The Light in the Woods

3/13/09 Insights from Study      If you haven’t read or heard about the 1957 Ayn Rand novel, Atlas Shrugged, it is in short a treatise on what happens to society when faith clashes with reason and need clashes with productivity. Faced with the fictional ascendancy of socialism over capitalism, the world discovers that if you take from the producers to give to the non-producers extremely enough, all are brought down to the same level of mediocrity and stagnation.

The novel is getting an underground boost of revival lately because it’s a bit prophetic of current economic and societal trends, but there are a couple of basic flaws in the theory which cheapen the message.  Ayn Rand lumps people into two either/or camps without conceding that it’s possible for the staunchest capitalist to be generously compassionate and the staunchest socialist to favor Mother Teresa tactics over Robin Hoodlumism.

But the worse flaw is that the author doesn’t give God a place in her philosophy or in the hearts of her characters. Nothing else she says can remain unskewed because she’s left out the most important factor in the human condition – the input of its Creator. In the war of worldviews Rand’s protagonist, John Galt, sees only the power struggle between human factions, as if human power had any meaning other than the power the Creator allows.  Because Galt does not attribute anything to God, those of us who attribute everything to Him see the lack of meaning in what’s important in Galt’s world.  Galt’s “mystics of the spirit”, which he so scathingly decries as one cause of the ruin of human progress, have no resemblance to any mystic I know about. 

True mystics don’t want to gain power. They know where the source of their force lies, and they know this grace will be vested in whatever interest God sees as fit. Humans do not go it alone; societies don’t need to rise or fall on the basis of human greed. If more of us would give deference to God’s plan there would be no need for either/or philosophies. Battles would be pointless if we allowed ourselves to welcome God’s work in us, and no one would need to show up for the war.

There’s good and bad in all of man’s endeavors and all human philosophy. It’s in moderation that man most resembles His God, for the end game for God is happiness for all. One’s happiness doesn’t have to take away from another’s, since God is the provider and His provision is infinite. John Galt may have been right about the economics of the situation, but without the perspective of God’s reality over human reality, all human work, innovation, invention and profit become the goal in and of itself. God’s goal is not of this world, so we should never sell our souls for worldly gains. That would have been the better lesson for John Galt to teach the world.

3/1/09 Reflections              I have been wronged but it’s up to me not to perpetuate the pain by reacting wrongly. First, the trial was brought about by incompetence; not malice – I can handle that; I’ve been incompetent myself at times. Second, the problem can be fixed, even though I have to be the one to fix it, or maybe even forget it. Third, it’s far from being the end of the world – this matter is extremely minor in the great scheme of things. Fourth, I would only hurt this person by reminding them of what they did — they know what they did and feel bad about it; what more could I add that wouldn’t be only for my own self-righteousness and gratification? Fifth, others affected by it have responded and I feel creepy and slimy over their anger-filled over-reaction. Sixth, when I tell God what I think my action should be, He makes me feel warm and holy and right about my desired response.

It’s number six that speaks to me most effectively; which uplifts my spirit and puts me in a comfort zone with God. That is how I can suddenly put the bad in perspective and bring out the good to look at and admire. There will come a time when I don’t even remember this wrong done to me, because this wrong was human-generated and therefore inconsequential. It’s the spiritual support from God that makes this learning experience so uplifting, and its effects will last forever. Using a wrong to illustrate what’s right – what an awesome Creator we have!

3/1/09 Insights from Prayer       In this age of instant and constant communication, we may have become insensitive to the force of what we say, because we say so many things nowadays.

We look at the history of what we’ve written and find that we are slaves to our moods. One day we’re positive, optimistic, loving and inclusive; the next day we’re negative, pessimistic, hateful and exclusive. Or it may not even be a function of time but of circumstance. On one issue we may speak calmly and on another fiercely. Either way, no one would be likely to pick one post out of our ethernet ramblings and through that be able to define us for certain. Yet our words have power and we should always remember that what we say and write can be hurtful to a person, even if for only a few seconds. We can do right by God and still be courteous to man.

Every day I wish to co-create and co-operate in God’s plan for others through the gifts God has given me. Today I prayed that I never use this gift in the wrong way; that words that are meant to lovingly correct don’t end up being hurtful. But during my prayer I also realized that sometimes the truth hurts even though it’s fighting to bring about good results. My prayer should be, rather, that I’m conscientious in passing along God’s inspirations according to His plan, which is never in error.

It may be assumed that my words reflect my own flawed character, or it may be assumed that I’m a brilliant theologian in my own right. My prayer should be that I remain confident that my work is God’s work, even if no one else thinks of it that way. My prayer should be that I too remember that my work is the result of what God offers me, and that it’s not up to me to alter it or take credit for it. God isn’t concerned about who gets the credit or who gets the blame, and I shouldn’t be either. The point is that the message is divine and true, and the reason behind it loving and constant.

