can learn from any situation, especially if we practice
this slogan with awareness. The people and situa-
tions in our lives can remind us to catch neurosis as
neurosis, to see when we’re in our room under the
covers, to see when we’ve pulled the shades, locked
the door, and are determined to stay there.
There’s a reason that you can learn from every-
thing: you have basic wisdom, basic intelligence, and
basic goodness. Therefore, if the environment is sup-
portive and encourages you to be brave and to open
your heart and mind, you’ll find yourself opening to
the wisdom and compassion that’s inherently there.
It’s like tapping into your source, tapping into what
you already have. It’s the willingness to open your
eyes, your heart, and your mind, to allow situations in
your life to become your teacher. With awareness,
you are able to find out for yourself what causes mis-
ery and what causes happiness.
“Be grateful to everyone” is getting at a complete
change of attitude. This slogan is not wishy-washy
and naive. It does not mean that if you’re mugged on
the street you should smile knowingly and say, “Oh, I
should be grateful for this,” before losing conscious-
ness. This slogan actually gets at the guts of how we
perfect ignorance through avoidance, not knowing
that we’re eating poison, not knowing that we’re put-
ting another layer of protection over our heart, not
seeing through the whole thing.
“Be grateful to everyone” means that all situations
78 Be Grateful to Everyone