Gratitude is the door to joy. Seriousness is a killjoy. - Dr. Thomas Hora
There is not one person or organization that can rightfully shoulder the culpability for this devastating event. As in all experiences that “go wrong” with suffering, heart ache, trauma and enormous expense, there is an endless wagon train of ignorance, arrogance, greed and ambition in many individual acts along the way.
Read MoreWouldn’t it be wonderful if we could just point out who the “bad guy” is and let them know what they’ve done wrong, let them know that it is their fault, and then they change? Wow! Then the world would be just as we think it should be.
Read MoreThe MetaView does not ask the question: “Why did these men go after each other,” nor does it ask “Who is to blame?” or “What should they have done?” The MetaView asks the question: What does it mean that this incident triggered such intense national scrutiny, going immediately to the top of all news reports and dominating the national interest for several days, and continues to be the subject of essays and opinions?
Read MoreThe Bible story of the prodigal son presents two life choices: cultural conformity by the dutiful son, and non-conformity by the profligate son. At first it looks like one brother made good choices while the other made bad ones. I was reminded of the above Bible story when a crossroad decision made years ago came to mind. When the decision was made I did what seemed right at the time, but it was now occurring to me that I had taken the path of “cultural conformity.” The other path, in the fantasy of hindsight at least, had the promise that “I could have been somebody;” perhaps done something important in the world.
Both thoughts are firmly established in the past, expressing the double whammy of: “I should have. .” and: “I could have. .”
Memories are dreams and dreams are thoughts about “who I think I am, and who I should have been.”
With this view it becomes clear that whatever done or not done in life, while meaningful and often full of drama, is not the substance of true fulfillment.
Either choice considered at the time came from influences about what I thought I was expected to do and to be.
The choice made merely pointed out the overriding interest at the time, with the resulting consequences. The remnant thought that “I coulda,” is of course, a “should” thought from another set of things I think I should have accomplished.
It dawns on me that the choice made many years ago was neither right nor wrong. It resulted in both good and bad due to the many common cultural thoughts swimming in my consciousness from the sea of mental garbage. Yet, at the same time, throughout my life, good ideas and good things happened.
The Good of life does not come from what I do or not do, what I have or don’t have. The Good of life flows from an orientation to what is wholesome and harmonious.
Even now decisions can present themselves as “urgent and life changing,” but this is not the truth. The real choice is to recognize whether something is in harmony with what Is, or not. The main question to consider as information and events unfold is: Is there PAGL? If there is, everything will work together harmoniously. If PAGL is not present, let go of the decision for now and be open to learning something.
The healing journey for both brothers in the Bible story was to discover the futility of seeking fulfillment through what they, or their brother, did or did not do, and to turn their attention to the context of Pure Love, as symbolized by their father. It then becomes possible to forgive the past and be grateful for the joy that is available right here, right now.
I grew up hearing my mother use this phrase often. She offered up many examples confirming it through her encounters with school administrators, health bureaucracies, etc. But, is it a guide to harmonious living? Is it a right idea? Maybe it’s just me, but it seems that there are more and more “squeaky wheels” in the media and in politics. While they may or may not get the “grease” they sure seem to take up space while generating agitation.
Yet, if one doesn’t “squeak,” will needs be met?
When the overriding concern is “having my needs met,” whether it is stated loudly or silently, there will be conflict, agitation and frustration. The mental climate becomes a stage where the needs of one struggle to dominate, or subvert, the needs of another.
The healthy alternative is to see our selves not as independent people struggling against each other, but as individual expressions of an infinite larger whole. Do the leaves of the tree struggle with each other for resources?
The truth is that each unique leaf, engaged in being, is part of the health of the whole tree – with no drain on its individual wellbeing.
I can hear the question right now: “This sounds very nice, but, where is this infinite whole and where do we plug in to have our needs met?” “Has God ever sent me a check?”
The Infinite Whole is invisible to the eyes, ears and brain. Yet we can become aware of it. We cannot see harmony, intelligence, or honesty, yet we can be aware of their presence.
Just as the mental focus on “getting my needs met,” will manifest tension, conflict and frustration, the interest in wholeness, harmony, intelligence, benevolence, honesty and other spiritual qualities will manifest effortless harmonious living where all needs are met.
Fine Print: There is a “catch-22.” If one attempts to be interested in wholeness, harmony, etc. with the idea that then their needs will be met – it won’t work. As the bible says: “God will not be mocked.” The Infinite Whole is a Truth system – only when there is complete recognition and appreciation for the truth that we are here to “be” what already is, not to “get,” what we do not have, will we open to the true blessings of existence.
