Stop the blame game
In Sura Ibrahim, verse 14:22, it says: And do not blame me but blame yourselves.
Reflection: This verse from Surah Ibrahim is part of a conversation when Shaytan is telling mankind that instead of blaming him they should blame themselves.
Blaming others for our choices in life is SO easy isn't it? It also feels good in the moment because we do not have to deal with the pricks of conscience or negative emotions that accompany our poor choices and actions.
Ultimately however, blaming others is immobilizing and creates a feeling of powerlessness.
Why? If we convince ourselves that power and responsibility lies outside of ourselves, and someone else is to blame for what we are doing, it follows that we have no control or agency to change our situation. This leads to a victim mentality. Not a very inspiring way to live, is it?
We have been give free will to make choices in our lives, however limited or unpleasant those choices appear in the moment. When we accept this gift of choice, we begin the journey of spiritual maturity.
How? Remember when we were children and got caught doing something, we would point to our sibling and say: "S/he made me do it!". Well some of us have not outgrown this habit even as adults.
Start catching yourself each time you are tempted to pass the blame onto someone else. Even for little things. When we start accepting responsibility for our choices, it is amazing how we automatically begin to make better choices for ourselves. Try it.
Possible barriers: Old habits. If we are using to "passing the buck" we may not even be conscious how often we play the blame game. Shining the light of awareness on this takes courage. Let us start today.
Ayat in action: If we were living this verse, we would be conscious of how our actions and choices have created our world. We would have a sense of agency in how our life is turning out. We would understand that while we others may influence our actions, no one can really make us do anything. That we have choices, that we make choices and those choices have consequences that show up as our lived reality.
Stopping the blame game and accepting responsibility for our choices is truly the first step on the spiritual path.
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