1. It's true that we do need standards. But sometimes we have "skewed" standards because of bad experiences--and those "standards" are often coping skills that we needed to survive but ended up turning into bad habits or defects.

2. Accpetance doesn't mean you just lay down and let a bad situation run you over. There's a saying that goes: "life is tough; as soon as you accept that, it no longer is." That doesn't mean you ignore your problems; but if you accept a situation instead of ignoring or fighting it, you can cope with it much better. For me, it's easier to figure out what to do in a crises when I accpet it instead of fighting it or ignoring it.

3. And, no, the past is not always a predictor of the future.