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Originally Posted by Cantando  Those of us who had a good family upbringing and received good advice are indeed very fortunate.
For a lot uf us, sadly, the opposite is true. How do we reconcile that? Some of us experiment with different ideas and beliefs, but not of all of us find the solution to those negative childhood experiences.
But, there is a solution - compassion and forgiveness. Even if your dad was a grisly old drunk who knocked you around, surely you can remember something, no matter how trite, that did mean something, even if it was something obvious like, "Keep you head up, son".
In a time of crisis, memories may come flooding back to you. If you cannot forgive that person who hurt or abused you, then your spiritual progress will be seriously impeded.
Don't let the sun go down on your anger. Forgive and pray for those who hurt you. You can do that right now. You don't have to chase after a guru half way round the globe, or go into therapy for years, wasting thousands of dollars. |
In case you misunderstood, I was speaking about the general position. My own parents are pretty decent people, sure they have their faults, but I certainly do not hate them or anything like that. Fact is, both are in the top five list of people I love. The other people in that list are my wife and my two kids.
The thing is - most people in the world are really not THAT wise. It follows that most parents in the world are also not THAT wise. Your earlier post suggested that the best teachings that anyone could receive in life must have come in his childhood, from his parents/grandparents, and I'm saying that I really just don't see why this should be so.
Now, parents DO exert a very strong influence on their children's personalities, that I do agree. I can accept that when you're very young, you're very susceptible to external influences, and parents are usually (or at least often) the strongest influences.
But this is quite different from saying that the best teachings that one could receive in life must be the ones which came from parents.