Image by Hartwig HKD

You have been judged and found to be innocent.

Absolutely, 100% innocent of all charges. Not guilty.

Think of the most egregious thing you’ve ever done. For many of us it’s not too hard. It sits near the front of our memory and pops out in inconvenient moments to be met by regretful grimaces and shame; with thoughts like, How could I have done that? What was I thinking? That was totally unforgivable.

Okay, but is this actually true? Is it unforgivable? What were you thinking at the time? Where was your mind? What did you believe to be true right then and there? With these things in mind, did you really have a choice?

When we judge someone, it comes with the inherent assumption that they did have a choice; that they could have made a better one. We make the same assumption when we judge ourselves. It’s an easy assumption to make in hindsight. Hindsight affords us all sorts of luxuries we don’t possess in the moment. What it doesn’t afford us is an honest appraisal of the situation.

Most of us spend most of our lives unconscious. We have the appearance of being awake, but our minds are at the mercy of an intricate network of beliefs. These beliefs guide our every action; they latch onto all the thoughts that uphold them, while dismissing any thought that opposes them. It is a dream state occupied entirely by fears about the future, regrets about the past, and a stockpile of theories and ideas; all designed to achieve just one purpose: to avoid the present moment, to keep us unconscious.

So that thing you did, that you regret so dearly—how conscious were you when you did it? Were you being guided by the light inside you, or were you feeling justified by the chorus of beliefs screaming at you to do what you did? Did you really have a choice? If you believed now what you believed then, would you do it any differently in this moment?

You are innocent. You didn’t know any better in that moment. It was your only option.

This doesn’t mean you can’t make amends. Now you know better, now you’re in a position to right wrongs, as you see them. It doesn’t mean you should expect others to see you as innocent—they are also guided by their beliefs, and people guided by beliefs see guilt everywhere. After all, every belief necessarily comes with a right side and a wrong side; go against the belief in any way and you are deemed guilty.

But you are innocent. We are all innocent. We simply didn’t have a choice, believing what we did at the time.

But you will only see innocence when you drop those beliefs. And you can only drop those beliefs by being present, in this moment. It is only right here, right now where innocence exists. The past is loaded with guilt. The future is filled with worrisome fears of the guilt to come. So come here to this moment. Center in on this, whatever this may be. Be here, now. Dwell in the innocence of it all.

For you are forgiven. You have always been forgiven. You will always be forgiven. For you are wholly, entirely innocent. We all are.

By Published On: February 15, 2016Categories: Mindful Musings

One Comment

  1. Trish February 15, 2016 at 10:05 pm - Reply

    A great reminder Jamie, given that I have been worrying about having neglected you and Steve as kids…wholly innocent…I like it and I also know…really know… I was doing the best I knew . Thanks

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