Whats it all about? Have you ever wondered? I do all the time. I ask myself, what is the purpose of life and how is it that so many suffer so much? Why do we exist and why is evil even necessary? The older I get, the more days I have in which I look forward to the end of my life. It so often seems to have just been such a waste.
Why do the evil people around us seem to flourish? In my life I have known so many people; successful, wealthy, and yet I can name few I have met who are decent people. My experience is the less you truly know about them, the better off you are. Our world celebrates the so called "alpha male", which we accept to be the most ruthless and least encumbered by any sense of integrity among us. We make excuses and allowances for them if they succeed, and we vilify and demonize them when they fail. But what does it say about us and our nature that we cannot help but feel this way? Who among us does not secretly wish we could be Tony Soprano or the Godfather, ruling our kingdoms ruthlessly, making our own rules and finding pleasure in dominating those we perceive to be weak, and those who have angered us in any way. Taking what we want and celebrating openly how clever we are?
Jesus Christ teaches us that there is nothing more foolish that to obsess ourselves with gathering riches at the expense of others. We are constantly reminded by our lord that we can't take it with us, and that we will pay a terrible price for having forsaken those who we have victimized. Yet even those who claim to be the most holy among us can't help but covet material wealth and power.
The wisdom of the Tao instructs us that everything must exist in balance. Good and evil exists in every living being and is most dramatic in humans because of our advanced ability to reason. We get to choose which way our nature goes, and it is an awesome responsibility. It is such an overwhelming responsibility that the sheer weight of it breaks many of us emotionally and mentally, on our worst days leaving us lost in the jungle of our minds. Asking over and over again why? Crippled by shame, guilt, regret and loss.
The irony though is that Jesus came specifically to tell us that we do not need to feel bound to the covenants of the past. His specific mission was to let us know that God does not judge as mankind does, and we need not encumber ourselves with worry over the judgement of those who would appoint themselves to rule over us. We were urged to resist those who would use our faith to enslave us. We need only to seek God in all our decisions and to be true to Gods law, that we love each other as we love ourselves said our lord and savior. Yet, even this simple message has been so corrupted throughout time that we struggle to understand what it really means and how to apply it in our lives, and so we live in fear. Fear of our neighbors and even worse, fear of our own nature.
Now the end is near. You have far less time than you think and the world will surrender to Gods will. It is inevitable. Both our lord and savior, and the wisdom of the Tao teaches us that the path of humankind will lead to where our choices have taken us. Just as water is at once most powerful and also most nourishing because of its ability to lie beneath so that all life must flow to it, and the feminine nature of man is most powerful because like water it is the bringer of life, so too will humankind triumph through the love and kindness of the gentle and wise. This is as certain as it is that the sun will rise again tomorrow.
I come today to remind you to rejoice in the gifts God has given you. Within you is everything you need to sustain yourself. Seek your relationship with God and seek the gentle, feminine side of your nature, for there you will find salvation. Steel yourself to withstand the onslaught of the venal and profane around you with the masculine side of yourself from which aggression and courage spring, but seek your salvation in the only place true strength and perseverance can exist, the part of you that gives life and sheds light. Embrace both sides of your nature, wisely trusting your inner sense to balance them as you need. When the answer seems lost and unattainable, be silent and seek Gods wisdom within you, God will never let you down if you seek him, and the answer will not come with thunder and lightening, but with the simple understanding that this is the only answer. And you will see for yourself that you need not be discouraged by what seems to be so hard to understand, you need not be lost in struggling to keep to standards not even attainable by those who enforce them. And you will feel the nurturing love of God and know that there is nothing to fear for those who have chosen the path of righteousness. And you will know that this is the eternal Tao, the way of Christ.
Why do the evil people around us seem to flourish? In my life I have known so many people; successful, wealthy, and yet I can name few I have met who are decent people. My experience is the less you truly know about them, the better off you are. Our world celebrates the so called "alpha male", which we accept to be the most ruthless and least encumbered by any sense of integrity among us. We make excuses and allowances for them if they succeed, and we vilify and demonize them when they fail. But what does it say about us and our nature that we cannot help but feel this way? Who among us does not secretly wish we could be Tony Soprano or the Godfather, ruling our kingdoms ruthlessly, making our own rules and finding pleasure in dominating those we perceive to be weak, and those who have angered us in any way. Taking what we want and celebrating openly how clever we are?
Jesus Christ teaches us that there is nothing more foolish that to obsess ourselves with gathering riches at the expense of others. We are constantly reminded by our lord that we can't take it with us, and that we will pay a terrible price for having forsaken those who we have victimized. Yet even those who claim to be the most holy among us can't help but covet material wealth and power.
The wisdom of the Tao instructs us that everything must exist in balance. Good and evil exists in every living being and is most dramatic in humans because of our advanced ability to reason. We get to choose which way our nature goes, and it is an awesome responsibility. It is such an overwhelming responsibility that the sheer weight of it breaks many of us emotionally and mentally, on our worst days leaving us lost in the jungle of our minds. Asking over and over again why? Crippled by shame, guilt, regret and loss.
The irony though is that Jesus came specifically to tell us that we do not need to feel bound to the covenants of the past. His specific mission was to let us know that God does not judge as mankind does, and we need not encumber ourselves with worry over the judgement of those who would appoint themselves to rule over us. We were urged to resist those who would use our faith to enslave us. We need only to seek God in all our decisions and to be true to Gods law, that we love each other as we love ourselves said our lord and savior. Yet, even this simple message has been so corrupted throughout time that we struggle to understand what it really means and how to apply it in our lives, and so we live in fear. Fear of our neighbors and even worse, fear of our own nature.
Now the end is near. You have far less time than you think and the world will surrender to Gods will. It is inevitable. Both our lord and savior, and the wisdom of the Tao teaches us that the path of humankind will lead to where our choices have taken us. Just as water is at once most powerful and also most nourishing because of its ability to lie beneath so that all life must flow to it, and the feminine nature of man is most powerful because like water it is the bringer of life, so too will humankind triumph through the love and kindness of the gentle and wise. This is as certain as it is that the sun will rise again tomorrow.
I come today to remind you to rejoice in the gifts God has given you. Within you is everything you need to sustain yourself. Seek your relationship with God and seek the gentle, feminine side of your nature, for there you will find salvation. Steel yourself to withstand the onslaught of the venal and profane around you with the masculine side of yourself from which aggression and courage spring, but seek your salvation in the only place true strength and perseverance can exist, the part of you that gives life and sheds light. Embrace both sides of your nature, wisely trusting your inner sense to balance them as you need. When the answer seems lost and unattainable, be silent and seek Gods wisdom within you, God will never let you down if you seek him, and the answer will not come with thunder and lightening, but with the simple understanding that this is the only answer. And you will see for yourself that you need not be discouraged by what seems to be so hard to understand, you need not be lost in struggling to keep to standards not even attainable by those who enforce them. And you will feel the nurturing love of God and know that there is nothing to fear for those who have chosen the path of righteousness. And you will know that this is the eternal Tao, the way of Christ.
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