Justification

Justification

 

I don’t think that there is anyone out there who has not justified their own actions, past or present.  From time to time we have all been there, being faced with a choice which, with hindsight we would have maybe chosen differently.  Sometimes we get caught up in the moment.

For example let us say that you go shopping, you present all your items to the cashier and at the end of the transaction you realize that the total amount is less than you feel it should be.  You walk out with the goods, check the receipt in the car before driving off, and notice that the cashier forgot to bill you for one of the main items.  What do you do?  Do you go back to tell the cashier so you can be charged for the item? Or, do you blame the reckless behavior of the cashier and carry on and go home?  Or, maybe you drive off happily by justifying this mistake as a blessing in disguise and that this ‘mega profit-making store’ has donated the item in charity to you!  I am sure many of us have found ourselves in such a situation at some time or the other.

Recently I heard about a similar story, and before you knew it there were two camps of thought.  Those who believed honesty was the way forward, and those that felt that honesty had played its part, now was the time to accept the ‘fruit’ of honesty!

Spirituality teaches us that there is no ‘free lunch’!  And that somewhere in life we will have to pay for it. In the lesson of karma we learn that ‘what we sow, we reap.’  Therefore, it would be fair to say here, that the best policy is honesty. But why?  Many of you may be asking this question.  Let us dissect this subject a little so that we can understand why we are doing the right thing in readiness for the next time this may happen to us.

In the above scenario the customer felt they had been honest enough as they presented the goods to the cashier.  And since it was an error on the cashier’s part, then it had nothing to do with them – the customer.  But then let me ask you: What is the real definition of honesty?  Is it honest enough to be half honest?  Does it stop only at the cash till?  Or is honesty something more?  A sort of all-pervading omnipresence because honesty is certainly omnipotent.  And according to the spiritual law everything is vibrational.

Karma teaches us that no matter what the situation, and who is involved, I am the one who needs to make my choices with my life and live with them.  At the end I will not be able to use justification of any kind, whether it was because of a mistake by the cashier or anything else.   This is just one small example.

In how many other situations in life do we justify our actions, and once we do, then little by little we will find that our conscience begins to slow down.  If we do not re-set our thinking, and it continues for a long period of time, then we may find that slowly we no longer know what is right or wrong.  We believe we are right and proceed innocently forward, or should we say blindly.  But the karmic law does not judge you by what you can justify or not, but by what is truly lawful and unlawful.

Gradually perhaps we begin to see an erosion in the quality of our decision making power, and over a long period of time, without that self-correction, we may start to see that our conscience becomes a bit dull and a little less sharp.  Almost like a blunted knife, which no longer has the sharpness of a cutting edge which has been worn down over time by poor use.  Justification means to show something to be right or reasonable.  Here the key word is reasonable.  How can we think we are right in declaring something to be just and reasonable because it suits us!

Relationships are such a sticky area.  Sometimes we become a defender of others, we may seek to protect others to whom we are emotionally attached.  Perhaps, we overlook the negative and bad behaviours of our spouse, partner or children that is until their actions have created a terrific problem in the lives of everyone connected to them. This could take us down the road towards eating disorders, self-harm, alcohol or drug abuse and many other unhappy avenues in life.  Simply because we were willing to turn a blind eye and look the other way.  But for how long can we do this?  For how long can we justify not just the actions of others, but of our own self?

So it is always best to check if what we are justifying is truly serving us, making us happy and peaceful and content, or simply creating more waste thoughts.  If I have to think again about an action, then there is some doubt within, and then there is probably some correction to be made.  If the karma was pure and true, then there is no thought in looking back after the action.  This is a good gage most of the time.

Let us choose to strengthen our consciousness with positive thoughts and positive actions.

Let us not weaken our conscience any longer, it is after all our best guide in life, when it works, that is when we listen to the quiet clear voice of the conscience.

Pay attention to your mind, and remember: It starts with the little things.  Instead of justifying the negativity of others or our own self (and do not forget that we can equally well do self-justification), better to check our motivations and how we are feeling from the start.  Really, when we are not honest with our own self, then we are the ones who will be coming into loss at the end of the day.

It’s Time…  for us not to neglect being honest with the small things in life.  Remember, a mighty rainfall begins with just one drop.  And pretty soon it can become a monsoon!

 

© ‘It’s Time…’ by Aruna Ladva, BK Publications London, UK

 

 

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