The Serenity Prayer; Part One

Page Ten.
     The first part of the Serenity Prayer is "God grant me serenity to accept the things I cannot change..."
      It sounds so easy, doesn't it? We have no trouble or inner argument when we look at a wall which is blue and accept that wall as being blue. And further, we accept that even if we wished that wall to be green, we readily understand that the green won't happen unless we pick up a brush and paint it. We don't cry, scream, drink, hit or have any form of inner struggle over the fact that the wall in question is blue and not green (unless we paint it)!
     But, the moment we're talking about a childhood memory, an argument with a boss or any unhappiness with the entire world, well then... That's when the screaming and drinking begins for so many people. If I don't accept the fact that my mother beat me when I was eight years old, or if I don't accept the fact that my wife cheated on me, or if I don't accept the fact that my child was murdered and if I don't realize that no amount of inner anger will change those facts, then I won't know inner peace.
     Conversely, if I accept reality for how and what it is, then no matter what happens, I'll be safe. Because, one element of accepting reality is knowing that it isn't personal. A lot of people don't know that. They think the Universe is out to get them.
     I have a friend who says, "People aren't out to do things to me as much as they're out to do things for themselves." This goes for the universe as well. Just because I don't like something or can't accept something doesn't mean it has anything to do with me. I have got to remove myself from the equation if I'm going to know inner peace, happiness, serenity and security. I don't have to change anything outside of myself, I only have to accept it to be at peace. It's that simple.