Jan 16, 2005
I was thinking about what to talk tonight to you people and we may open it up to some questions at the end, but the thought that came to me is this:– There is reality as it really is and then there is what we perceive to be reality – two entirely different things. In other words, people have in their mind their certain beliefs and these beliefs are usually based on what they want to be true. So what a person wants to be true is often quite different than what is true. Visualize these as two paths; one the path of what you want to be true and the other the path of what is really true. Sooner or later the twain shall meet. And when they meet you have what is called the rude awakening. Has anyone here had a rude awakening before?
Right, I’ve told this story several times about how I first heard myself singing on a tape recorder and I was rudely awakened to the fact that I didn’t have a professional sounding singing voice, and I was not going to be the rock star that I thought I might be. When I was a kid a tape recorder was rare, and my dad had to go borrow one from a friend. That was really a rude awakening for me. It was a good lesson for me because it kinda kept me aware for the rest of my life thinking, you know this reality of what I perceive to be reality may be different than what is reality. And so this is an important point: What we believe to be true is often just what we want to be true. Have you found that to be true? What we believe to be true is often what we want to be true. What we want to be true often turns into what we believe to be true. But what really is always true and can create a rude awakening.
But then when we are awakened what happens? How is our perception of the truth changed, after the awakening occurs? Do we begin to like the truth? I’ll bet Blaine would be a good one to ask on this. You’ve had quite a journey through your life. Through your life Blaine, once you perceived something – found out that something was true – that maybe when you were younger you didn’t think it was true, but once you finally embraced the truth was it something you started to like after you embraced it?
(Inaudible, but Blayne seems to agree, but points out that truth can be hard to take at first.)
JJ: Yeah, you don’t like it when you find out certain things. This often happens even in calamities, Maybe you‘re in love with a certain woman and the woman breaks it off with you and you’re heartbroken. You thought she loved you but she says “I never really loved you – you’ve been like a brother” – you know – that type of thing. You’re just really upset, you’re devastated but then a little bit later you meet somebody twice as good, twice as compatible. Then on reflection 10 years later after you’re happily married you might be thinking man sure glad I didn’t marry that first one, she was totally wrong for me. So that rude awakening you had that she didn’t really like you that much you were like a brother was really good on hindsight, once you see the whole picture.
And this is the way it is –truth – there’s a scripture that says: “truth cuts the wicked to the core”. It’s an interesting scripture. It cuts to the core people that are not prepared for the truth, because we have our mindset as to what should be true and the mindset goes along with our desires. And what produces pain? Pain is produced by frustrated desire. Buddha taught that in order to avoid pain, in order to free ourselves from pain is to free ourselves from attachment to desire. He says if we can do this then we can free ourselves from pain. And nothing produces pain more than having a desire for something to be true and then having that desire shattered.
It’s interesting that Blaine and several here mentioned early Mormon connections and several of us were Mormons as one time and Joseph Smith made those interesting remarks about beliefs and truth. As you know in the early Mormon Church they went through a lot of persecutions. They were persecuted from city to city. The leaders were tarred and feathered, Joseph Smith and the leadership of the church were put in jail. Joseph Smith was kidnapped. Many of the leaders had their children killed and raped, and their wives raped. They went through all kinds of things and no matter what they went through it didn’t seem to phase them.
Joseph then made this very interesting comment. He talked about all the persecutions they went through and how it didn’t seem to discourage them, but then said, “There has been great difficulty in getting anything into the heads of this generation. It has been like splitting hemlock knots with a corn-dodger for a wedge, and a pumpkin for a beetle. Even the saints are slow to understand. I have tried for a number of years to get the minds of the saints prepared to receive the things of God; but we frequently see some of them, after suffering all they have for the work of God, WILL FLY TO PIECES LIKE GLASS as soon as anything comes that is CONTRARY TO THEIR TRADITIONS: they cannot stand the fire at all.”
That’s interesting, they go through all these persecutions, their wives are raped their children killed, they are drug through the streets and they just get stronger and stronger and they said, “We are going to take what God dishes out.” Then Joseph presents them with an interesting truth – like he presented the idea that man and god are one, that man can actually become as god is – and that shattered a lot of people like glass. It really, really upset a lot of people because it was so contrary to what they had been taught. It’s very close to what the new age philosophy and the ancient wisdom teaches. He began to teach about god and man – that man was more than just a man. But man was a god in embryo. The saints went through all this persecution; all this pain; and they stand no matter what happens no matter how much you shove them around. But present them just one thing contrary to what they want to believe and they will shatter like glass.
And people haven’t changed that much have we? People will still shatter like glass when their mindset is challenged.
It’s interesting in the last political election people were divided in two camps and one camp believes very strongly in their beliefs and on the other camp they believe very strongly on theirs. And of course out of these two camps one of them had to win, It’s interesting the nation was so polarized between the Democrats and Republicans that when there was a winner the losing side suffered a lot of pain. Many democrats had to take counseling to ease their pain over the election of George Bush.
