A reader asks:

This is a moral question more than anything. My ex-wife, whom I have been paying off for the last five years, has not paid any income tax for five years. She owes a lot of tax money. Does Quado think I have a moral obligation to report her? The rest of us have to pay taxes; is it fair she does not? I would like not to report her.

Quado, do you have an answer to this question?

Ah, yes, of course, of course.

Do not confuse moral and legal issues. And do not confuse your own anger and what has happened to you in the past with righteousness.

As for the moral issue, there are those who would say that the correct or moral thing to do is not for anyone to pay taxes, especially if they disagree with what the government does with those taxes.

You are not under any moral obligation whatsoever to turn in someone else for not doing what you think they should do or have a legal obligation to do. Your moral obligation is to do what you think is right, in this case, to pay your taxes. Your moral obligation is to yourself, to live a life of integrity, letting your every act be a testament to what you believe. And it is also an excellent way to achieve inner peace, to settle with life, if you will, to do what feels right and comfortable inside, deep in your center, so that what you do reflects who you are and it all flows from the same centered, peaceful source. This is your moral obligation.

Beyond this, what governments and churches, other people and most any institution tell you to do may sometimes not be the right moral choice for you at all. It may make you feel great inner conflict to follow the law or the pronouncements of some authority. And this is where you must dig deeply into your own self, into your own core of truth, find your courage and make a choice, balancing the consequences of action against the strength of your belief. But blindly following the law certainly does not guarantee a strong moral stance.

But underneath all of this, there is the anger that you have toward your ex-wife, and this is something you must deal with. No matter what she did and no matter what she continues to do, you need to release your anger and forgive. And by this forgiveness, all that is meant is a gentle release of the resentment, of the anger, of the feeling that you were somehow a victim. If you blame someone else for your life, if you make them responsible, then you cannot fix it and make it right. If, on the other hand, you release them from that responsibility and take full ownership and control of your life, shifting your attention from them as perpetrator and yourself as victim, over to yourself as full owner of your life, then you can do anything you wish with your life, including bringing yourself to a state of peace, love and joy.

Release it. Release your anger. Just let it go. Accept today exactly as it is. You are who you are. You are paying your taxes, which you feel is right, and you are at peace with your own actions. Accept yourself in this life just as it is. Forgive everyone who made it difficult for you in the past. Just let it go. Then, with things just as they are, accept responsibility for the next thing in your life. Make choices which stem from love. Make choices which stem from acceptance. Make choices which stem from responsibility, owning your life and every action you take fully and completely. And while you are releasing your anger, release that feeling of being a victim. Release that feeling that life is somehow unfair and that some people have it better than others.

There is no better place to be than where you are right now. There is no better situation, no better person to be than who you are. A deep peace can be found within you, deep inside, if you will but release your focus on the past and move into now, filling your life with the joy and presence of now. And then, let tomorrow flow gently out of this deeply centered peace and joy. Let it flow out of a graceful acceptance of what is and a grateful wonder at the many blessings of your life.

Yes, life is good indeed.

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Quado is a spiritual entity channeled by Carrie Hart. Carrie is a singer, songwriter, poet, and healer. Quado first spoke to her on November 26, 1995. For more on Quado and on Carrie's work, please her web site at www.carriehart.com, where you can also find meditation CDs, healing services, music and more. To hear samples from the Quado Meditation on Self-Love, go directly to www.carriehart.com/meditations.html.