Spiritual Inquiry . com

As a general rule, you will treat others in the same way that you treat yourself. If you are hard on yourself, if you demand perfection of yourself, then you will inevitably project this outwards. You may try to be very loving and forgiving and gentle to others- you may even demand that you are loving and forgiving and gentle to others! - but unless you are also this way to yourself, you are bound to slip up. Self-compassion is often viewed as indulgent, self-centred, wishy-washy, perhaps an excuse to lower ones standards. But it is actually very important, for others as much as for yourself.

What is the meaning of choice? Do we control our actions? Why do we do so often do things that we later regret? Could we have stopped ourselves from doing them?

Some say that we have no choice. They say that we are a product of our background, our upbringing, our genes. If we act negatively, this is a result of ignorance, non-understanding. We cannot be blamed for we have no choice. It is knowledge that leads to choice.

However, we could also argue the opposite and say that ignorance leads to choice. After all, if you are all-knowing and wise, then the right course of action is always clear, and hence there is no choice to be made. It is only in a confused mind that the correct action is unknown, and thus only a confused mind must make a choice.

Regardless of how you view it, one thing is perfectly clear. Knowledge and wisdom are the keys to right action. Ignorance and confusion must be dispelled at all costs.