Osama

Here's what I've yet to see or hear from anyone with regard to the news that the U.S. government/we/the U.S. government/we killed Osama bin Laden on Sunday: any sense of responsibility.

What is most disheartening about celebrations by American citizens of this killing or politically-charged and motivated comments from politicians - in and out of office - is that it all adds up to focusing attention everywhere but on ourselves. We were shocked and dismayed and flabbergasted and stunned on 9/11, yet there was never any real discussion anywhere about our simply taking responsibility for the circumstances of our collective, national life. We are admonished to do so as individuals and "take responsibility" is not only one of the Spiritual Workout concepts, but it's pretty much the basis for this work in general.

If an angry person shows up in my experience and I am practicing taking responsibility, that means he didn't do anything to me. No victims. Ever. It means I have anger in me, plain and simple, and it's up to me to do what I'm inspired to do about it. If I choose to focus my attention on him and ignore my own anger, he and others like him will continue to show up in my experience. I know this can be difficult for us to grasp - it certainly was for me many years ago when I realized I couldn't blame my parents or my circumstances for the miseries in my life - and because we get confused between blame and responsibility. "Nothing is my fault; everything (in my experience) is my responsibility" is a thought to live by. I eventually got it, took responsibility, and everything changed. This hardly makes me a hero, but it makes me far more in charge of my life and experience and poised to eliminate the anger I have in me so that one day it no longer appears in my experience.

And it's no different for us as a country.