Authority on Your Life

The best teachers, artists, and leaders do not need the books anymore.  They have incorporated the knowledge that was in the books and now teach, create and lead from within.   When they reach that level, they become authorities in their areas of expertise.

We talk about Jesus being the incarnate God.  That has meant various things to people over the centuries.  I think he embodied the divine in that he did not need to learn about God from a book, but had enough experience and understanding of the divine that he had incorporated it in himself.   He was the authority in the relationship between divine and human existence.

You are the authority on your life.  To be that authority in a masterful way you need to come to grips with who you truly are.  That means accepting both the finite nature of your humanity as well as the tremendous potential of your humanity.  That means connecting your heaven and your earth, your spiritual and your physical natures.  You have the authority over your main character – you – to make your life story a good one.

I think we all author our own lives best when we begin with a foundation of love that is steadfast and all-encompassing.  For most of us that means we have to rewrite a few chapters worth of opinions and thoughts about the world in which we live. 

Re-writes are permitted and even encouraged.  You can’t go back in time to undo, but you can rewrite for as long as there is time given you.  Your book hasn’t gone to the publishers yet. Take the time while you have it to make it a masterpiece.

 

Reconciling

How can you go back to something that never was?

When we put a “re” in front of a word it usually means a do over.   When we talk about reconciling the nations or religions of the world, it implies that there was once a time when all nations and religions got along.  Was that ever the case?  I don’t think so.

Aren’t we better off realizing that when we try to work together with people of other faith backgrounds and cultures we are chartering new territory?  The past can teach us that it has always been difficult.  We can study what has been tried and try to understand why it failed.  We can see what worked to some degree and try to improve it.  We would not be burdened with guilt or grieving over losing something that never was.

Acknowledging that we have never gotten along with all other faiths, nations or cultures is a big step.  The next step that needs to come is a profound, soul-searched answer to the question of whether we really want to get along. Only then can we move into new territory of universal friendship.  Most of us, I fear, would be too afraid of giving up our identities in order to make the necessary changes required to fulfill such a vision.

Nations seem to be able to unite better than religions do.  It could be simply because the uniting of nations is based on temporal benefits.  So much of religion is based on the ideas concerning the next life whether that is seen as a heaven/hell dualism or reincarnation.  When that is the case people seem willing to suffer more temporally in the hope of a better afterlife. It seems that we need to set aside ideas about what was and what will be if we are going to do anything about fixing the problems of the here and now.

 

Getting More Done

Some people amaze me with their capacity for work.  They get a lot done.  They are truly stars. The problem arises when they think they are the only ones who can do what needs to be done.  There are some things for which a certain individual is uniquely qualified to do.  Such things are not as common as we seem to think.  If we really want to get more things done we must let others shine as well.

I’ve learned the hard way the importance of getting out of the way. The first thing that needs to get out of the way is usually ego.  Even when I am convinced that no one else can do a certain deed as well as I can, I still need to set my ego aside and let others step in. 

Step up to do your role.  Step aside to let others do theirs.  Much more will be accomplished in the long run this way.

The surprising side effect of all this is that we learn that we are appreciated and loved quite aside from the work we do.  When that happens, turf wars die out.  We learn that we each have our own place and that is enough.

 

The Ideas behind the Words

I don’t think it is a coincidence that the root of the word for Zeus means “life” and the root of the word Jehovah means “life”.

Cupid shooting an arrow produces love in someone’s heart.  We associate it now with only romantic love. 

The word “torah”, translated usually “law”, has the idea of an arrow giving direction.  The target of the torah is summed up as love.  We associate that now with a more profound type of love, but still love.

Love in all its forms is a universal value for humanity. Transcendent or divine powers are life giving ones that target love in the human heart. 

We use different words than others and argue with them as if we are in total disagreement, only to discover that the meanings behind the words are the same.

Sigh…