I Can Change The World and So Can You!

I can change the world? That sounds like quite a task.It sounds like an impossible task.

Does the world need to change? Most people would say yes. It would be difficult to find someone that doesn't think that the world should change in some manner. So...what's wrong with the world the way it currently is? The topics that quickly come to mind are; war, sickness, poverty, terrorism, pollution, murder etc. The list can go on and on. The remark is often made that "if there is a God, why does He let all these things happen".

Well, there is a God, and HE didn't make these things happen. We did! Yes... that's right...it's us, not Him. Why are there children sick and dying in India and Nigeria? Because you and I aren't doing enough to stop it. Why are there poor and uneducated in the inner cities of the U.S.? Because you and I aren't doing enough to stop it. Yes it's us. We as humanity, have built what surrounds us. It took thousands of years, but it's our creation, we own it.It wasn't a vast human conspiracy planned throughout generations, it was just us doing what we do. Humans being humans. The world condition came to be through billions of small decisions made over centuries. Decisions based in ego, greed, thinking only about ourselves. All  negative earthly conditions have there root in ego. Actions based on ego ultimately harm us and the world around us. Perhaps not in ways that are always easily detected, but ego based decisions cause a chain reaction with lasting negative affects.

Seems like a dim outlook, impossible to change after all this time. How can one person have any affect on all that? How can one person repair the wrongs of the world we built? Recovery and renewal can't be done en mass. It isn't accomplished through politics or military might. Change can be accomplished through each of us starting with ourselves. I can change my life. I can perform a self assessment and identify the negative and the ego within me. I can recognize how my ego based actions have negatively affected others. I have the ability to recognize that I am more that a physical being, I have spirituality as well. I have the ability to awaken to greater reality to who I am and what my purpose in life is. Once that occurs I can change the way I think and act. I can begin to grow and become a better me.

Everyone has the ability to do something. Everyone has the potential of changing themselves and beyond that, changing their small portion of the world. Our actions can affect others in ways we can't imagine. Small things will change us and those around us. By making a conscious effort to be different, to lessen ego we will change the world. What if I were to say good morning to someone instead of saying get out of my way. What if I were to walk away form gossip instead of participating in it. I can bless someone I see with a prayer rather that mock their physical appearance. I can find a worthy cause and participate in furthering that cause. We all have varying degrees of gifts and abilities and if used for the proper purpose they can have a great, everlasting affect.

So what's the bottom line? Do it! Awaken and change yourself. Become more than you ever imagined you could be. Reject ego and act to eliminate it. Be a better you and help others be better to. Find something you believe in and work for it's development. Once you change yourself you've already made an impact, you've already changed part of the world. Moving beyond that the possibilities and endless!

It's a Personal Experience a Personal Choice

The Gospel according to Luke tells the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. There was a certain rich man who lived in splendor everyday and a certain poor man named Lazarus who laid at his gate covered with sores.Lazarus longed for the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom, and the rich man also died and was buried.From Hades the tormented rich man looked up and saw Abraham and Lazarus far away. The rich man requested that Lazarus be sent to quench his thirst because he was in agony. Abraham reminds the rich man that in his life he received all good things and Lazarus bad things and now their roles have been reversed. Abraham also tells him that it isn't possible for Lazarus to cross over to where the rich man is. The rich man makes another request; that Lazarus be sent to the rich man's living brothers to warn them of this place of torment. Abraham tells him that his brothers have Moses and the Prophets to listen to. The rich man says that his brothers won't listen to the Prophets but they will listen to someone who has returned from the dead. Abraham tells the rich man that if his brothers won't believe Moses, neither will they be persuaded by someone who rises from the dead.

The passage says Lazarus was carried to Abraham's bosom and the rich man died and was buried. The rich man's after life condition sounds dismal right away. I find it interesting that the rich man (RM) recognizes Lazarus. Apparently RM knew Lazarus' name and was aware that he laid at his gate. He also must have been aware of Lazarus' condition in life and although RM could have helped Lazarus he never did. Because he knows who Lazarus is, he asks him for a favor. Wow! That's a lot of ego! When RM is told he favor won't be granted he makes a second request on behalf of his brothers. I wonder if this is the first caring thought he ever had for someone else? RM believes that his brothers will be persuaded by someone who has risen from the dead. Abraham essentially tells RM that his brothers have the truth already at their disposal and if they don't choose to believe, a return from the dead won't persuade them either.

How can Abraham be sure that a message from beyond the grave couldn't persuade someone enough to change their life? Why does Abraham tell RM that his brothers have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them?

