Nothing Else Matters
What do you make of the assertion that "our nature is to be unconditionally kind, honest, wise and ..."? Can you share a personal experience of a time that you let go of all mental and emotional versions of yourself to be what you are? How can we develop ourselves to be able to do this?
So happy to have run across this. Scott Morrison was an amazing voice. I miss his teachings so much. I used to have a dozen or so of his CD's, but they are gone now and I can't find a source to replace them. Bless you, Scott, wherever your spirit soars. Bless you and thank you, brother!
I think it sounds nice but I don't really feel this is a healthy philosophy. Those things DO matter. Kindness matters, justice matters, helping those in need matters, how we love and guide our children matters. Our prayers matter . Healing ourselves, our neighbor and this planet matters. Our unique talents and creativity matter. Our words matter, they can hurt or heal. Our experiences, our prayers and meditations matter. If a baby cries and needs to be fed it DOES matter if we respond to her/his cry or not. Our individual spiritual evolution contributes to the evolution of humanity and vica versa . We are NOT independent of each other, but interdependent . I really don't buy this particular "spiritual relativity" teaching. Sorry, but I don't. We are here to love and care for each other and to me "love" is a verb ....
Thank you for this beautiful reflection on stopping dead in our tracks. That seems to be the sacred starting place, just remembering that one thing. I wonder in that moment of stopping if the content of what rises in awareness is a little different for each of us, tailored (by grace perhaps) to meet our individual yearnings. In that moment of remembering to stop, for me there arises, like a tender gift, an openness to the possibility of deep and personal accompaniment and connection at many levels from ordinary friendship to the presence of the Divine. I wonder what it is that comes most naturally for others.
As for "our nature is to be unconditionally kind, honest, wise,... tender..." Yes!
Nothing matters until it does, healing without within. We'll hold the paradox of both truths. Your truth, my truth and the real truth. giggles, this article is healing and joyful
Nice article or poem (or what type of literary-philosophical piece of writing, I cannot place it). There are moments (even though very short and very rare) in our lives, where we do let go off everything. Moments of "causeless joy", "boundless happiness" and "undefinable abandon" do occur. I felt such moments few times and for very short periods. These were interrupted by real world events (like a phone call, conveying not-so-pleasant news / compelling me to involved in an argument; door bell of a salesperson etc) and again I came back into the life of emotional disturbances.
If such moments do happen, how to prolong them - that is the question. If we are able to fight and conquer emotional disturbances, that too in particular negative emotions, these moments can get extended.
Focused on just this very thing, being here now, present to the truth of my/our real nature. Helpful reminder!
Thanks!
What a delightful article! I enjoyed reading this immensely and was able to go with the flow of the
generous recognition of the majesty of being unencumbered by the egoic mind.
I think our nature is to be the exact opposite of this based upon the simple fact of evolution: surviving no matter what: war-like if necessary, dishonest if it gets us what we need to survive (or even to be happy for just a moment), and all that goes with that. From Neanderthal to Kings to Silicon Valley, it never ends.
The second part of this: it's my belief that those of us who can turn this inside out for extended periods of time and actually be unconditionally kind, honest, wise...without reservation...are the lucky few.
It would be a wonderful thing to achieve.
Two near death experiences and chronic life threatening illness for the last 6 yearshas changed me completely. Forced me to shed shed shed all that is not necessary. Still happening. Here is one essay out of several that will explain one of these moments -- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jack-schimmelman/life-lessons_b_4335668.html
To me this passage occurs as an existential take on life (perhaps biased by my own world-view) - just that everything in our lives is constructed (purpose, meaning, morals) either consciously or unconsciously. Inherently, life just IS - devoid of any meaning.
To me unconditional kindness that is spontaneous is very different from kindness that comes from a construct (we should be kind / it is good to be kind). For me to be able to truly assert that my nature is unconditionally kind, that 'nature' has to be truly free from any baggage, any filters and any 'should's
To be anchored in such pure awareness, in the here and now, engaging with the cutting edge of life is not a very common experience for me - and in such moments, acts of kindness don't occur as kind - they just occur as actions (it is only later / after an instant that I classify it as kind)
The more we speak about it, the more we move away from it I feel :)
Personally, I frequently find myself letting go of "mental and emotional versions of myself" in order to jump into other people's thoughts, hearts, worlds, views, situations, ect. I cannot be connected tightly to self when trying to understand/love another. (I am unable to completely connect with another with a version of myself blocking the way.)
When I look/see/study/ponder the life another person, my focus is on "the other". If I want to experience/hear/sense what another is feeling/saying/needing, in dropping "me" (and picking up Christ) I am more fine tuned to receive "versions of the other". For this gift, I am very thankful.
