I deleted several attempted posts. You might have found them interesting...and had a good laugh or two;...but they definitely did not leave me feeling connected to Source... Feeling Good...or feeling at peace.I had to be honest with myself and ask if I had an 'agenda' or ulterior motive in what I chose to write... I had to admit I did. When we are motivated by those aspects, it just doesn't work.
I was very upset about the cop-out that the Pope and his Secretary decided was the 'real problem' concerning all the sexual abuse perpetrated on children by the Catholic priests and/or their hierarchy--blaming homosexuality instead of paedophilia. II was well primed for this because of a 'comic' Email video, sent to me by a childhood acquaintance, which was miserably derogatory, contemptible, and offensive against gays. With a vengeance similar to recreating the Crusades, I tracked down the so called comedian, found his Email address and blistered him a carefully worded Email...His reply came within an half an hour!...and it definitely indicated I 'got to him' --so I more or less 'won.' Naturally, my ego got a temporary rush -- but after that wore off...did I Feel Good? Heck, no. I only succeeded in bringing myself down to his self-same judgmental level. I lost. Lost my connection to Source...and nothing is worse than that...
So......The question "Would you rather be 'right' or happy" reflects what that whole episode amounted to. I chose to be 'right.' More like self-right-eous.
I have many wonderful, intelligent, delightful, and spiritual gay friends. Although I justified my purpose in sending that Email to him by using 'defending my friends' as an excuse, it comes back to what Dick Sutphen (an excellent spiritual teacher) says: "It's never about the other person...it's about you, always. Whatever you do, regardless of what it is... you do it for yourself." Neither could I hide behind "you should stick up for what you believe"....It becomes very challenging when your 'opponent' is quoting "god and the bible" as to why other's should live up to their OWN expectations....Let's just say that ignites the Irish in me...
However, by the same token...am I not doing the same thing ... regardless of how I dress it up?When Jesus talked about turning the other cheek and Buddha taught about the power of silence...they were very much in sync. Wars are fought, as Seth says, because of a grand sense of powerLESSness...and the desperate need to be 'right' ...much of it being masked by grandiose phrases or platitudes of serving god, humanity, and country.
It's SO easy for anyone to say: "everybody has a right to their own opinion." But--what if their opinions are judgmental, hurtful, degrading, and potentially harmful? Are you supposed to just 'let it go' and do nothing !?! Say nothing!?! Are you supposed to just "let them get away with it?"
Sometime ago I asked a gay friend of mine for his advice on what I should say when someone starts a tirade (usually religiously based) against gays. What should I say to them? His answer? "Just look at them and say 'I'm sorry you feel that way.' "...and then drop it.
That answer is not a 'mind game' answer, spoiling for a real debate... It's an answer that shows true inner courage and conviction. Any further debate would be totally ego-based and about 'winning.' People who always have to 'win' are the least sure of themselves. Why should you have to defend what you 'really' believe in if you are certain that what you believe in is really 'your truth?' (remember: truth is relative) Dick Sutphen really did nail it when he said 'its always about YOU.' Someone once asked him if there were no such things as 'self-less acts'...for example: what about if you would see a little child in a burning car and would risk your own safety to save that child?' Dick's answer was "You are doing what YOU needed to do...based on your own beliefs."Someone asked the teacher Abraham what would be the proper action if one was walking along and came across a couple of thugs beating up on another person (of any size or age) ... Abe's answer was deeper than some people wanted to hear: (we usually want the Quick Fix answers)... Abe said: "Law of Attraction brought this scenario into your life for you OWN reflection and experience. There will be no 'right or wrong' in the way you choose to respond... Because this is about YOU...not them."
This may not be a satisfactory answer for those continuously looking to the outside of themselves for 'the ultimate right way to do things' -- Including those who insist on whopping you upside the head with their 'final answers from god and the bible...)
I truly DO know that it can be a really uncomfortable inner struggle to "keep your mouth shut" sometimes. But it is NOT up to us to 'save others' by retaliating physically OR verbally regardless of how 'noble' or martyrous or saintly it makes us appear. That, too, is nothing but Ego. If we do "lose it' occasionally and ream someone and not always act like some idealized version of ourselves -- that's OK, too. Everything that transpires is made SO much worse because we tend to take things way too seriously (because someone has taught us that is the 'right' thing to do)...As long as we personally learn from self-observation and reflection...and then choose what FEELS GOOD for us...we have made the decision that is 'right for us.'
It is FAR more difficult to teach by example than by words. All the 'yeah, but's' or the 'what if's' in the world cannot diminish that concept.
It helps to focus upon being mindful of our thoughts. Thoughts are the tools that manifest into action and then create our reality. Our thoughts, however, are not really the true 'us' ...All thought, as all possibility and probability simply exist. We magnetize them to us by what we believe, focus on, and give our attention to. This is why the great metaphysical teachers tell us that Feeling Good means we are truly connected to Source, Spirit, our true selves. People who are in that Vortex, feeling that Connection, would never harm or judge or hurt anyone. Our thoughts cause our feelings...it is NOT the other way around.
As Carl Jung said: "What you resist, persists." That is why 'the war on' anything is always doomed for failure....if it's terror, cancer, drugs, poverty, etc etc...makes no difference.
We have to be careful how sucked in we allow ourselves to be when it comes to what the media is promoting... if our anger, self-righteous, or confusion persist: all we are doing is ADDING to what we do not want. What we give our attention to grows. That is the Law of Attraction ... in action....
Namaste' ..
