Radical Responsibility

Radical responsibility is not just taking responsibility for what you say or do, but for anything and everything that comes into the field of your awareness. You are responsible for anything you see or hear in your life, including the war, terrorism, politicians, sickness (in yourself and in others), poverty, hunger, etc...What a concept! This brings meaning to the adage: "You are not in the world, the world is you."

I had just begun to have glimpses of this truth when I came upon an article written by Joe Vitale. He tells the story about a psychologist who, using the ancient Hawaiian spiritual practice of cleansing called Ho'oponopono, cured an entire ward of very difficult and criminally insane inmates at a state hospital. He did this by looking at their charts and then cleansing himself using four sentences:

I'm sorry. Forgive me. Thank you. I love you.

He never actually saw any one of the inmates face to face. He was so successful that the ward was closed.

I have been using this technique in my life for everything that causes me even the least bit of suffering. The results are remarkable!