My weakest link ~ Achilles Heel is not that I know too little; it is that I can’t even put into practice the little I know. Simply walking the path that I knew to be the wisest at any moment has always been the real challenge. It was true 60+ years ago, and it is true today, even though I realize far ‘more’ today (i.e., that I know far less than I thought I knew as a youth. At this rate I’ll soon know nothing at all). I’m always a beginner.

Ancient core observations, e.g., Christ on passing judgment, Buddha’s Four Noble Truths, chapter one of the Tao Te Ching, the Bhagavad-Gita, etc., are all very easy to understand regardless of how they are stated, yet who truly understands them, let alone puts them into practice? Isn’t a major part of ‘understanding’ really about emotionally accepting the simple view those ancient words express? Only when I am ready to emotionally take the lower position and accept these can I begin to live and breath them (fortunately 'It happens to us naturally.' ).

For example, Buddha said in his second truth that “the illusion of self originates and manifests itself in a cleaving to things”. I’ve seen this worded and reworded various ways over four decades now. Only a few years ago did I really begin to accept the principle deeply enough to actually begin to understand it and slooowly begin putting it into practice. My intellect always understood, liked and accepted the idea. I just couldn’t accept it emotionally until… I could begin to. It is in deep emotional acceptance that understanding rests. Everything else is simply the words and speech of wishful thinking (sure, like I’m doing right now ).

My intellect cleverly rationalizes and obfuscates issues, and provides me inviting by-paths around emotional acceptance until I am mature enough to begin to emotionally accept/understand what has all along been clearly obvious. And how do I speed up my journey toward maturity in order to arrive ‘there’ sooner? Why, by using my free will and choosing to, of course. (sorry, I couldn’t resist the sarcasm).