Today we ask that you understand that you are not responsible for the well-being of others.
You are not responsible for the well-being of others.
Parents, of course, feel responsible for the well-being of their children. And naturally children require a great deal of care and nurturing.
At the same time, parents cannot assure the well-being of any child, no matter how hard they may try. Children are subject to illnesses and accidents. No parent can prevent these events, if they are fated.
That is why believing you are personally responsible for anyone else’s well-being puts you in a kind of hell.
For how can anyone guarantee that someone else always be safe and happy? How can anyone guarantee protection from fires and floods, earthquakes and tornadoes? How can any parent protect their child from unexpected and difficult events?
It is not possible, in this world.
But people suffer terribly, believing they are responsible for the well-being of others. Believing that they should have been more perfect, that they should now be more perfect, and thus protect their loved ones from harm.
Release yourself from this heavy burden. It is not true.
You are not responsible for the well-being of your children, your spouse, your parents, your siblings, your pets, your boss, your coworkers, or anyone else.
The universe is responsible for the well-being of all life forms.
And despite appearances, the universe is completely loving at all times.
That is because there is no death. Nothing dies, in this universe. All the children whose physical bodies died from disease or accidents or “Acts of God” — they are not dead. Not a single one.
It is okay if you do not believe this.
But if you did, it would relieve you from the terrible burden of believing that you alone are responsible for the well-being of anyone, including a child.
You are all part of something so much bigger than yourselves. And what you are a part of is purely good.
You are not responsible for anyone else’s well-being. You cannot spare others from discomfort, pain, or even tragedy.
You are, however, responsible for your own well-being.
By taking good care of yourself, by learning to love yourself unconditionally, by learning healthy habits, it is very possible to change your perception and experience of reality. This will automatically increase your well-being.
When you do that, something magical will happen:
The people around you will become happier.
Not by you trying to make them happy or safe.
If you take responsibility for your own well-being, you will become a more peaceful person.
And everyone feels better around a peaceful person.
It is a paradox: people believe that they’d be happier if someone else “saved them,” and took responsibility for their well-being.
But the truth is: people are happiest around the one who takes no personal responsibility for the well-being of others, knowing that this is impossible. People are happiest around the one who takes full responsibility for his own well-being, and thus loves himself completely.
wordfromthewell 