Weekly Newsletter: Behind the Curtain, Part 2

​Disappointment is understandable when we discover the wizard is simply a man behind a curtain pulling strings, levers, and shouting fiercely at us through a magnified sound system. What we do after discovering this revelation speaks more about us than it does about the pseudo wizard. There is no right or wrong way to react except to be honest with our feelings. Disappointment, anger, frustration, and betrayal are common. The feelings that rarely surface are understanding, sympathy, forgiveness, and even love. You might ask, how can these feelings arise when we were betrayed? Keep in mind, we don’t encourage denying the negative feelings. Feel the pain, but then deal with the root of the problem. Yes, we were deceived, but why were we vulnerable to deception?
 
When we discover the answer to that question, we discover we are less likely to be deceived again. Avoid the question and the lesson may need to be repeated. Always remember the religious leader who you assigned the role of wizard is human, but also — just like us — a divine creation. We can decide to overlook his grandiose gestures and overbearing manner if we believe his wisdom and caring are genuine. As Stone Four states, we discern what works and what does not. Yes, religious leaders are wrong to mislead us and let us believe they are more than human, but that doesn’t mean everything they said or did was wrong. We can pick through the rubble and salvage the good. We might discover there is more good than bad.