Steps to awakening series, step 11 of 12

Step 11- You consciously surrender to the present moment

Surrender is what we should be doing when we are frustrated or get mad, upset, angry or even depressed at our current situation. When uncomfortable negative feelings happen, we must stop as soon as we become aware and ask the simple question. “Am I surrendering to the present moment?”. We will find that the answer is always a very loud no. Often, we try to control situations that are out of our control, and that is when we see these feelings arise.

If, instead, we surrender to the present, we realize that there is nothing wrong and everything is perfect at that moment. This idea was best described by a British playwright when he said. “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so”. That is a quote from Hamlet by William Shakespeare, and it is accurate.

Things are simply things. It is the meaning we attach to them that makes them either good or bad. A fair example of this is stealing a loaf of bread. Some may think this is wrong; however, if you stole a loaf of bread to feed your children, who may otherwise perish due to starvation, would it still be wrong?

You could then say that it would be wrong if you did NOT steal the bread, for in not doing so, you have allowed a child to die.