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Kgal and others who've asked/are wondering:
I don't know if I have figured it out entirely; this is what I have surmised thus far.
Some may scoff at this, but: For me, it comes down to the decision to inhabit a state of love (for self and others), a mindset that accepts fallibility (i.e. human imperfection), and a committment to myself (to reside with my own sense of individuality). It is an approach that generates a sense of self-acceptance, a sense of being taken care of and therefore not needing to be right, and a sense of having enough and being provided for and therefore not needing to be attached to others. If I am wrong, that is okay, because I seek a sense of self-love and compassion for myself rather than demand perfection. I strive for clarity and accuracy in what I believe, because I value understanding, but I don't seek it at my own expense or that of others. I choose to take accountability only for my own actions and speech. I strive to create a world for myself that is founded on love, patience, understanding, compassion, purpose, and happiness. By living within this reality, I think others are also affected by it when I interact with them. But I do this for myself, because I realize I am responsible only for myself. I choose to not accept responsibility for anyone else (except guardianship for those in my care, which is currently only my cat); however, I find joy and appreciation in knowing that I might uplift others or touch their lives in positive ways by living within a state of joy and peace (which arises from accepting myself and loving who I happen to be). I want to help and heal the world, but I simultaneously realize that is not my responsibility (or at best, not my responsibility alone), and I also realize that perhaps for those who do wish to heal others, the best way in which we can do so is by showing others how to accept responsibility for themselves, which probably comes by living our own lives in an inspiring manner and touching them with said inspiration/light.
This kind of mindset is a relatively spiritual one for me, and I am trying to make it into being an emotional state more than something that depends on spiritual beliefs, because I'd like to be able to interrogate my beliefs more elaborately without sacrificing my sense of peace and the security that arises from maintaining the states I described above. I also sometimes feel as though this is a "fluffy" mindset devoid of the kind of reality most people inhabit, and I fear that I adopt it as a mechanism for coping with my emotional pain. I worry that I deceive myself with it, but accept it as a survival mechanism and forbid myself from questioning it because it takes away the emotional pains of living in states of judgment, worry, anger, frustration, fear, and insecurity. So I clearly have some tinkering to do, but thus far this is how I have arrived at not casting judgment at naysayers and close-minded critics (yes, not every critic is close-minded, and not every close-minded individual is a critic, some are neither and some are both). I figure everyone has their truth, everyone has their story, and few of us are able to understand and discern the answers. I'm not attached to being right; I don't put so much stock in my intellectual capacities as to need to have things figured out. I think my purpose lies within other aims, and I have moments when I feel that makes me a happy dunce, or a peaceful joker relative to more intelligent persons who can rationalize much more complex thoughts than I am able to, or who are able to rationalize what I simply accept to feel, but all the same I let myself accept myself as I am and cradle myself within an attitude of unconditional self-regard and self-love. The most important aim for me is that I allow myself to expand and express my ideas rather than shun myself or others.
Does that explain it?