Money is viewed as the source of and solution to our problems. Yet, perhaps the problem is thinking that money is the solution to our problems. The view that money is both the source and solution to our problems has brought the nation to a no-win situation: We need money to solve our problem of lack of money, but taking money from ourselves will continue the problem of lack of money.
Read MoreWHAT'S NEW
FEATURED
What is “spiritual” is best understood next to it’s opposite: Material. “Material” refers to what is physical and can be perceived through sensory perception. Spiritual refers to what is non-material.
To understand God, it is important to understand that God is unimaginable Reality; we have to be capable of knowing that which cannot be imagined.
Infinite Love-Intelligence, the Metapsychiatric name for God, implies an infinite source of ideas. These ideas are not duplications of one another; they are unique in content and...
STAY CONNECTED
META VIEW SEARCH
Joy just is. It’s not in the lights or the stars, in getting or giving presents; nor is it in gathering with friends and family, although one might, or might not, be aware of joy in any of these experiences. Experiences come and go; joy is a spiritual quality that is unchanging. It manifests through awareness of it.
Who are we? What is life, and what are the laws that govern it? What is its meaning and purpose? What is real; what is unreal? What is truth, health, evil, disease, death? How are these elements of existence cognized and understood?
The term “existential” is used to connote whatever deals with the above issues.
When a tree has its roots in contact with the source of its nourishment, it is in harmony with its own nature and, as a consequence, it is a beneficial presence in nature. What is our essential nature? If we were ego-persons, then ego gratification would make us healthy because then we would be true to our essential nature. But we see that ego gratification does not make anyone healthy; it makes us sick. So, there must be something wrong with this idea.
At Christmas time and other holidays, families come together and the members make a supreme effort to express love toward each other. They try to do it and the result is that after these holidays people tend to run into various problems (such as colds, flu, sadness, exhaustion, etc.) .
Isaiah in chapter 1, verse 18 makes it sound so easy: “Come, let us reason together.” And, indeed, it may be easier than it looks. All it requires is sincere interest in what is really true, useful, and beneficial for all concerned.
Are we free, or are we enslaved?
Most people don’t realize that they are enslaved. It is so widespread that they think it is just natural to be paralyzed with fear. So the first thing is to know the difference between being enslaved and being free. Once we know that we can be enslaved when we could be free, then the question is, What is the next step?
Here is a simple idea to discern what is good and healthy vs what is not:
Any idea, or system of values, or religious system, anything that impinges on individual existence, can validate itself or disqualify itself by its consequences for the health and fulfillment of the individual. . .
if we have the right idea of what abundance is and what its source is, we will never lack an opportunity for being useful and helpful. But if we are ignorant of this fact and feel deprived or sorry for ourselves, we have closed the floodgates of the good which God is generously pouring out continuously.
. . .Our ability and willingness to be useful and helpful in business or employment determines the prospering of it. Should we experience insufficient income or a slowdown in our business, we need to improve our ability to be helpful.
. . .In a certain sense, looking for a job is a mistake. We are looking to be useful, to contribute. While it is intelligent to be concerned with what benefits we may derive from our employment, we must also be interested in what way we may benefit the company or institution we work for.
There are all kinds of moneys. We have to distinguish between drug money, and political bribery money, and crime money. But the real money, the good money, is the shadow of love.
Seed finds itself on a journey to share the best of who it is with all life. Landing underneath a boulder on a cliff, her growth is stunted and sorrow abounds. This is a story about human existence. We are inevitably born into circumstances that are not perfect. Discovering the perfection of being within imperfect circumstances is the journey. Seed is on this journey, as we all are. How does Seed find the way from unhappiness to joy? You will just need to read the book to find out!
Aging is the accumulation of unresolved grievances. . . .
The word “maturing” is an attempt at describing a progressive development of consciousness, moving in the direction of ever-clearer discernment of nondimensional Reality: toward the light of enlightenment.
-Dr. Hora: "Self Transcendence"
COPYRIGHT © 2017 THE META VIEW. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Joy just is. It’s not in the lights or the stars, in getting or giving presents; nor is it in gathering with friends and family, although one might, or might not, be aware of joy in any of these experiences. Experiences come and go; joy is a spiritual quality that is unchanging. It manifests through awareness of it.