ACCEPTANCE...

August 1, 1999

As I am sitting in my hotel room in Madrid, Spain, I began to reflect on the first month of our journey. All the objectives set forth appear to be accomplished and our message is certainly circulating around the world. Once I was in this comfortable state of mind, the many events which have unfolded in both England and France filled my head and a connection was made. We have witnessed some intense forms of acceptance in these two countries which I never could imagine existing in America. Why is this? How is this possible? How did these countries and their people arrive at such a state of awareness and consciousness? Trust me, it is not too difficult to figure out. And once we have a better understanding of these cultures and their keys to moving to this energetically-enhancing place, we can begin to embody the true essence of acceptance ourselves.

Let's begin with England. Now, I better preface this next paragraph by alerting you to the fact that you may not want to take this insight too seriously. Please try to remain present in the moment and discipline yourself to stay focused. Your mind wants to wander. Let it know that you are calling the shots. Now, back to England. If you have ever visited England or heard about an average day for an Englishman or Englishwoman, you are probably well aware that frequent drinking of alcoholic beverages are involved. At lunch time, after work, dinner time, or really any other time of day, one can drive down any road in London and see large groups of people at their favorite pubs, enjoying a nice frosty ale. Now I don't mean a little glass of wine or a small mug of beer, I mean a big, tall glass or mug of beer. Just observing this from a taxi cab made me a little dizzy as I stared in amazement as to the quantity of alcohol that was being consumed. At this point, you are probably thinking that I believe that everyone is drunk in England and that a serious problem exists there. On the contrary!

Now I am not condoning the art of drinking alcoholic beverages, but I am using this as fine example of acceptance. Drinking is accepted by the country of England. It is not looked down upon, people are not judged when they are a frequent visitor to the nearby pub, and there is no where near the staggering statistics of drinking and driving or numbers of alcoholics residing in America. There are alcoholics and cases of drinking and driving in England, don't get me wrong. But no numbers even come close to those around the world. Basically, many people of England have incorporated daily drinking of alcoholic beverages into their daily lives. This activity is accepted by society there. There are no where near the numbers of ad campaigns condemning drinking in England because it is not necessary. It is not abused in England. Such a large problem of underage drinking and alcoholism plagues America and probably other nations because so much attention is drawn to these issues. The more you tell a teenager not to drink, the more he or she is going to want to defy you...and many times rightfully so. No one likes to be told what he or she can or can not do, even adults! By informing your son or daughter of the dangers of drinking, you are treating he or she like an adult. On the flip side, if one is put into a situation where he or she can not even make a choice, then one feels trapped, suffocated, or powerless. Parents in England discuss drinking with their children, they do not simply "tell" their children about drinking. Do you understand the difference?

Let's move westward to France, more specifically Paris. Immediately while driving on the roads of Paris or walking along the street, one is inundated with an American taboo, sex! Sex is everywhere in Paris! Billboards, television, magazines, newspapers, radio, etc. all try an seduce you in any way possible. Yes, sex also flourishes in America, but not to this degree. You don't see a naked breast on a billboard anywhere in the states, or passionate kissing, fondling, etc. We even saw a female cartoon character with her breasts exposed on a billboard! This is just for starters! The most fascinating information which I received while in Paris was that sex is discussed openly at home! Let me repeat that! Sex is discussed openly in French homes. Children are educated about sex in their early, formative years. Not just when Johnny comes home and asks his father about the birds and bees, at the age of 14! Parents and their children have open discussions about all aspects of their sexuality, probably when they first begin to discover their body parts. I don't know that for a fact, but I am sure that I am not too far off considering some of the kids we have met who shocked us with their knowledge. While visiting our healer in France, we also met some people from Portugal who explained to us that this "openness" flowed in their country as well. Maybe it is a European thing!

Anyway, believe it or not there is a place in the world where sex is accepted and not frowned upon or stored in the closet. Even by the end of our ten day visit to Paris, Patti and I were not shocked by the billboards or any other kind of display of sex. Why? Because when one is exposed to something constantly, it simply becomes natural. Think about it. When one visits a part of America or even another country, the longer he or she stays there, the more of a chance one has of picking up the language or the accent. Same concept of acceptance. Let's continue.

Our last stop in France was the wonderful healing world of Lourdes. Lourdes is the place where an apparition of the Virgin Mary appeared to Bernadette close to twenty times and ever since has sparked an interest in millions who visit this small town in the south of France every year. Never in my life have I witnessed so many handicapped or disabled individuals in one place who are all seeking to be healed. Hundreds of people, young and old, are seen in wheelchairs, carts, or stretchers making their way down to the Grotto where the healing water, church, Basilica, and all the other sites of Lourdes are located. Since this was my third visit to Lourdes, I knew what to expect. But it still affects me deeply to see little children who have never had the opportunity to walk, see, or maybe even hear. I'm sure that others feel the same way and are moved emotionally when they first experience Lourdes. What intrigues me is that after a couple of days, one is still concerned by all of these people in need of physical healing, but from my observation, one is no loner disturbed. There is no negative energy surrounding these people anymore. Yes, you want them to heal, but you don't feel sorry for them anymore. Now, please don't let your mind take you to a place of frustration with me. While I feel that the majority of people in Lourdes, including myself, no longer feel sorry for these physically challenged individuals, this does not mean that we are insensitive and don't care about them. It simply means that we are taking back the negative energy we were directing towards them and channeling it to more positive energy to enhance their healing. Basically all this negative energy of feeling sorry for them really stems from our own insecurities. Who is to say that they may have more rewarding lives outside their physical capabilities than you do? I hope you understand this concept. All in all, a peacefulness showers you when you go to Lourdes and you feel a connection to all who are there with really the same mission, to be healed in some way.

What does it take for one to move to a place of acceptance? First, I believe, it takes an understanding of the meaning of acceptance. Acceptance is when one can release all the negative energy directed towards a give person or situation. It does not necessarily mean that the experience is a positive one, though it can be. It can simply mean that one is not affected, negatively or positively, to a given person or situation. Second, question yourself. Ask yourself, "What is it about this person or situation that I don't like about myself?" Be honest with yourself and feel the feelings or emotions attached to this energy. Or, what is it that you are seeing in that person or situation that I can not see in myself? Sometimes people and/or events play out positive roles in our life. What are you depriving yourself of at this very moment? Be with those feelings for a minute as well. Third, say to yourself, "All every human being really wants is to be loved." Once you understand this concept, than you will realize how and why this person acted a certain way or how and why this event unfolded at that precise moment. You don't have to like the answers, but you will now understand them. Understanding leads to acceptance. Fourth, try to laugh at all the energy you expended in getting angry, worried, and/or depressed from your delay in arriving at a place of acceptance. Trust me, when you look back at these events which generated so much energy inside of you, you will want to laugh!

Finally, when I became paralyzed almost 14 years ago, a counselor told my mother that she did not have to accept my paralysis, she just had to deal with it. My belief is that "dealing" with something is not addressing it, not confronting it, not embracing it, and finally, not releasing it. It has taken me a while, but I have moved to a place of accepting my paralysis and with this newfound freedom, I am even more focused on walking again. More so, I have an understanding that if it is not my destiny to walk again, than I will accept that as well. I want to dedicate this story to the two ladies in my life who mean the world to me. First, to my mother, who in her "dealing" with my paralysis has been such a source of strength for me and continues to be one of my greatest teachers. The second person to whom I dedicate this is my wife, Pratiksha. She is the most caring, understanding angel who is mastering the art of acceptance every day. To you both, I thank you for simply being yourselves. I love you so very much!

Thanks for listening!

Scott

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