How others react to it is a part of God’s master plan as well. The fact that the same statement can bring exact opposite reactions tells us that our words are subject to interpretation no matter how clear they are to us. God’s design in giving us intellect and free will is ever more apparent in the new era of communication and discussion. I hope to see dissent as a positive thing and I hope to present it that way myself. What I’m inspired to write is designed to encourage reflection, and through reflection we will wonder what exactly is behind it all, making order out of chaos and gluing us together as a single entity. If the method is harsh, let’s be confident that God is purifying us with fire, and that we, imperfect as we are, can play a part in forwarding God’s advice to His children with the same compassion that God displays it to us.

1/18/09 Insights from Prayer          Today during my devotions I realized that, as I was inspired to put it, I notice I’m willing to go the extra mile any time someone gives just an inch. This made me start to think of one of the very first theological principles that was given to me at my divine awakening. It’s that all God wants from us is that we hand over the precious free-will we were created with, and let Him use it the way He wants instead of the way we want.

That’s a big step but one that’s easily taken. We just go out by ourselves into the quiet and tell God we know we’re helpless, but we’re willing to accept His plan and whatever is given us in carrying it out. It’s not that God needs our cooperation, but that He appreciates it because it means we’ve tuned in to His love and want to participate in it. That’s the ultimate adoration. From that point all will be well no matter how inadequately we are able to perceive life.

If the checkout girl just sighs tiredly when I put my purchases up to be scanned, that doesn’t harm me. When a man in a hurry bumps into me without apology, that’s not a big deal. Yet when a saleswoman smiles or a customer holds a door open for me, my reaction is disproportionate – I would suffer harm for this person. A small random good act has the power to uplift a life, but it can do something else just as important – it creates a “good vibe” in the recipient that triggers a loving reaction.

This kind of interchange also happens between the self-abandoned spirit and its Creator. By just our willingness to accept God’s desires we welcome a love exchange totally out of proportion to our free will offering. That goodness in turn spins off onto others, triggering a new opportunity for connection.

Unexpected kind acts done for us trigger affinitive love, which sparks a joy of spirit from which we’re moved to share unexpected kind acts of our own. Nobody caught up in this cycle can fail to see the effects of God’s love woven throughout the lives of His children.

1/15/09 Insights from Study            I frustrate myself before I give myself a chance. Why give what little I can give to a beggar? Even if he didn’t use it for something self-destructive, my contribution does very little for that person’s welfare and is a drop in the ocean in the great scheme of things.

Maybe I’m not going to turn the beggar’s life around, but maybe my contribution added to those of others just might. And beyond that, even if I brighten just a minute or two of someone’s day, it’s a sign of God working through me. If I stop to reflect on the enormity of what this really means, we are both receiving an awesome gift in an awesome way.

I never liked that Bible verse: “Him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also.” What are we supposed to be – doormats for anyone to wipe their feet on? Yet if I turn this around it suddenly strikes a chord. If I think about this verse in the light of what I do for others voluntarily instead of about the bad others do to me, it makes perfect sense.

I think about my stint in the tourist industry, and I remember how I used to tell myself about forbearance when I was in a bad mood, or in a hurry, or just exhausted; many times I was all three at once. I used to remind myself internally: This person and this transaction are insignificant for you because you will handle this kind of thing over and over all day and every day. But to this person, you are a big part of his vacation – don’t let your hang-ups ruin it for him when with a little effort you can make his experience even better.

Any of us can find ways to not only deal with people or situations without rancor, but consciously go the extra mile to make the casual contact special by allowing God’s light to shine through. There are many ways to do this – the situation will lend itself and God’s spirit will show the way – and giving not only the cloak but also the coat as well becomes a habit that fosters peace and contentment of spirit.

What starts out as an experiment could turn into a way of life. This is what mystics mean by practicing the presence of God – living in such a way that no task is mundane because it’s an opportunity to honor God through His creations.

12/3/08 Insights from Study            There is one mystic principle that goes so against our natural grain that it makes the mystics sound like over-pious zealots. It is this: That trial and suffering should be actively embraced and even sought out to the exclusion of favors and consolations.

For example: In The Interior Castle, The 7^th Dwelling Place, Chapter 3, Teresa of Avila says that the soul gains a particular love during persecution that it wishes to extend to its persecutors – to the point that the soul would rather do without the favors of God if by this sacrifice another soul is won over to Him.

This proper preference of suffering over spiritual consolation for the sake of God doesn’t go far enough for some religious sects. There are those like the flagellates or the extreme aesthetics who cause themselves actual physical harm to prove their unfailing allegiance to God. However, not only can the mystical principle of acquiescing to suffering become a victim of over-interpretation, the extreme application of it, which might be called self-persecution, is not pleasing to God anyway.

It’s a case of a well-meaning person going overboard to show their love of God. First of all, God knows everything about you and doesn’t need to be shown. Secondly, if you went to such extremes as intense fasting or flagellation, the temptation for spiritual pride lies too close to the surface for comfort. Then too, God never asked for this form of adoration, which purposely harms the body He has created for you out of His love and in His image.

What extremism does to mystic principle is the same harm it does to every human activity. It takes something good and turns it into something harmful. And it generates the opposite of what it proposes to do – it drives people away when they should be attracted to spirituality for their own good.

