Revolutionary Agreement #11

On 11/11/2020, Good of the Whole offered an all-day environment for a Healing Experience and an opportunity for us to get to know one another on a more intimate level. We shared stories; we were honest, vulnerable, and open to change. On that day, the 12 Revolutionary Agreements were introduced by its author, Marian Head, and two certified RA Coaches, Sharon Hardy and Linda Rosenthal.

It was clear that many of us in The Connection Field wanted to learn more about these transformative agreements, from Marian’s book, “Revolutionary Agreements – A Personal Path to Peace on Earth” (www.agreementsinstitute.com)

Each week, in the Connection Field Digest, Linda and Sharon will give a very brief overview of each agreement, so that each one of us can benefit by living them and enjoying greater inner peace every day.

The three pillars of the Revolutionary Agreements are:
Truth, Acceptance, and Gratitude
There are four agreements under each one.

Agreement Eleven: I agree to Look for Blessings in Disguise

This is the eleventh Revolutionary Agreement, the third under the pillar of Gratitude. All four agreements under this last pillar have to do with creating a life filled with love, light, and delight. 

“I am responsible. Although I may not be able to prevent the worst from happening, I am responsible for my attitude toward the inevitable misfortunes that darken life. Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life. I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have – life itself.” – Walter Anderson

Americans are reeling with emotions over the two recent mass shootings of innocent people in our country. Eighteen lives cut short, ended before their natural time.  How can we find a blessing in these horrific acts of violence that make no sense to any rational-thinking person?

At a deep level, we can know that everything is unfolding as it should, evolving as it will without interference. If we look for silver linings, blessings in disguise, we will develop the habit of finding them…We can learn to see through the pain and live in the blessing—in the light of the sun behind the cloud. (Excerpt from Revolutionary Agreements by Marian Head)

The past year has been a daily reminder of the challenges, difficult situations, and frustrations that have been presented from a global pandemic, political upheaval, racial injustices, and climate crises. This agreement asks us to find something good about what we consider to be awful, unacceptable, and horrible. It guides us to change our negative thinking into something possible and beneficial. 

Impossible to do? No. If we consciously look for the silver linings, we’ll find them. A global pandemic has changed the way we communicate with each other, how we travel and do business, which ultimately has been a relief to our planet. Mass shootings and deaths from Covid are making us appreciate family and friends more every day without taking anyone for granted. We’ve been able to clearly see how systemic social injustices need to be understood, healed, and transformed through wisdom and love for the whole. Health care, education, and political systems are changing because we’ve become more aware of what’s not working for all. More people around the world are eagerly working together now to find sustainable solutions to our greatest challenges. 

The blessings of this past year have simply been in disguise…waiting until we could see our positive responses through eyes of gratitude instead of victimhood.

“God turns you from one feeling to another and teaches by means of opposites so that you will have two wings to fly, not one.” – Rumi

“If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself but to your own estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment” – Marcus Aurelius

“Some folks go through life pleased that the glass is half full. Others spend a lifetime lamenting that it’s half empty. The truth is: There is a glass with a certain volume of liquid in it. From there, it’s up to you!” – Dr. James S. Vuocolo