Hi alyoshka,
I don’t think first of all that we have a “mission”, the calling I spoke of is more the challenge that life presents and a requirement if we are to make some sense out of our existence. We seem to need that, as if it is built in to our genes. But discovering what IS and differentiating that from what I and my peers assumed to be is what I’m talking about. We have all, even Jayson, experienced our own misunderstanding and misconception of reality, so that it begs the question as to what we really know and what the nature of reality is. At my age, you get a lot of opportunity to see that many of our assumptions mislead us into situations which show our misconceptions up in an embarrassing way. This is more than just information, it is about letting the life flow through me rather than causing “whitewater” and turbulence.
I have been through most of the religious and spiritual ideas which have been spread around, I can’t claim to have understood everything but I think it was enough to make a decision about the direction of the rest of my life. I believe that many of our traditions have a basic truth and I am encouraged by someone I heard on radio (I didn’t catch the name) who said that religions are different like paths and routes are different, but we all are travelling to a common destination. There is no need to argue about the route, we just need to discern the destination. Having been brought up Christian, I believe that the reality behind the word God is big enough to encompass all belief systems, despite their differences, because that is how I came to understand the love of God in Christ. The approach I have taken on, following many more intelligent people than me, is to understand the Bible and other scriptures and literature as timeless and therefore eternal truths about us NOW, showing us where we have arrived on our journey and where turbulence is draining or endangering us.
I have defined evil above, but perhaps in this context: Evil creates turbulence and threatens our reaching our destination, destroying the basic faith we all have at birth and which should refine (under duress) up until death. There is no right time or way to leave this life, but we should grow enough to be able to accept that exit. We should therefore be working on this refinement and maturity in our meetings, without delusion and escapism, but aware, assured and confident. That is the faith of which Christ spoke of.
What “IS” is always in “NOW”, otherwise it would be “WAS” or “WILL BE”. Both of which are only of secondary importance. That which “WAS” has past and if it was bad, it should not still be present in “NOW”. That which “WILL BE” has yet to be and will be influenced by what “IS”, so we have to concentrate on “NOW”.
I question, in keeping with many wise sages, whether our concept of “I” or “SELF” is really in keeping with reality. How often do we find that second and third parties often have a different view of our “SELF” than we do? Can we distinguish ourselves from our surroundings, our family, our friends, or are we not in fact a connected happening within a interactive collective. Of course we all make decisions which give us the feeling that we are individuals, but this only goes to prove that we partake in what happens, rather than being victims of circumstance. There is even evidence to suggest that illness and accidents are not random occurrences, but we are all jointly moving the pointer on an ouija-board to say what we unconsciously want it to say, or making things happen which we unconsciously want to happen. This kind of influence is always moving us – which begs the question when, for example, children are abused by a member of the family. And isn’t it nearly always someone close to the family when children are abused and murdered? What kind of evil is happening there?
I don’t know anything about resurrection, except what we are told, but those who leave us don’t come back. This kind of magic isn’t ours to use or hope for. Like I said, what can survive after death is not known to me, even if I have heard many fascinating theories from all sorts of traditions. The good thing about life is that it has to be lived in the present and can’t be saved up for another day. Living in the past is just as illusionary, even though we might learn from experience or smile at past meetings and conversations. I feel that affirmation of life is an affirmation of NOW.
Take Care