What a Fool Believes

“Any fool can know. The point is to understand.” -Albert Einstein

To my admittedly limited mind, there are two types of people: Those who are on a quest for spiritual growth, and those who don't bother to question their current level of consciousness. Being the former is a continuous journey filled with highs and lows, and I am surrounded by a circle of like-minded Truth seekers. I do have one close friend who fits the second type. She upsets me terribly time and again as I recount to her the 'issue of the day' and my extensive analysis of the difficulties of moving forward. Inevitably, her response is to plainly state some logic-based observation. Frankly, I must continually resist the urge to somewhat impatiently inform her, "you don't understand." But what I am learning is that she is far more enlightened than I. First of all, she is a fantastic listener. The best listener I know, in fact. She listens so well that it takes her only moments to understand the heart of the matter, pinpoint the answer, and get right down to accepting the outcome. Once, she remarked in passing, that she didn't think she needed to improve herself, or that people don't need to improve themselves, or something to that effect. We are who we are. The exact phrase is hazy, but the message is burned indelibly into my soul. How many, many precious hours I have invested in trying to be better. Could it all have been in vain? Is it at all possible that I am already good enough? Maybe, just maybe. I cherish her friendship because I am always learning from her. I have come to delight in her perspective. On the surface, it appears that nothing phases her. She has her share of struggles and sorrows, but instead of wallowing in them, she is able to reside in the present moment. And she is able to laugh. Everyone who knows her well, knows that she is continually surrounded by laughter. So I keep hanging around. I still want to grow, but if I can manage to balance intellectual gain with self-acceptance, I'll be that much closer to the Truth. I am a child of God. And I am a friend of Beth.