Acceptance

It was not until I was diagnosed with a neurological disorder that I truly understood what it means to have acceptance. Since there is no cure and there is no research on my disorder, I had no choice but to learn to accept what I had. It was not easy and it can still be a challenge. I could feel sorry for myself and complain about my pain and discomfort or I could accept it and get on living life. Life is too short to worry about the future, all we can do is live in present moment.

Acceptance is tolerance. Tolerance for pain, discomfort, and inconveniences. Acceptance is patience. The patience to do things that we take for granted. Acceptance is compassion. Compassion to understand that millions of people around the globe are suffering from much worse conditions. Acceptance is a solution. A solution to a problem instead of being frustrated or annoyed. Acceptance is to be happy. Happy to live life again instead of having a defeatist attitude. Acceptance is love. The love for life and family. Acceptance is evolution. The evolution to try new hobbies to replace old ones that can no longer be physically accomplished. Yes, acceptance means so many positive things.

Having acceptance of my individual situation has translated into acceptance for what is going on around me in my environment: traffic, bills, bad weather, work, and chores. It has even translated into acceptance for other people who have differing viewpoints. I found we can still be friends but not agree on politics, sports, religion or a host of other controversial topics. This is how we learn: to surround ourselves with differing viewpoints. We do not have to agree with others, but we can accept them.

Unfortunately, acceptance is what is missing from this country and world. The politics of this election is enough to make any person cringe to decide between Trump and Clinton. But we should be able to accept it without protesting violently or using obscenities. This solves nothing. It is particularly upsetting to see how the lack of acceptance works to try to silence the free speech of others instead of embracing it. Hopefully, this country will persevere despite all these failures of human existence.

Terrorist groups have absolutely no concept of acceptance whatsoever. Terrorism is the result of anti-acceptance propaganda perpetuated through social media, 24/7 opinion cable news, and educators interested in telling one side of a story.

If you cannot find acceptance for oneself, then you will never find acceptance for others. And unfortunately, to bring forth acceptance for oneself you need to face an adverse situation that brings forth negative images of our own mortality. This is what makes terrorists so dangerous – they are taught to accept their death in the name of their God. So they are willing to die for their cause at the expense of others. However, most normal people have a much different reaction when faced by a higher probability of death (age, sickness, near death experience, disease) – the possibility of acceptance.