I’ve heard on different talk shows how they had a lot of psychologists giving out free treatments to people and then there’s another story about a guy who went to the white house made an announcement – and shot himself – and another guy who went to the empire state building and jumped off. But this – the last election was so polarized that whoever was going to lose it was going to be really, really upset, because both sides in the political system today are very attached to their belief system. Both sides are, and of course both sides have flaws in their belief system and if you are in a room with either side talking about their belief system and you point out one of the flaws in it, you’ll find that they will shatter like glass, they will think you’re the enemy.
I’ll just give you an example on both sides. And some people here may shatter like glass because I’m going to give you an example on both sides. Let’s talk about the abortion side. Lets suppose you’re talking to a bunch of conservatives and they all voted for Bush and they’re all gung ho about the conservative cause and you mention “Well, did you know there is no where in the Bible that tells you it’s wrong to have an abortion?” Oh Boy. Their minds will go “does not compute, does not compute” like Verger on Star Trek? Remember that?
Remember that Kirk hit him with some reasoning – this flawed machine; and it started smoking and blew up because it couldn’t handle the logic.. So if you point out to somebody on the right: “Well, it doesn’t say anywhere in the Bible anywhere about abortion, or when life begins or anything. Do you have some revelation from God on it or something? Why do you think you’re right on this?” And they will look on you like you’re their worst enemy on the face of the earth. You are shattering their belief system.
On the other hand let’s suppose you are with some people on the Left, and these guys all voted for John Kerry. You say “Well, there’s no real evidence of global warming. All the evidence they have is pretty much fabricated. And they go “WOW where did he come from? – What are you some Bush Zealot?” So they will go on and on and on and will almost attack you and are ready to devour you before you leave the room. So it’s interesting that both sides are vulnerable – if you hit them with something contrary to their belief system – and probably I’ve hit both sides right here contrary to your belief systems because there is probably both conservatives and liberals here. So hopefully nobody here shatters like glass. I think we’ve got a little bit more malleable group here than you would normally have.
But this is the interesting thing about truth. There is truth that is perceived because this is what we want, and then there is the truth. There is the way things really are. A lot of people try to confuse the system because they say “Well that’s your truth and I have my truth” OK so you think 2 plus 2 is 5 and I think 2 plus 2 is 4 and your truth is 2 plus 2 is 5. Because that’s your truth does it make it the truth? Or perhaps I think 2 plus 2 is 6 and he thinks 2 plus 2 is 5. Both of us are wrong and we both need an awakening to what reality is. There’s reality and then there’s illusion. Just Like in the days of Columbus many people thought the earth was flat. Because they thought it was flat and it was their truth was it really the truth? No it was their illusion not their truth. There’s your illusion and then there’s truth.
The Course in Miracles makes an interesting statement and I’ve talked to very few people who believe the Course in Miracles who believe what the course actually says. And it says this about truth. “The truth is true and nothing else is true.” Now think on that. The truth is true and nothing else is true. 2 plus 2 equals 4. Well let me put it this way – 3 plus 1 equals 4 – right – but 2 plus 2 equals 4 and 2 plus 2 doesn’t equal anything but 4. No matter how many times you try to add it up 2 plus 2 will equal 4.
Now, one side will think “Well that’s being narrow minded. If you are open minded you’ve got to be open to the fact that it could be 5.” Ok, I’m open to the fact that it could be 5, but whatever it is the truth is true and nothing else is true. I’m here at this spot, right now, at this point in time and space. The date is what? January 15, is that today? 16th? – Where did the 15th go? I missed a day somewhere. – OK so January 16th 2005 – 8:35? 8:32? It’s one of them. The time is somewhere there. Whatever the time is that’s what it is, She says 8:32 and I say 8:35
Audience: How do we know society someone back in time didn’t screw up the calendar and its really January 14th?
It could be. Yeah, right – that’s true. And whatever it is that’s where it is. We could be a few days off with the calendar but then you’ve got to go back to the starting point of the calendar. But in our reality here it’s a certain time, we are in a certain space and that’s what it is. People say “Well gosh we could just all be dreaming – maybe we’re not really here.” Well, even when you’re dreaming, a dream is still truth. If you dream you’re being chased by a monster it’s still true that you’re dreaming that you’re being chased by a monster. It’s still true that you went through that experience.
So whatever experience you’re going through is true and nothing else is true. We are all going through this experience together and we can philosophize about what’s going on around us- what’s causing the experience – if it’s a dream – if it’s all the atoms coming together – if it’s the mind of God making it happen, or whatever is causing it – whatever is causing it that’s what it is. We may not know all the facts. But when we find out the truth, the truth is true and nothing else is true. We’re going through this experience right now, all of us together in this room, having an experience together and this is what is true in this moment in time and space.
Copyright 2011 by J J Dewey