February 10, 2008
A friend sent to me a response to the Carroll article and in part stated:
"The change has to come from within us, the people.
The fruit of God's spirit is; Love, Joy, Peace etc. against such there is no Law.
The fruit of the unholy spirit (Satan) is Strife, Envy, Greed etc.
There are all kinds of Laws against that, but it is the heart of man that needs to be changed, and that can only happen when Christ comes in and makes
us new from inside out."
Moreover, most important included in this response was the statement: "... it is the heart of man that needs to be changed, and that can only happen when Christ comes in and makes us new from inside out."
This has been my message in conversation and writing for a long time. The only difference between what has been written and my view is that mine is not contextually religious. "I Am" and "We Are" are important and profound concepts. I believe that the absolute, authentic, the very essence, and most profound message of Jesus Christ is that "The Kingdom of God is Within You." (The non-fiction book, "The Kingdom of God is Within You," is a book by Leo Tolstoy that I believe would be beneficial for any Christian to read.)
We are always looking outward to our external world bringing the outside inside instead of looking from inside our internal world and looking first for the best in ourselves. We have become followers and not leaders of our own destiny. We have let others lead. We look for Jesus or a Personal God to come in and help us when Jesus or God is already there. Because we are a government of “In God We Trust,” we trust the government to lead us with probity.
Even from within this understanding, I still do not understand how anyone who claims to be a Christian can support war; can support the death penalty; can support violence of any kind; can support taking a position of "strength," which usually means taking a militant stance, and who would consider seeking peace through understanding and negotiation as being weak. It is a hypocritical stance for a Christian to take. Our President, candidates for the office, and all previous Presidents have taken this hypocritical stance. It has been our history. This certainly is not the message of the "Prince of Peace."
If we could only create an understanding of this particular Christ's message in others, and through this understanding take appropriate non-violent action, Peace and Freedom would be ours.
It is within this context and within these words that it is what I mean by saying we need a new way of thinking. There is an underlying reality that needs to be recognized and explored -- "It is the unseen, not the seen."
The response to the Carroll article also included a reference on how to pray. In my view, Prayer is carried out through universal consciousness. It is part of the "unseen," the underlying reality. It has cosmological dimensions similar to the phenomenon of light, but it cannot be seen. In acknowledging the Weltgeist one will know how to pray. Attention always gives birth to intention, which leads to human action and consequently the fruition of prayer.
Collectively, this is all part and parcel of a new way of thinking.
This particular new way of thinking about our world and ourselves would create beneficial change in that we would embrace love, joy, and with peace experience freedom (without peace, freedom does not exist). It would create the impetus for a cultural shift and we could get rid of our primitive, archaic beliefs, and even our rhetorical archaicisms. We need to relieve ourselves of outdated and atavistic concepts. It would significantly marginalize strife, envy, and greed. As this cultural shift materialized, going forward, a beneficent and propitious world would evolve. We would evolve out of our archaic religiosity, out of our archaic and overbearing Keynesianism economic paradigm, we would find a better way of governing ourselves, and we would discover how we and nations should behave toward each other. The means and methods utilized in all of this, from religion to economics to governance, are nothing but coercive controls to hold us down and not allow us freely to move forward. Yes, in this world, even in religion -- all religion -- we need a new way of thinking.
I am aware that most people will accept the means and methods of economics and governance as being coercive, but not religion. However, if one really thinks realistically and honestly about that, they will ratiocinate that organized religion is coercive.
An authentic, absolute all-inclusive meaning of Peace and Freedom for our world was the passion of Jesus Christ. His message was a declaration of how to get there.
Peace and Freedom is also the desire of most Americans, our politicians, and candidates for President. For embedded in a politicians sophisticated rhetoric is the basic goal of Peace and Freedom for all. They think they know how to get there.
Our founding fathers did not understand the concept of absolute, authentic freedom. Our Constitution does not reflect the authentic, absolute all-inclusive meaning of freedom for all. Americans use this slogan also without an understanding of its meaning. For using the word Freedom is as American as "Apple Pie."
To be free means to be free all of the time (100% free, 100% of the time).
Without a new way of thinking, even our politicians, candidates for president, and those who vote for them, will fail to achieve their goals no matter how noble those goals may appear to be.
The mantra "yes, we can!" of Barack Obama is right on target. The problem is that it is a political slogan, a slogan to rally the troops in support of his candidacy, the democratic party, and to support change from a republican to a democratic administration, nothing more than that. The meaning of change under discussion by both democratic candidates simply means a change in faces and chairs, and of course, there will be some nuances of political change. I do not believe Obama really embraces the essence of his mantra's meaning.
Hillary Clinton certainly does not embrace a new way of thinking.
Mike Huckabee seems to be one of those hypocritical Christians.
McCain is a warrior.
Therefore, in my view, in essence, my friend and I are in absolute agreement.
"We Are" the solution to all of our problems.
I believe that someday that even we will be able to walk on water.
This may be a utopian view, but I have learned in my professional career that if one does set high standards and expectations what you will achieve will be mediocre at best.
With any of the candidates, a vote is a vote for the perpetuation of the war machine.
