I have to wonder how many people actually know the full meaning of the title to this post. What is my purpose? What is your purpose? I believe first and foremost that we are here to help one another. I have told my kids more times than I can remember that if we were intended to live our lives just for ourselves we would all have been born in separate or isolated places. At least that seems the easiest way to make it comprehensible to them. So from there we venture to ask the inevitable next question which would be, just how do I live a life of serving others if I don't feel the strong pull to take up a life as a minister or teacher. The answer, by simply being who you are. Or at least who you were created to be. Most people I know have some form of talent or hobby which brings them such pleasure that it never occurs to them that they could make money doing it. They find the time spent doing it so rewarding that there is no need to and perhaps no way to make it better by monetizing it. This in itself is a good indicator of the fact that our systems of society are all wrong. "The Chase" which we are all taught as the way things work do nothing but pull us farther away from our true selves. It distracts us from the path which leads to a life of happiness with images of more and bigger material possessions. We are told we "have to have" things. Lots of "things". The more you have the happier you will be. But anyone who has been in a position where they have had "the good life" knows that no material item can bring you lasting joy if that is it's purpose. A simple example would be fishing. If I enjoy fishing the boat I am in plays little or no role in my enjoyment. Sure a bigger boat or a boat with holders and bait wells built in are nice and it can make the experience a bit more enjoyable but take away the fishing and the boat, no matter how fancy brings nothing in the area of fulfillment.
Having now introduced the primer for this journey to a more peaceful and enjoyable existence I shall now endeavor to excite the mind with a vision of what can be if we all were to live according to the perfect plan of the divine creation.
Imagine visiting a place where you could have anything and everything for free. There was no such thing as money and even a barter system was non existent. Lets say you are visiting family members that reside in this village. They explain to you that there is no need for money here as everything is freely given. Of coarse you with your society mind struggle to comprehend this. After all, how can a place like this function without some form of trade agreement on goods. What baffles you further is when you hear that there are no criminals, no such thing as law enforcement here, and in fact no governing body at all. At this point your mind is in a frenzy to make some kind of sense of all this as it goes against everything you have learned to be true. People need guidance, leadership and in some cases punishment to be good people. Right? Not according to these people. From that point on you begin to look and listen. There is no need for money here because money is useless. It has no value. What has value is bread, meat, the clay cook wear and glass jars. "Exactly!" you say with your society mind kicking back a desperate rebuttal. "There's product that needs valuating! How do you determine the value of these items?" you fire back. "You are still thinking to hard, it all has the same value. We take what we want or need." So over the coarse of your stay you slowly begin to see that life, in fact a very peaceful and prosperous life can be had without all the rules and must haves of society. People in the village go on about their days in their own way. Thomas is a baker, he makes breads and pastries the likes of which you have never tasted before. There is nothing he likes better than to wake up and make some new baked good for all to try. Then there is Mike the butcher. He makes sausages that are to die for. Down a way is the potter. There you can find anything from cooking pots and bowls for the kitchen to modern art masterpieces to decorate your home. Farmers, a seamstress, a watch maker, a carpenter and even a bicycle shop. Whatever you can image, it's there. As you venture out of town a way you see beautiful homes dotting the countryside. You walk up to a home that is being built. It is a whole community affair of coarse with everyone offering expertise and a hand. This house is for a couple moving here from somewhere else in the country. They are both teachers and will be teaching at the school as well as the spiritual center. The house and ground was given to them as were the furnishings. After a week you can't help noticing that the eerie feeling you had when you got here is slowly being replaced with a much more comfortable feeling. You start to notice that everyone you talk to makes you feel warm and comfortable inside. You get a light, cheerful, energizing feeling from everyone you meet and everywhere you go. It's like everything is positively charged. After attending a spiritual gathering you start to realize where all of this is actually from. These people are fully aware of themselves. They live their purpose in life. They have a connection to God that not even Church leaders can claim. They are inspired, enlightened beings of God. It all starts to make sense. Now, a month after stepping into this world you try to prepare yourself for the life back home. Fear and sadness start to creep in. How will you ever be able to go back? You head down to the living room to find your family there. Sitting down on the couch you start to talk about how you feel. They listen quietly with an understanding smile on their face. After you have finish they tell you that they would love for you to stay if that was your wish. You tell them your only concern is that you don't know what your purpose in life is. But this is no deterrent to them. They too were once in those shoes. Time will bring answers. And so begins your new life.
This story will undoubtedly bring a whole mix of feelings from people. I'm sure most will say that it's not possible. That people are not capable of such feats. But I disagree. Why not? It is in us to be loving and caring. Just look in the home. Parents love their children. Children love their parents. Yes, things may not always go according to plan and disagreements will arise, but they are dealt with in such a way so that life can go on happily. There is also to be considered the fact that many problems we face actually come from our society. The fact is that we do have the ability to create such a wonderful place. When depends on us as a global family. How long do we want to allow suffering to continue. How long do we want to see people dying of starvation or hate crimes. How long are we willing to go on living for ourselves? How long will we keep denying that hurting others or the earth is the same as hurting ourselves? How long will we see ourselves separate from God? When will we accept that there is just One of us, all of us. We are one. We are a part of God, the Source, the Creator, the Tao. Together as one, we can make a difference. Lao-tzu stated that the journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step. If we all start taking steps, things will change. They have to. It's the law of the universe. So today, challenge yourself in one way for the better. It doesn't have to a big thing. It could even be a thought. Do it and you will have made the world a better place.
Namaste
No comments:
Post a Comment