For 3 days, the healing workshop I was conducting got delayed by an hour because almost all the participants were late. Everyone of course had different reasons, nevertheless they were late. I have always failed to appreciate the attitude of reaching late everywhere and justifying it, whereas many people seem to live life just this way. I know people who will perpetually be late every single day and yet they will make the effort to come-up with a new reason day after day with no recognition or acceptance of the fact that it’s only the reasons that are changing and not their conduct. Their conduct stays that of being non-committal, casual & ungrateful.
I asked for guidance on this situation. I was extremely disappointed. Despite being a healer & a teacher, I also go through intense emotions which bring out my non-acceptance of certain aspects for me to grow through & this was one of them. My problem was not their being late over & over. My problem was their sheer lack of recognition that it mattered, and how this attitude had bigger impact on their lives than they could think of.
This is the message I got which I shared in the class.
“Unfortunate are those who cannot value TIME, for TIME will not value them.
Each moment is precious for it serves a purpose & letting it go in vein by justifying oneself for being absent from it, you also miss the wisdom it was meant to bring with it.
Value yourself each moment and hence value each moment, for this is the only gratitude you can carry for your existence in this mighty graceful universe!”
I did introspect why I attract such participants who live life casually and although they are expecting to make huge shifts in their deeper consciousness, they are challenged with simple routine changes that their conscious mind can do, with mere intent. The understanding I got was that I take my role too seriously. I am taking responsibility of those who have yet to learn to take responsibility of themselves. I want to believe I can give them more than what they are attracting, though that is not possible.
Mind you, these participants in their respective fields are professionals, caretakers, entrepreneurs, parents etc hence responsible people. They know how to take responsibility. However, when I wondered why they fail to reach the workshops on time, all the time, all I could understand is that one tends to take responsibility of their growth only where they believe if they do not do it, it will not happen.
For example, if I run a business and I have a meeting with a client, I know that if I do not reach the meeting on time, the deal will not happen and I understand the consequence of that will be my lack of growth. Similarly, if I am a student and I know if I reach late in my college, I will miss my lecture and the impact of that will be the lack of my growth. I know if I am a parent and I do not reach to pick my child from school on time, I will see myself as a bad parent and the consequence will be my lack of growth as a parent.
However, in the case of a healing workshop, they have already given themselves a pat on their back since taking responsibility for healing themselves is the extra that they are doing other than their normal responsibilities. It’s like the very fact that they are doing the workshop by investing time, money & effort, they have already created a sense of pride or ego for being so enlightened & ahead of others. That Spiritual Ego that they have created tells them that because they are already doing more than what they are normally expected to, its ok to do it when & how it suits their convenience.
Many people similarly reach late for work, for meetings & for personal appointments. This reflects that they are carrying a pat on their back for living, for putting up with waking up each day & taking a bath, for putting up with their jobs, their bosses, their family & so on. It’s like the very fact that I am trying to be human, is enough. The ego here is that “I am not meant to be here”, “I am more than others”, “I was not created to do what others do”, “I am doing this job or work only for the time being. My time will come”, “I deserve better” etc. These are all thought processes of people who live their own life as if it’s on lease and hence they can get away with treating it casually.
EGO is the quickest thing to be created and most difficult to be destroyed for it serves one’s denial & allows them to stay in an illusionary world of being all the good things. Additionally, when the EGO is created through spirituality, it's icing on the cake.
EGO does not value time for it fears being destroyed if one comes into complete awareness of self in this moment. It instead buys time & delays things only to ensure its own survival through this moment & next. The first step to recognising EGO & dissolving it is to acknowledge this moment for being a significant contributor to one’s growth. Once the focus stays on now, the EGO is isolated and evident. That’s when it can be dealt with.
