Tuesday, March 8. 2022
Vindication is sinister. It only seems “right” to be able to justify your actions, or to clear yourself of blame. But there is a victim to vindication – you. Vindication always leads to more self-suffering. It’s a form of self righteous deception that never feels quite right. It feels ugly, like a lie. But the truth is, you are not blameless.
Your reality was created by you. Granted, there are “choices” that were made for you, like who your parents are, your eye color, your DNA, etc. But I’m not referring to those things that happen to you. I’m taking about decisions you were free to make. There are exceptions, however – like those who are held imprisoned by abusive people, or people who are real victims to disease or circumstances beyond their control. But if you are not oppressed or have severe physical limits, then you can accept your reality as created by none other than you. Furthermore, you cannot purify your conscience by vindicating yourself, when you chose poorly. You purify your conscience by facing and accepting your own truth.
Nobody wants to attend your pity party. Conversely, nobody wants to attend your award ceremony, the one where you prove to everyone that you’re right, justified, or blameless. So stop putting your effort into clearing your “good name.” Rather, put your effort into the spirit of truth, and make decisions that you know will lead you to more compassion, and to more self-love. Those efforts are valiant, not the efforts to justify, or to be blameless in the eyes of others. Vindication masquerades as truth, but it’s never rewarding. Truth is rewarding, and it feels victorious, but only to you, in a peaceful and private way. If you face your own truth, you won’t need to put forth any effort to clear your “good name,” it will be cleared for you.