The true meaning of the mystical embrace of trial and suffering is a wholly different matter. It’s successfully practiced by families in every place and every culture. We go through the trial of everyday work so that we can give to our families what we want them to enjoy. We give to charity, or volunteer our time, or come to someone’s rescue. We are providers to others, and providing always entails some kind of sacrifice. But we feel a satisfaction in doing what we know is right, even though the burden is often heavy for us. We don’t do it for the satisfaction; the satisfaction comes because we do what we should do.

The mystic treatment of trial and suffering is the same mechanism. We give ourselves over to God’s master plan out of a a love of God. In quiet acceptance we acknowledge that His work in an imperfect world must take a toll, and because it’s God’s work toward human good, we gladly take the trials along with the joys. Both things are given by God out of love, and both are not only accepted willingly but also welcomed as catalysts for pleasing God.

The thing to guard against is choosing sufferings of our own in order to show our love and dedication to God. If we do that, even if no one else sees our distress, we are putting our desires before God’s – the opposite of quiet acceptance.  The ego, which is always trying to distract us from our spiritual union with God, has its own set of rewards. Often when we think we’re doing something out of love for God and others, it turns out we are actually looking for the rewards of our own egos. Working for God can be very satisfying – quiet reflection should reveal if this comfort is the ego’s goal or God’s love shining through you with purpose.

11/20/08 Insights from Study                  Concentrating on spirituality instead of religion results in keeping true to ourselves and hurting no one with our zeal. Being zealous for God exclusively within the confines of our spirits returns the God/man relationship to the focus of our acts instead of making worship into a divisive man/man confrontation.  

“Clean up your own backyard before you complain about the neighbors”. If God is a loving God, why do we act so hatefully towards those who worship Him differently from the way we do? If a right-relationship with God brings us inner peace, how could we feel it necessary to belittle someone else’s gifts from God? If it doesn’t ring true – ignore it rather than fight it. And if you just can’t be true to God and ignore someone else’s dogma at the same time, at least try to correct the dogma without belittling the person himself.

When we pummel others with the reasoning of “I know the Bible is free of error because the Bible tells me so”, we cannot seriously make our case. Man can either be inspired by God or he cannot – who are we to say which of God’s inspirations we can dismiss? It’s the love of God we must help spread throughout the universe, not the pride of man with his dogma and rituals. As we’ve done with everything we’ve touched, we are misusing our gift of God in sinful ways. Then we wonder why, instead of promoting love of God, we bring ridicule down on ourselves.

Spirituality is about God in relation to each of us individually. When we live spiritually every second of the day, there’s no room for conflict between us and our neighbor. If conflict remains, it’s a sign that something in us is pushing God’s love away to the point that we’re no longer immersed in God. We have to fix this ourselves, each of us individually, and either the rest will fall into harmony or we will, by the grace of God, live without letting the discord push us into a state of ungodliness.

10/5/08 Inspirations          The glorification of self is a much-touted attribute in these days and in this culture. We are constantly heralded when we inspect how we feel about ourselves, and routed toward accepting our “selfness” no matter what we find there. The feeling is that if we have a noble picture of what we are, we will be better at accepting what others do; that this is the compassion that will save the world.

Both the ends and the means bear closer scrutiny. Is unconditional acceptance of everything people do really the definition of compassion? Is pursuing and welcoming one’s own wants and needs really related to peace at all? I suspect that the answer is “no” to both questions. I submit the theory that “I’m OK, you’re OK” is a knee-jerk response to fundamentalism; grasped at in time of need for want of something better.

To me, there is a logical middle-road. Compassion and peace are a result of accepting self and neighbor for what we are – children of God – rather than for what we do. To insure this, any introspection should be of the heart; not of the ego. What has been put in our hearts is the God-given intuition of right and wrong. We know from this part of us how to recognize good and evil and to react in a way that pleases God. Since we have introduced evil in our lives through the wrong use of human pride, God will use it to foster good – not by ignoring it in the name of personal freedom, but by dealing with it in dignity. To fight against this grace in the misguided hope that accepting sin is somehow pleasing to God and compassionate to others is to always wonder why something doesn’t feel right inside.

Letting evil go unchallenged doesn’t make the world a better place, and peace for the sake of peace only makes things easier for evil. By putting trust in God to make you an instrument of real, enduring betterment, you will know what to do. Your way can be exactly as God’s way if you allow it – love every child of God and hate the sin they are subject to; to use both good and evil to encourage anyone to reap the benefits of a right-relationship with God.

When we know from inspecting our hearts the grace of God that fills them righteously, that is when we may effectively concern ourselves with justice for others by welcoming them to share in this union with God. Correcting with love is true compassion and the way to true peace – the peace that only God can give us.

2/26/08 Inspirations       A few days ago I was lamenting over my involuntary lack of compassion; wondering what function it could possibly serve. Then without thinking about it, this morning came the answer: “It is to showcase the way things are on your human side, so that when you write about love and compassion you will not have to doubt that the word really comes from God.” I’m well aware of the importance of the mystic feeling of being guided in ways that go against my nature, but today I really had the two phenomena put together for me in a way that brings great understanding.