Works in Progress

Someone close to me remarked the other day that they found it hard to understand that I could behave a certain way (something that this person disagreed with) bearing in mind that I post such spiritual things on the internet (e.g. my blogs, on social media, etc.) all the time. Slightly taken aback, I replied that I had never considered myself perfect, and that certainly, what I post is the ideal towards which I strive, but acknowledging that I am nowhere near that ideal. Just like so many others, I am merely a work in progress and that includes snafus, mistakes, and steps in the wrong direction, as well as, of course, learning - or attempting to learn - from them.

But that gave me pause to think about the very matter. When one speaks publicly (as I do), and when one writes publicly (as I do with books, newsletter articles, and blog posts), and when one facilitates groups and workshops (as I do) about topics related to personal growth and spirituality, it appears that some then hold you to a standard and accountable in ways that other mortals need not attain. It's as though by speaking about it, you must be like that.

Which is, I suppose, as absurd as expecting doctors to be the picture of perfect health, lawyers to be fully law-abiding citizens, just because of their profession, as opposed to their sense of ethics or morals, or as absurd as expecting school teachers to know everything about their subject of choice, economists to have their finances in tip-top shape, or plumbers to never have a dripping faucet. In short, it's as unrealistic as many fairy tales are, while simultaneously having what seems to be an intransigent black/white element about it

But the issue at hand is not to point out potential misconceptions of others, but to propose that as we are all works in progress - at least we are, if we assume that we are all trying to improve ourselves, or some aspects of ourselves - that in this process, one of the conditions we might agree to is that we all need kindness, understanding, patience, love, and compassion. It was Plato who said: never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow.

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Books by Dr. Gabriella Kortsch

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