Here are some common fears, reservations, and forms of
resistance to the programme ... and some responses:
"The programme will not work for me. I will stay
miserable and/or drink."
Response:
It has worked for hundreds of thousands of people. Why do
you think you are so different?
"I will have to force myself to believe in a God I do
not believe in or trust."
Response:
You do not have to force yourself to believe anything. The
only 'forcing' is the willpower required to take the actions indicated, on the
basis that the people who are suggesting them are doing better than you,
precisely because they took said actions themselves. You do not need to believe
in an entity. You need only believe this programme has worked for others.
"I can only believe in a punishing God."
Response:
If you were taught that, treat it as an error, like being
told that Helsinki is the capital of Peru.
If you believe this because you see bad things happening in
the world, consider the idea of God as a power that transforms you from the
inside to be able to handle any adversity with cheerfulness, courage, and
grace. That's even before the internal transformation transforms your external
life.
Like creates like. You know this below the level of
consciousness. If you are vengeful (which will be if you believe the insane system
of your ego), you will believe, in turn, that God is vengeful.
If you attack others mentally (or in other ways), you will
feel guilty and feel you deserve punishment, and the logical inference is that
that punishment will come from God.
The belief in a punishing God might just be the projection
outwards of your own vengefulness.
"I am scared, if I lose my attachments to things of the
world, I will no longer enjoy anything."
Consider what happens when a best friend says he is moving
to another country. If you are attached, you can no longer enjoy his company,
because you're frightened of what will happen when he leaves. The truth is the
reverse of the objection: enjoyment is the result when the attachment is
dropped. The fewer attachments you have, the greater your ability to enjoy
everything.
"I will become irritating and sanctimonious and
superior."
Just because some people on a spiritual path become like
this does not mean you have to. Find people on a spiritual path who have fun,
enjoy life, and laugh at themselves. Do what they do. Stay away from the
irritating, sanctimonious, and superior ones.
"I will have to take the blame for the actions of
others."
No. You are responsible only for your actions. They are
responsible for theirs. If they acted in retaliation, they're responsible for
the retaliation, not you, but you remain responsible for your contribution to
the situation.
Even for our own actions, we're responsible for recognising
what needs to change and going to God for the strength to change. If we feel
guilt, we're denying the powerlessness at the time to do anything other than
what we did. The very fact we feel guilty shows we knew it was wrong, which prompts
the question, 'why did you do it, then'? Paul would say the sin that lives
within you. We might say the ego was responsible. But we still get to clean up
the mess.
"I will have to make amends to people who have
harmed me."
Only if you have harmed them too.
"I will be forced to sponsor people I do not know how
to help."
It is not us getting them well. We share our experience, and
God uses that as a channel to get them well. God draws straight lines with
broken pencils. The more solutions you learn and apply yourself, the more you
will have to offer.
"There will not be enough time for everything the
programme requires."
The programme is more a method of living than something separate
and additional. However you live, you need a method. Might as well have one
that works. If you do not make time for the programme, you will spent far more
time clearing up the emotional and material train-wrecks stemming from living
based on self-will, which is the only other semi-viable alternative.