I received a comment and
question from a subscriber arising from a message earlier this month [Msg-1-Dec-2106,
The Resonance and Danger of Ultra
Right-Wing Political Movements]. It is worth repeating here:
Hello, Don: The thing that
puzzles me on the subject of your current essay on right-wing politics is this:
The Iranians, for example, are allowed to keep their culture (except for the
globalization effect of the Internet, perhaps); the Japanese, everyone agrees,
should keep their culture. These are considered 'good ideas' . . . but the
British, well, not so much. They should take in as many immigrants as possible,
until the British culture has become so watered down it is no longer in
existence. Or the Germans. I heard a story of a resort town in Germany, perhaps
Bad Godesberg, in which one can no longer find a German restaurant . . .
they've all been taken over by Middle Eastern culture. . . . How is that fair
or right or just? And when protests are made for lower immigration levels, and
to preserve one's own culture (this only happens in the West), people are
called 'right-wing extremists' . . . These knee-jerk liberal expressions, including
'globalization is all good', develop a hollow ring after a while. There are
parts of East Vancouver, British Columbia, or Richmond, its suburban neighbour,
where a Westerner is an anomaly. In Richmond, citizens have to fight to have
street and store signs appear in English. . . . How is this 'good'? . . . If
you could be so good as to explain this to me.
Thank you for your comments –
very astute and very well-expressed.
I am trying not to confuse
"Form" with "Content." The spiritual is focused on content.
My ego-mind is focused on form. The issue for me about lowering immigration, as
the example you mention, is the fear that lies behind it - fear of losing
control, fear of losing status/money/position/identity, fear of the
"different," etc. Fear, more than anything else, will diminish any
spiritual sense of light, love, inclusiveness, or Oneness, which is what I am
seeking for me.
The "Form" this fear takes
is almost immaterial - to Spirit, a hateful thought, a hateful word and a
hateful action are all equivalent. Not so in the world of form. We live in
both: spirit/content and ego/form. There is a quote dealing with the constant
tension between being IN the world without being OF the world. What you've
described is this same tension. Where I draw lines differentiating between Form
and Content and you draw them will be different - we just need to respect and
honor that between us. This is not a “once and done” kind of thing. It is a
daily tension. Where I draw those lines differs some times between today and
where I drew them yesterday. When someone expresses a rightness/wrongness about
a “Form” issue, I try to focus on the fear in them and, when I do that, I am
reminded of my own fear - so I can begin to relate to that person in terms of
Content (in this case Fear) - rather than arguing over egoic manifestations of
Form.
I hope this helps.
We are beginning Christmas week
where we celebrate the “form” of Jesus’s birth. Exactly how we celebrate that
form varies greatly among cultures and has morphed greatly over the centuries.
The “content” of His coming is to help us remember that we have never separated
from God. Our egoic perceptions that would have us believe we are sinful
creatures and deserve God’s wrath are just that: perceptions or illusions.
Jesus, the man, fully understood that and fully lived by the Spirit.
So can we – and that is the real
meaning of the Christmas of Spirit.
The Christ is the single Self
that is shared by all the members of the Sonship – all of humanity.
Collectively, we are the Son of God. The Christ does not refer specifically to
Jesus. Jesus is simply one of these “members of the Sonship,” who has
remembered and fully lived our shared identity. [ACIM: T-15.V.10:9-10 – “Those who
are joined in Christ are in no way separate. For Christ is the Self the Sonship
shares, as God shares His Self with Christ.”]
I want to take this opportunity
to wish all readers of this message a Merry Christmas and a wonderfully happy,
peaceful holiday season – Kwanzaa, Chanukah, or simply enjoying family and
friends. [Muslims have a little difficulty with Christmas because they do not
celebrate their prophets’ birthdays. Since they believe Jesus was a prophet,
they don't celebrate. In western countries, their children, however, get caught up in Santa
Claus, school closings, and other hoopla. It makes it difficult for them.]
Although these messages are
mostly for me, thanks for listening to me and getting to know me – warts and
all. As always, feel free to forward this message to your friends, family, and those
accompanying you on your spiritual journey.
There will be no message next
week.
Don
#3 Dec 2016
Copyright 2016
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