Part 2 of 2 - Continued from Part 1
This is exactly where my ego
creeps in to make my ACIM meeting its own – to make me its own. Of course
others can feel the same feelings I was feeling. They feel them every Sunday in
their congregations, synagogues, or mosques. They feel them out in the woods
hunting or creek-side fishing. They feel these feelings with family all around
or in their private times with only themselves for company.
My own beliefs in ACIM or in the
Twelve Steps and Principles of AA can get very twisted very quickly into the
“I’m right, you’re wrong (or at least you’re incomplete)” syndrome. Those whose
religious beliefs rely on a fear-based theology, a vengeful Old Testament God,
and a cherished conviction that they are right and everyone else is wrong can
feel the way I was feeling. Those whose political beliefs provide them with a
sense of purpose and meaning and “rightness” can feel the way I was feeling.
Those of Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, or Hindu faiths can feel the way I was
feeling.
AH-HA – I’m not so superior
after all. I’m not really on that much of a higher spiritual plane/path after
all. I can get caught up in all the fear, defensiveness, and justification of
my thoughts just as quickly as anyone else after all. It’s just a different
fear. It’s just a different sense of superiority. But, it’s just as sick and
ego-based.
I guess you could construe this
as a depressing realization, and I have certainly been down that road. However,
it also can be understood as a significant clue that I and my brothers are
truly one. And I mean ALL my brothers: Fundamentalist
Christian, Islamist, Zionistic Jew, aloof Buddhist, Tea-Party member, rabid
progressive, racist, straight, gay. If I
can discipline my mind to see them in me and me in them, then the fear-based
barriers that have separated us might be a little more porous – a little more
elastic – than I thought. Of course, I cannot control others – but I CAN love
them as an extension of myself. They want peace, serenity, calmness, and
freedom just as I do. They want justice, change, and understanding, just as I
do.
In the final analysis that’s all
the Holy Spirit asks of me. I don’t have to change someone. I don’t have to
change things or events. I just have to keep my focus on me and my thoughts. That’s
my perceived reality. If I am willing, the Holy Spirit will change my
perceptions.
I can live with that.
As always, thanks for listening
and feel free to share this message with your friends, family, and those with
whom you are walking your spiritual path.
Don
#2 June, 2012
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