The point I take from this passage is that; there is no amount of external persuasion that can circumvent our personal will to believe. Spiritual awakening ultimately comes down to our right and ability to freely choose. As Paul writes; "...work out your salvation with fear and trembling." Phil. 2:12. We as created beings, with free will, have the ability to recognize our Spirituality and it's Source. The many teachings and messages we hear need not, and should not be accepted blindly. Each of us can and should decide their validity based upon our direct experience.


Our path to awakening isn't a set of step by step instructions where we get a standardized product at the end. It's so much more than simply reading, listening and intellectual understanding. Our path is a personal journey of exploration, experienc, choice and belief. Ultimately it is our personal choice to believe or not believe, to spiritually grow or not to grow. There will never be a strong enough argument to convince one who doesn't want to be convinced. There will never be a satisfactory explanation to someone who chooses not to hear. Our belief is a choice, an exercise in free will; and free will must exist in order for love and faith to exist.

With respect to someone returning from the dead; Jesus did that...and still there are those who don't believe. Why? It's their personal choice.

The Good Samaritan Lives!

The good Samaritan still lives and he's still doing his work. How do I know? I know because I met him and witnessed what he did. Alright.. this obviously isn't the same good Samaritan from the gospel but he has the same nature. I volunteer weekly at an area homeless shelter. I do it to pursue personal and spiritual growth by serving the shelter and it's clients. As you might imagine I meet a broad spectrum of people there. Those personal encounters keep my ego in check and help keep me balanced by being thankful for how I've been blessed.

On one particular evening a man, I'll call him Joe, came into the shelter escorting a younger couple. I introduced myself and asked if I could help them. Joe had been a former volunteer at the shelter and currently facilitates a local AA meeting. The couple showed up at the meeting and had nowhere to go after. Joe knew from his experience as a volunteer that the shelter was for men only and couldn't receive a married couple. He was hoping that he and I could search the resources on file and find a temporary housing solution for this couple.

We made several phone calls to agencies and support outlets. Unfortunately, because it was already evening a solution couldn't be found by navigating the established channels. Joe asked me to call some local motels and get their nightly rates. We found a vacancy at a reasonable rate and Joe said he was going to take the couple there. As they began exiting the shelter I pulled Joe aside and asked "what are you going to do, are you going to pay for their room?" His direct, unwavering response "yeah..no one else is going to do it."

I was impressed by his generosity and compassion for two people he had only met hours ago. I was also a little ashamed of myself. I thought "Wow! he's the good Samaritan", he was living the gospel, "Love one another as I have loved you."  I don't know if I could do what he did, but Joe's an inspiration and a great man.

Judge Less, Forgive More

There was recently a story in the news where two young Amish girls (sisters) were missing from their family's roadside produce stand in northern New York state. Multiple law enforcement agencies were involved in the pursuing investigation and the incident was well covered by every media outlet. Within a couple of days the girls appeared at some one's door asking for help. The two sisters had been abducted by a couple and had endured some type of abuse. The girls were able to identify the building where they were held and their abductors. I can't imagine the horror they experienced or the anxiety felt by their families, but thankfully they did survive and were returned home.

The suspects were promptly arrested and jailed without bail (rightfully so). Early reports stated that they didn't deny the allegations and one of the suspects seemed to be testifying against the other. The acts committed by the abductors is indefensible and wrong on every level. They will go through the criminal justice system and receive an appropriate penalty. A punishment that will remove them from society and keep the public safe from them for decades, if not the rest of their lives.

While these events were unfolding, the social  commentary was ubiquitous. As with everything, everyone has an opinion. Many of the public outcry was venomous name calling of the abductors. This probably happens with any incident like this, I've just never took note of it before. I became curious, what could be the objective of the slander? It's obvious that there's no plausible defense to the abductors actions. The evidence appears strong enough to support a conviction and lengthy prison sentence.  But most of the personal comments I heard were about the character of the abductors. I wasn't hearing a lot of concern for the girls or their families. Why?

The insults I was hearing had a common theme. Those people are pieces of ***, they should take them out  and ***, they don't deserve to live, etc. It appeared that many people, who will have no role in the disposition of the abductors had installed themselves as judges in this matter. As if it's not sufficient for the justice system to carry out it's role, they want to personally punish the abductors and the only weapon they have at their disposal is hurling venom.  The action itself is pointless. Name calling won't help the girls recover, it won't help the families, it's not evidence against the accused. It seems to be more of just an outlet to express anger.

