While we are under this insanity of our beliefs and stories, we create all of these stories and emotions that we have been injured and slighted by another. While we are under the influence of these beliefs and stories, we know the other party harmed us and definitely did it intentionally.

We may so insanely believe that the story is true, that we believe we must have retribution.

If you have the nerve to see your beliefs and stories for the fairy tales that they are, you might notice some of the most fantastic story tellers around you.

Governments, religions and the media are some of the most wonderful story tellers, capable of hooking into our personal stories of fear, greed, or any other emotion.

Once these great story tellers pull us into their story, they can manipulate us and direct us at will.

Unless we are capable of seeing the illusions for what they really are, we are trapped in the story and our only options are to follow the plot.

We have gone to war over beliefs and stories.

Over the ages, millions upon millions have rallied around a story and lead to a slaughter, over nothing more than some beliefs and some interesting stories.

Look at every conflict, from some child upset because their sibling took their toy, to a dictator, so insecure and afraid of losing power, he can create a belief and story in his populace, capable of getting them to die for him.

What is patriotism, but just some interesting beliefs and stories?

There is nothing wrong with our beliefs and stories; we need them to create the wonderful experiences of life. We can't experience any emotion without a belief and story behind it.

I find this wonderful game of life is a lot more fun, when I consciously choose what I want to experience in life, and then consciously choose the belief that creates that experience.

You might say "you're just fooling yourself, you're just pretending". My response is, "you're absolutely right, we are all pretending. Some of us know we are just pretending".

Wouldn't it be interesting, if we remembered that the other person in our story is under the influence of their own beliefs and stories, struggling through their own delusions; Delusions that have absolutely nothing to do with us or any basis in reality?

What if we remembered that the other person is stuck in their own personal story, following their own personal script?

What they are thinking and doing has absolutely nothing to do with you.

The person is just responding to their own personal beliefs and stories.

No matter what is going on, no matter how personal it feels, we are creating what we are feeling.

We are in control of our experiences through our personal beliefs and stories.

Is it possible, is it really possible that you have never been harmed or slighted except in your delusional story?

Could you recognize, everything you have ever felt, is based upon your personal story and not what another has said or done?

Could you imagine how empowering this realization is?

You’re in control of your life, not another.

Could you imagine the implications around the concept of forgiveness?

If you saw the illusions for what they really are, you'd recognized you have never been slighted or harmed.

You'd recognize there was never anything to forgive.

True forgiveness is recognizing there is nothing to forgive.