Being

1999-5-27 09:46:00

I appreciate your comments on these questions. One thing I like about this method of teaching is that the weight of revealing and explaining does not rest upon one person. I always give my two bits worth of course, and I think it always has meaning for some. But then, along come Glenys, John, Rob, Dave, Rick, Zia, Jennifer and others and shed new light upon the answers, and souls are touched that I cannot reach and darkness lifted that one alone could not remove.

I sense a strong appreciation that members of the group have for each other.

The Questions: Let us now pick a deed that we know is in error. Let us say a burglar breaks into your place and steals your valuables. How has this person violated these three principles?

Now let us pick a person who we generally believe was in the right - Jesus. Why was he accused of violating these principles? Were His accusers correct?

The principle of freedom is most difficult for average humanity to see clearly. One of the problems is that almost everyone thinks they understand it, but few do. This is illustrated by the wide variety of opinions people have on the five points I mentioned earlier.

The wise person will filter ideas through the three principles of freedom-harmlessness and peace, and relate them to each other, to decide if the actions to be taken will create more harm than good. Some things take great reflection to come to the most harmless answer. With the abortion war, for example, there seems to be no good answer, as it appears that suffering will occur no matter which side wins.

(1) Freedom

If a burglar breaks into your home, you loose several freedoms. You may loose your freedom to feel secure. If he steals your TV set, you will lose your freedom to watch TV until you get a new one. If he steals your stereo, you will loose your freedom to relax to your favorite music.

(2) Harmlessness

He has caused you harm, because you suffer loss. You now may have to work extra hours to replace the stolen items. Then, if they have sentimental value, they may be irreplaceable.

(3) Peace

Before the burglar came, you felt secure in your home and rarely gave a second thought to feeling insecure, but now your peace is destroyed. You sleep more lightly, and every creak and noise you hear at night makes you jump. You are on edge now, and don't seem to have the peace you had before.

When we look at the results of the burglary and see the disturbance of these three principles, then it becomes obvious that we should do everything in our power to take away the freedom of others to burglarize homes. By taking away some of the freedoms of the thief to burglarize, we increase the power of the majority to grow in the three principles.

So it would seem as if the judgement here is quite cut and dried, right? If we consider the three principles, it should be easy to tell who is breaking the universal law, right?

It would seem so, but because the hearts of many are set upon "being" instead of "becoming", there is high resistance to teachers who seek to bring an increase in freedom. When this attachment to "being" is too great, then all things will be seen upside down and these people will be those "that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" Isa 5:20

Such was the case of those who hated Jesus. The Master taught: "Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." Instead, the religious leaders thought that if people accepted Jesus, they would have less freedom as they would have less control over the people. They just wanted things "to be" the way they had always been.

Jesus taught harmlessness with such teachings as: Love your enemies and your neighbors...

But the religious leaders thought that such teaching would harm them, because the faith of the people in these new teachings would take away attention from them. These teachers may even find themselves out of a job. Is that not a harm?

Jesus often spoke and taught about peace. He even greeted his friends with a simple "peace be unto you". Even so, the authorities in the land felt terror in their hearts whenever they heard His name spoken.

On looking back, it is easy to see the folly of people who thought they were being harmed by great leaders and innovators. We laugh at the people in the days of Columbus who were afraid to travel on the great waters for fear of falling off the edge of the world, but we do not have to look far to find people today with a corresponding mindset. Their number is legion. There are many today who seek to crucify in one way or another those who merely seek to enhance the principles of freedom, harmlessness and peace.

True freedom, true harmlessness and true peace are difficult to judge with the concrete mind, but when higher spiritual contact is made, it is the easiest thing in the world.

Question: How does the popular emphasis on "being" instead of "becoming" distort the vision of many on the three principles?