Unfortunately when certain people ( I'll call them The Crowd) hear of an incident of this type they use it to express their own hatred. They've located a target for their hate and anger. There's no point to it, it's just something they want to do. They feel as if somehow they've standing on the moral high ground because they didn't do what their target did. It's easy to determine the right side in a case like this and there will be no one supporting the actions of the abductors. This gives the venom hurlers license to say whatever they want with impunity.

In this case the right and wrong are clearly divided, there's no gray area. What that couple did to those girls is wrong. They will be punished in this life and of greater concern they will need to atone for their actions in the after-life. As part of the human family I can't change what happened. I can pray for the girls and their families. I can also pray for the abductors. They need to change and they can't do it unless someone shows them how. As for the venom hurlers, they've always been around and always will be. They need to change too. Why? For their own spiritual development.

When Jesus was being led to His execution on Calvary he passed through a gauntlet of venom hurlers. They cursed at Him, spat on Him, insulted Him and probably committed other acts we don't want to imagine.Many probably didn't even know his name but they believed that they had attained the moral high ground. They had installed themselves as judges and were punishing Him with the weapons at their disposal. They could act with impunity for no one was coming to the defense of the Condemned. In that case the crowd was completely and terribly wrong. Their actions did nothing to better themselves or others. Jesus, being wrongfully convicted chose to forgive His accusers and the crowd With His example of love we should be able to learn how to judge less and forgive more.

Finding Purpose

At some point in our lives we reach that day of discovery, that point of awakening, where we realize our Spiritual nature. We realize that we're more than we could have possibly imagined and a new learning and seeking process begins. As we grow, we look beyond the common habits of life and begin searching for our purpose.

We ask ourselves questions like; why am I here? What is it I'm supposed to do? What's my role? I believe that there are common, basic purposes that are integral to who we are and we can identify those purposes through self examination. If you are some one's spouse, part of your purpose is to be the best spouse you can be. Only you can fulfill that role. The same applies if you are a sibling or a parent or grand parent. By title, you are in those roles. Everyone is some one's child and has a purpose in that capacity. It's up to us  to develop in those roles and accept those responsibilities. Those probably aren't the  thoughts that come to mind when we begin to search for our purpose. We're generally thinking of greater, more glamorous roles. But we do have basic, inherent responsibilities that are part of our overall purpose. I need to be the best "me" I can be and so do you. I need to be responsible for myself, my role in my family and beyond that in my community. 

Looking beyond our fundamental family and community purposes, we can discover what talents and abilities we possess. Our purpose exists within the framework of our abilities. As a youngster I imagined playing professional hockey in the NHL. Kids do have those types of dreams but as I matured I realized that simply wasn't a reality. I possess neither the athletic ability or necessary talent to achieve that dream. For me, to continue to believe that my purpose is to someday play in the NHL is complete fantasy. Accepting our limitations is by no means an admission of defeat or inferiority. On the contrary, it points us in the right direction by identifying what isn't our purpose. Some people have what appears to be unlimited talent and resources. Others have severe limitations. This clearly illustrates that we are on different paths with different goals and different purposes. We've been given the talent, abilities and resources we need to fulfill our purpose. We need not compare our situation with someone else's, it's not a competition. Each of us has a role to fill.

Our purpose, our individual mission, is also in agreement with Spiritual truths. Living our purpose fulfills us and helps us grow spiritually. It also helps others do the same thing. Our purpose doesn't build ego. It draws us from the base human instincts of anger, fear and greed. It's a talent to a have a great mind for numbers and finance. But using that talent to accumulate personal wealth while ignoring the greater surrounding need isn't living your purpose.However, using that talent to support your family, being charitable to the community and helping those in need is spiritually correct. It's a talent to be able to conceive and design mechanical devices and equipment. However, using that talent to create weaponry that kills humanity quicker isn't living your purpose. Using that ability to bring water to drought ridden communities is more appropriate. Our talents and abilities need to be directed to a higher purpose to find fulfillment and growth.

Our purpose can and does change as we live out our lives. We move from being the child to the parent. We transform from the student to the teacher. Hopefully we shed our ignorance and attain wisdom. The choices we make greatly affect our purpose. As beings of free will we choose which path we will take, and as experience teaches, we don't always make the right choice. We are all capable of finding and living our true purposes and also capable of derailing that purpose. It's up to us to search and to find our true purpose in life. We can find and live it or if we choose we can prevent it.
 

