Friday, January 30, 2009

Blame others

We habitually erect a barrier called blame that keeps us from communicating genuinely with others, and we fortify it with our concepts of who's right and who's wrong. We do that with the people who are closest to us and we do it with political systems, with all kinds of things that we don't like about our associates or our society. It is a very common, ancient, well-perfected device for trying to feel better. Blame others. Blaming is a way to protect your heart, trying to protect what is soft and open and tender in yourself. Rather than own that pain, we scramble to find some comfortable ground.

Pema Chodron - In the Gap Between Right and Wrong

I think that guy on the right is to blame, don't you?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's not my fault!!!!! Right on.

Anonymous said...

Roberta, the guy toward the right is always to blame, right? - Brad

Ruth Hull Chatlien said...

Yes, this is a tendency that bothers me. I wish our culture fostered more dialogue and listening.

Hope you are hanging in there. I've been thinking of you.