The Fifth Agreement

I just finished reading Don Miguel Ruiz and Don Jose Ruiz's The Fifth Agreement. I have already read The Four Agreements and The Mastery of Love.

This particular agreement can be sumed up in the following words Be skeptical, but learn to listen and What kind of Messenger are you?

They ask the readers to "observe the messages that you're delivering...Just imagine that you are talking to a wall. Don't expect an answer. It's not for the wall to hear what you're saying. It's for you to see what is coming out of your mouth. It's for you to begin to see the impact of your words on everything around you" ( Ruiz, 216-217).

It's not about negatively judging what others say to you. It's about taking what others say and recognizing whether they are messages of truth/love or messages of lies/fear. Again its not about judging others, but clarifying for yourself what you want to take to heart or not. It primarily asks you to be aware of what is being communicated to you and what you are communicating and decide for yourself if that is the message you want to communicate or the nature of the message you think you are receiving. We can only change ourselves. If we are "unhappy" about something--what is it that we have mistaken for absolute truth that we allow our natural connection to peace and compassion to be momentarily usurped by lies/fear?

This is in alignment with my determination to be aware/mindful. I am interested in truth--which is really more objective as opposed to subjective interpretation. I am also interested in asking the questions I need to ask in order to see/observe truthfully. I can speculate all I want, but at the end of the day, I'd rather observe what is and not make assumptions...

"What kind of message do you choose to deliver? Is it truth or is it lies? Is it love or is it fear? My choice is to deliver a message of truth and love. What is yours?" (Ruiz, 220)