Responding to Negativity

In our daily routines of interacting with our cohabitants of this physical plane we experience pleasant and unpleasant encounters.There are numbers of things we don't like and they're not the same for all of us. Activities that some of us find entertaining or enjoyable may be unpleasant to someone else. The things that someone else enjoys we may find repellent. We're all different, possessing varying degrees of knowledge, experience, physical, mental and Spiritual gifts. Yet we all share a commonality in that we all are living here temporarily, learning and fulfilling a purpose.

We are beings of emotion and personality and as long as we inhabit this earth we will encounter things we don't like. Our responses to these encounters are key to our development as spirit beings. We have the ability to control our responses. Our response to to any event will affect ourselves and others. When we're being directed by our ego and thinking short term we often respond to others harshly, rudely and in a generally uncaring manner. In that mode we're quick to judge others and often ridicule them. In more tense encounters emotions like hate and rage can flare up. We may be looking to retaliate with force to protect our ego. I've found those types of responses to be detrimental to our growth as Spirit beings, leading only to increased ego and unneeded focus on base emotions such as pride, anger and selfishness.

Although it's not always easy, the better way to address a negative encounter is with a loving response. That's not to say that we're going to immediately hug anyone who has a harsh word with us. A loving response can manifest in many different ways. Perhaps the simplest is to not respond at all to a negative encounter. Yes as human creatures we have a survival instinct and we also get wounded emotionally and physically and it takes time for those wounds to heal. But loving and forgiveness are the catalysts for our healing, strenghtening and growth. In my experiences I've found that if I don't forgive someone for a perceived wrong, I'm hurting myself not them. If I'm planning a revenge I never intend on carrying out I'm damaging myself and my own growth.

The ability to forgive after a negative encounter is a tool at our disposal to release the negative within ourselves and grow stronger in Spirit. If I find myself being drawn into thoughts of anger, pride or  vengeance as a response to an encounter with someone, I redirect my thoughts to my purpose. If I focus on my purpose and think long term I realize that I can move on and forgive. If I focus on what I can do and not what I can't do I have purpose. If I focus on what I have and not on what I don't have I find fulfillment. If I recall all the mistakes in my life and how I've hurt other people, I'm able to forgive. Jesus was executed on a cross, surely an encounter none of us would want to endure. Although He possessed the power and authority the change the situation and eliminate his captors with a mere thought, he chose to forgive. In His own words "Father forgive them for they don't know what they're doing". It's not likely that anyone of us will be in that same situation and looking through that filter our encounters are mostly trivial. Can we respond lovingly in a negative situation? Of course..it's simply a matter of choice.

Free to Choose, but...

As created beings we have been given the freedom to choose. There are countless choices we can freely make within the scope of our abilities and resources. However, we aren't free from the consequences of our choices. The choices we make produce certain results... certain outcomes...certain consequences. The outcomes are relational to the quality of choice we make. Better choices will yield better outcomes. Poorer choices will result in poor consequences.

We can see how this is true simply by thoughtfully examining choices we (people in general) make. Consider the following examples of poor choices. If a person continually drinks to excess, they become an alcoholic. If a person indulges in drug use, they become an addict. If a person pursues a life of crime, they become incarcerated. Those are the more obvious habits to spot. Other behaviors take on a more normal appearance. For example, the ruthless business man, who is always looking to scam someone for his next big deal. He becomes obsessed with his own success. His business is all that matters to him. The millionaire who spends his wealth attempting to satisfy every desire. He becomes greedy, always wanting more, insensitive to the needs of others. In these scenarios, not only is the individual affected,  but they also everyone else associated with consequence of that choice.

How do better choices affect us and others? Let's consider these. If you become aware of a family in need of food, and you choose to help, that family situation improves. If there is any type of fund raising effort, for what you consider to be a worthy cause, and you participate, you've moved that effort forward. If some one's character is being slandered, and you step in to prevent it, you've saved someone's reputation.

The examples of poor choices are ego based actions. I want to get drunk, I want to get high, I want more money etc. No thought or consideration is given to others or how it will affect them. The examples of the better choices are selfless acts. Helping the family in need, giving to the fund raising event, defending someone who is defenseless. These actions make us helpful, kind, compassionate, generous. These actions help us grow in spirit.

The above scenarios show us that we own our choices and become what we do. They show us that our choices and actions affect us and many others. As scripture says " whatever a man sows, that will he also reap".If we become attached to the physical world, we grow our own egos and have difficulty comprehending the spiritual. When minimize ego and choose to give consideration to others we grow in spirit and are able to move toward our true purpose.