The Fall of the Tightrope Walker by Jina Wallwork

When there is no hope it is time for acceptance.  If you can’t accept things as they are then it is time for hope. The relationship, between hope and acceptance, is one that allows a person to attach to what is needed at the current stage of their journey. Each person must decide for themselves without any coercion. If you shatter their hope, in order to force them into acceptance, it will lead to immense suffering. The change from hope to acceptance can involve navigating our demons and facing our greatest fears. We tread carefully and we face each challenge when we are ready. Acceptance can never be forced because this can lead to great consequences. Create space and let others find acceptance when the time is right for them. You can’t make these decisions for another person. It is not your path. You can’t decide when a person should connect to acceptance instead of hope.

It’s difficult to watch someone walking down a challenging road, but it is their journey. The ego asks that we push others to choose acceptance over hope. In these instances, we can believe in the purity of our own intentions and we often believe that we are making a change for the better. We place trust in our own moral authority while we ignore a greater authority than our own. A person’s self-knowledge will always be greater than your ability to understand them. You can only be an expert on yourself. If a person needs hope it will be there and when they need acceptance it will be present. Don’t interfere. Don’t make their journey harder than it needs to be. They are walking a careful balance between hope and acceptance. Don’t push someone who is already balancing because they will always fall.