness is the individual and his/her views, preferences and expectations. Does our individuality separate us from the whole? No, I think not. It simply shows that our interconnections are as unique and varied as the range of plant and animal life. Acknowledging our individuality doesn’t remove us from our human community. By the same token, we can learn to accept the differences in our world while maintaining love and respect for our own faith and beliefs.
What I am trying to say in such a convoluted way is that any form of prejudice, including racial, religious and cultural intolerance, is not an act of love or faith but an act of self-hate. If we cannot appreciate the diversity that exists on all levels on our planet, if we cannot see ourselves in others, then we have not fully understood the true meaning of acceptance… Yes, it begins with us; our love for self flows out into the larger world where it becomes our love and respect for others. What are your thoughts? Where do you find acceptance? More below…
“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right-doing, there is a field. I will meet you there.” Jalal ad-Din Rumi
Inspiration: Finding Acceptance... bees on flower bud
Just like bees are drawn to a flower bud for nectar, and trust that the flower will reveal its gifts, when we reach the place within our hearts of acceptance; of self and others, it will color our world brightly with love and gratitude. Some of us expend tremendous energy comparing our lot to others, diminishing our accomplishments, deriding our size, our style, our body parts and then we wonder why we lack peace. We must find that place of acceptance inside ourselves first.
“When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others.” Peace Pilgrim
Inspiration: Finding Acceptance... archangel snow formation
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.
Above is a short excerpt from the Serenity Prayer. I believe it lays the foundation for accepting our foibles as well as those of others. Just like the seasons, our planet earth is diverse and complex and change is a constant. We experience times of joy and moments of sadness, and our ability to move on depends on our acceptance of conditions, and a trust that things will change. If we don’t find that acceptance inside ourselves, it would be difficult to believe that things can/will improve. Below are the rest of the questions that were posed. Feel free to share your views on any of them.
Where do you find acceptance? For your ideas? For the secret notions you have for who you really want to be? Or think you are? Who are the friends, family or co-workers who are most accepting of your true self? And how do they demonstrate their acceptance? What is different about how they treat you than other people?
Again, What are your thoughts? Where do you find acceptance? Do share. Thank You! 🙂
Positive Motivation Tip: Acceptance begins with us; inside our hearts, our souls, our speech and then our confidence reaches out to see it in others.
Related Articles
- In Easter message, pope urges diplomacy in Libya (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- Easter Sunday 2011: Pope Celebrates Mass, Urges End To Fighting In Libya (huffingtonpost.com)
- Honesty and Acceptance For Authenticity – Staci J Shelton for Urban FLRT Lifestyle (stacijshelton.com)
PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: Photo of Animal Diversity,bees on flower, man at sequioa tree, archangelwinter, bees on flower, via Wikipedia
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
I’d like to “Like” several times.
Wonderful words. Sometimes acceptance seems somewhat nebulous – is it there or isn’t it? In time, we shall see whether there is acceptance in my situation.
🙂
The Serenity Prayer was my mom’s favorite…thank you for sharing it with us all…each time I see it somewhere, it’s as if she has kissed my cheek. 🙂
You are so right…I think most of the hatred in the world stems from people who don’t like themselves very much. If you truly love yourself (not in a selfish way) then it is very difficult, if not impossible, to hate someone else.
And, as always, your photos brings me peace and joy!
Sorry…your photos bring me peace and joy!
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.
Above is a short excerpt from the Serenity Prayer. I believe it lays the foundation for accepting our foibles as well as those of others.
You are right on with this one. I hope you had a great easter, I had to work 12 hours. Ugh… tired… I might change to post a week. 🙂 Jackie
So much beauty and inspiration! Thanks.
“Acceptance” is a word that I have happened upon a lot in the past month.
Thank you for a lovely post. And WOW for the tree photograph.
I, also, find acceptance within my circle of family and friends. But being at peace with oneself leads to acceptance of others.
Very positive post always.
There are many kinds of people like animal.
We increase mutual understanding by knowing others.
Those animal diversity photos are amazing!! How can we not accept every creature on this planet?!
Better than the sermon I heard yesterday!
Thanks!
Beautiful post, Eliz.
Love this post…it’s a journey…finding acceptance for ourselves…
why is that the hardest?
blessings
jane
A wonderfully comforting read! As I change and my world changes, I find myself constantly seeking acceptance and it is too rare that I can say where I find it. . .as your post suggests, I’ll work on self love and hope to discover beautiful things from there.
Thanks for the insight =)
That first quote by Oprah is so true… Growing up, like most teens, there was a lot of “finding out” your true identity… being “cool” was what mattered, and trying to fit in. As I got older, I realized that I couldn’t care less about that stuff. I just stopped associating myself with people that weren’t good for me and didn’t “fit” with who I really was. Great post. 🙂
Acceptance as you say, must come from within. To accept oneself demands a set of principles (a moral code) by which one lives and adheres with enough flexibility to still discern right from wrong and good from bad. Of course, everything is a shade of gray so experience is also an element. And experience comes with age, knowledge and intelligence.
Acceptance beyond the border of self, in my opinion, requires unity, understanding, trust and love of mankind. Cynical as I am, I do not believe true acceptance en masse can happen in our lifetimes. It will come someday far in the future. Until then, we simply have to assure that we contribute to acceptance until it eventually envelops mankind as a whole by tolerance and co-existence, even if it comes without comprehension.
You are amazing, as usual, Elizabeth! You inspire all of us to think and examine our lives in such positive ways. 🙂
For sure the tiger (view above) gets acceptance without any hesitating.
thanks for inspiring: I tried to post to this topic.
I like the words: Acceptance begins with us; inside our hearts, our souls, our speech and then our confidence reaches out to see it in others.
Beautiful photos ! very good post !
Accept myself for who I am-all my kinks, quirks & faults, because without them I would be someone else ………I AM HAPPY BEING ME !!!!! ……
Elizabeth,
You’ve done it again. Beautifully written.
Great post, Eliz, with so much truth. I memorised the serenity prayer at quite a young age and it is still the most valuable thing i’ve ever learnt. Thanks for sharing. 🙂