A subscriber and friend wrote,
as a result of last week’s message [“Smile
And Watch The Pure Joy Of Doing Things Differently” - Msg-1-May-2014]
Good Morning Don! Your message
kind of parallels what I have been expressing this week....some people can and
do change, can recognize fear and then try to get beyond it. But, it seems to me that we humans,
collectively, suffer the plight of ignorance, choose to follow, and choose to
not change. From George Carlin all the
way back to the early thinkers there is recognition of ignorance, ignorance of
the masses. For me it appears that ignorance (resistance to
change) rules our planet, always has,
perhaps always will…. I think that I have realistically… rationalized that maybe
we are presented with a scenario where if we want to achieve happiness &
peace, it is going to be achieved through a struggle against massive
programming against that end. Does that
make sense?
Yes it makes sense, but those
kinds of thoughts have proven to me to be both confusing and avoiding in terms
of the real issues. In my message of April, 2014 [“Comprehending The Force Of My Ego”] I wrote: [The world of the ego
that we describe is]: a world of fear,
anger, hate, lust, resentment, revenge, envy, and greed. I [You have added
“ignorance” to that list.]
… It is a world each of us create by the way we look at it. It’s simply
our perception. Change our perception and the world changes. I’ve experienced
this at times, and it’s an amazing miracle. As I’ve learned – and shared in
these messages – if I change the way I
look at things, the things I look at change.
But it seems so daunting. The world seems so violent and fearful. That
attitude makes me want to quit before I begin. But that’s my perception again –
my ego raising its head presenting me with this task to change the world. My
“task” is not to fix the world by simply changing the way I look at it. I am
simply to be willing to NOT listen to what I think and to be willing to let the
Holy Spirit give me another way of looking at things or people. I need to keep
the focus only on me and my thoughts. I need to be willing to think
differently. I need to be willing to ask for a different way of perceiving.
That’s all. He’ll take it from there.
This is so tough to imagine. Believe me – I
know. Personally, I don’t have the capacity to deal with “the masses,” as you
described. My plate is full enough just dealing with me.
I recently heard a new-to-me
quote: “If I don’t go within, I go
without.” In other words, when I read something that really strikes me, my
first, rather knee-jerk, reaction is to say something like: “Boy! I really wish
my boss, spouse, son, daughter, neighbor, the Republicans, the British, the
poor, or the wealthy, could read this.” I’m still training myself to respond
with: “How does this apply to me? Although I don’t like it when my spouse does
this, I’m really doing the same thing.” Ugh! I don’t like going within.
I have to always remember that
the ego-based world I see is the illusionary world of separateness and form.
The spirit-based world is the true world of oneness and content. Perhaps this
will help. It’s a quote from Deepak Chopra, The
Ultimate Happiness Prescription, Crown Publishing Group, 2009, pp108-109,
113:
“Your true identity is neither the inner nor the outer world. You are
the creator of both. The same source that creates thoughts, feelings, memories,
emotions, and all subjective experience simultaneously creates the objective
world that matches your subjective state. If you don’t like what is happening
around you, don’t try to ‘fix it.’ That would be like polishing the mirror
hoping to change the reflection you see in it. In order to change what you see,
there has to be a new message coming from source…. Quantum physics completely
agress with this idea [of the relationship between the inner and outer world]….
“The difference [between the world’s wisdom traditions and physics] is
that [the wisdom traditions] link the two while physics gives primary value to
inert [outer] matter, although this is beginning to change…. Suppose you don’t
like a situation in your life. You perceive that there is an outside
circumstance or relationship that is at fault. Merely turning to positive
thinking isn’t going to make a difference. You can think as positively as you
like about your troubles, but this is a superficial mood; it doesn’t go to the
source. In fact, to artificially manipulate your thoughts, even in a positive
direction, can increase stress and worsen the situation. The solution is to
change both inner and outer reality simultaneously. Consciousness permeates
everything. It functions to create change at four fundamental levels: being,
feeling, thinking, and doing….
“Almost all the work done on the spiritual path consists of two things:
clearing away obstacles, and reaching a deeper level of awareness. In these
ways you can open a connection to your true self and you remove the ego’s
resistance. Yet even at the beginning of the path, being mindful of your role
as the witness is very effective. When you achieve this state, you are
grounded, alert, flexible, and ready to act from the highest level. Shifting to
the witness is a subtle action. It requires that you ‘just stop.’”
Chopra’s suggestion to “Just
Stop” is the same as ACIM’s admonishment to be willing to NOT listen to what I
think and to be willing to let the Holy Spirit give me another way of looking
at things or people.
Although these messages are
mostly for me, thanks for listening. As always – feel free to forward this
message to your friends, family, and those accompanying you on your spiritual
journey.
Don
#2 May, 2014
Copyright, 2014
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