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Hi Aurino,
I do not claim to be a Saint. There is work to be done.
I have heard that "Put God first, and all else shall be added unto you" or something.
God = Love = Existence. Love is about "letting be", letting exist.
Look at all the tragedies of human history: God does not seem to push people around. Non-intervention seems to be the idea. The one intervention in human history was to save us, to throw a spanner in the works, so the "lost sheep" can find their way.
People know if they are being honest in themselves. They know if they are kidding themselves or contradicting themselves.
All there is, is who / what there is. To live in God, in Love, is to put "letting be" first.
Calling a spade a spade does matter. Evil thrives on double-definitions, contradictions, evasions, repression.
It is not my ideas I trust first: it is Existence I trust. Not denying anything that exists. Every voice gets a hearing, every side gets their point-of-view seen; is the idea. That means all my objections, and all their objections, all these cards are "let be", are placed on the table.
Love hides nothing; all is revealed in truth.
Error tries to cover some cards.
I believe in God first, in Existence, in "let be", in Love. I believe myself in-so-far as I am harmonising in Existence, in honesty, transparent to myself.
(You are getting me to sound awefully pious.)
There are a lot of people whose ideas of right and wrong are seriously misguided (or rather: guided into oblivion).
The curious thing about the terrorist organisation behind the World Trade Center destruction is: they claim divine inspiration.
A woman in Nigeria faces death by stoning because certain people are trying so hard to "be good" re: their ideas about the Koran or whatever; they have confused matters.
History is littered with the corpses of those who suffered at the hands of people "trying to do good", "trying to care".
I am not wanting to throw stones. I am warning here of a subtle trap that has ensnared many people. Figuring out what is truly good requires being open to all that exists; not trampling on deep instincts that might tell one that "stoning that Nigerian" or "crashing a jetliner into that building" is not good.
Someone wrote a book which said that there is a point where pursuing one's own legitimate self-interest or passion may actually be better for humanity world-wide. In maintaining what seems honestly correct internal "letting oneself be" one radiates aliveness and is better equipped to spread aliveness to others.
Now that isn't a rule for selfishness; it all requires a delicate balancing act. There are times though when modifying one's behaviour to accomodate misguided entrapping ideas of others is not right.
The best thing I can do for people who say they care for me is to be true to myself and let them be. If their "care" is noxious and doesn't let me be; that is hardly "care". It's enslavement.
Love is Existence. Love involves the law of non-contradiction. Being true. Letting yourself be and letting others be. Love is not restrictive, it is liberating. "What others expect of me" may be quite wrong. I hope some Islamic extremists realize that; re: what their comanders expect of them.
You must be true to your conscience; it is said.
If you ae not true within; you surely wither and die. Sure, one may make big sacrifices for others, for family.
I dont want to play the justification game. I prefer not to judge me or others either way. If we are honest we do not have to justify ourselves. I don't claim others are positioned to do live the way I do. I am interested in certain possibilities and I choose to pursue these. Other people live differently. Each to his own. I decided to unravel what humans really are and so I do that. It's not official, I'm not a cleric; I could say I'm a thinking skier/ snowboarder/ mountain walker.
I don't deny your love for your family and your sacrifices. My point above was Love does involve non-contradiction; so misuse of language to mislead does not fit in. So, so-called "alcoholics" must be dealt with honestly.
Social problems are best faced honestly.
I happen to have a very different life-style to you; it is not legit for either of us to create meaning for our lives by criticizing the lives of others. Each to his own.
Was I justifying myself? I was just using logic to challenge the deceptions and damage perpetrated in the name of "care".
This is not a personal debate. It is a debate about certain issues. I do not wish to partake in personalising dry abstract debate. How I live and how you live is not at issue.
There probably is some personal issues at stake: what do people fear will happen if ultimate reality is deeply dug up? I have an unfair advantage I confess because I've been far down that road. I am confidant about that road because I have seen what newborn babies see. It is severely serious and I'm not surprised if people are scared at what they might have hidden within.
But truth is gentle, so don't worry.
I try to let the logic play out honestly in forum debates. What more can one do?
Trust in Existence!
Best Wishes,
Alan
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