You could argue that some people are privileged and others are not, and that there is a huge discrepancy operating that would make it cruel to expect some to take responsibility for their extremely challenging situations when perhaps they were born into them, are victims of crime, etc.
From a limited, physical-world perspective, that is absolutely true, and I do not mean to minimize the real suffering of anyone on this planet. From a spiritual perspective, though, I believe that we souls come to this earth school to learn the hard way (because this is how lessons really stick), and that the average person has incarnated many, maybe even hundreds of times. I also believe that we souls are part of the planning process regarding what kind of life would teach us what we most need to learn. Sometimes we need a painful life experience, and sometimes we need a break. It's also true that some unattractive-looking life experiences are not as bad as they appear, and some attractive-looking life experiences are more difficult than they appear, so it rarely pays to judge someone else's situation.
All that said, we're here, now, and whatever we're experiencing in our lives is ours to deal with. When we blame someone or something outside ourselves for our problems, it keeps us locked in a cage that someone else holds the key to. But when we take a deeper look, we can usually see how we ended up in this place (good or bad), and only then do we have the power to gain our own freedom. As long as you feel like a victim, you are one, but when you take back your personal power (regardless of the external situation), you become liberated.
Is this easy to do? Sometimes it can feel impossible, but sometimes all it takes is one new thought to turn things around. For instance, maybe your neighborhood has become run down, and you feel trapped in a negative situation. Then, someone tells you that you could easily afford to sell your home and move to a nicer area. At first you resist, because you've lived in your current house for 30 years, but then you realize that you have a choice. You're really not trapped at all. In fact, you could have chosen something different at any number of points along the way. You just hadn't realized it.
So, which parts of your life are you taking responsibility for, and which parts are you not? This week, I ask you to take a look at how you can gain your power and freedom back by assuming responsibility for everything in your life. No doubt, this can be extremely humbling, but it's absolutely worth it.
