WYSIWYG

What You See Is What You Get. This is a journal blog, an explore-blog, a bit of this and that blog. Sharing where the mood takes me. Perhaps it will take you too.

MenoSundays; Life Lived Lovingly

Easter Sunday came and went, here at the Hutch. At the end of the day, I was left pondering; news of North Korea, news of Syria, news of Turkey... verbal attack from a neighbour as I try to sort out the repair problems. There was a comment left by 'Peppylady' on the Easter post about how there seemed to be a lot of 'angry out there'. I couldn't help but agree. The mood was not helped by the climate (wet, windy and cold), nor by a couple of programs I chose to watch. They were good productions, intelligent and informative; but they were somewhat draining, borderline traumatic.

We must be informed, we must take notice. How not to become overwhelmed, though? How not to curl up in a ball and bawl???

A little bit of me wanted to do that. A small sense of despair ... disgust? ... was setting in, tears were welling, heart was swelling. So often that tired old accusation has been cast at me, "what God can allow this to happen? How can you believe in God?" The answer is easy. My concept of God is not what people think it is. Besides, it has nothing to do with God or any concept which is represented by use of that appellation.

It does have everything to do with humanity and the lack of it. A rather weak analogy (but all I can come up with at the moment) is that of the parent who does everything they can for their child, living and modeling all the values considered 'good', only to find much later that the person they produced has gone on to live a life of debauchery or thievery or thuggery... who is to blame, the parent or the person who commits the erroneous behaviour? Conversely, there are countless tales of children rising out of very poor examples of parenting and social background, making good and positive contributions to the world. This is not done by 'God', but by humans living their lives.

That said, it is the concept of something greater than us which can be uplifting, anchoring, balancing and protective. To have a strong and positive philosophy  and purpose for taking action in any given day is what keeps the world turning.

I am not talking doctrine. Doctrine is what gets God a bad name all too often. Doctrine is what has permitted far too many men over history to commit animal acts and pass them off as being the will of God, when it is NOT; it is the carnal will of beasts, wrapped up in personalised extrapolation. Man's interpretation of the pure philosophy of beingness, the anthropomorphisation of spirit. "God" is not a he or a she or even an 'it', but we are so limited in our capacity to comprehend That, we are forced to bring it down to our level. The philosophy of spirit gives us all something to live up to. If we fail and fall, who is to blame?

There I was, pondering all this. Faced with warring neighbours in a tiny tenement in a tiny town in a tiny country, I couldn't help but think there was a correspondence with the greater world. That lady over the way who appeared to be attacking me out of anger was put off kilter by finding that I did not cower, did not back away, did not raise my voice in return. Instead, I spoke gently, inquisitively, firmly, and standing my ground on the matter. I kept moving towards her, one slow step at a time, until we were standing in her doorway and not mine; after some minutes, we parted with civil goodbyes and an admission on her part that it wasn't really me she was angry with. My observation throughout (not voiced) was of a woman shaking with fear; her response to fear was to attack. Confrontation does not have to mean aggravation or escalation.

The attempt to bombard was defused by Love. Do not mistake this for meaning small love, or even liking that person. I called on that Higher Essence within which is the Essence in All. The training of the mind which has been undertaken over these past decades was finally paying off. A test of the philosophy I live by is under way. I pray to That which is Greater than me that I can pass.

As the world twists and turns on itself, as neighbour countries 'across the way' agitate and blow smoke, as populations tremble, the question arises as to whether we have the leaders who understand the pressure of Love over the bullying of bombs. I pray to That which is Higher than us that we do...

14 comments:

  1. Wow, what a wonderful post! You hit many of the issues that are so often raised. Your analogy was still very meaningful, even though we never subscribed to the thought that everything is the will of God. No, we humans do a great job of littering the garden all on our own. Then when the trash is smelly and piled high we cry out asking how can God allow such a thing? So many of the problems are due to our own hands and so many solutions can be found the same way. Power to the capital "L"!

    Happy Earth Day!

    Your Pals,

    Murphy & Stanley

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  2. That is an incredibly astute and well stated summary of what our world is today, good and bad.

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  3. I try not to be angry and I have to admit it not and easy road to hold. I've always try to recall a daily pleasant event...Today I went to my husband side and had pleasant time...Coffee is on

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  4. What a beautifully written post. I must admit that you sometimes loose me halfway (or earlier), but I couldn't not finish this post. It goes right to the heart of things and shows that fear of the unknown is so guiding and decisive for so many people that acts of plain stupidness come from it. Thank you.

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    1. Hari OM
      thank you in return, Mara, for taking the time to continue reading. I was conscious that this is an even heavier post than usual for MenoSunday... but just as you couldn't stop reading it, I could not stop writing it. Yxx

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  5. I'm so pleased that the gentle, firm but non-confrontational approach seems to have worked well with your neighbour. Having been on the periphery of an exceptionally nasty dispute between owners of flats in the same building when in London, I know how difficult it can be to live in a place where there is an unpleasant atmosphere.
    All the best for a peaceful Sunday,
    Gail.

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  6. Good Morning YaYa
    What a beautiful and heartfelt post...you surely have pondered this ending with peace of mind. We humans are often or own worst enemies.
    Just yesterday while out and about..as we drove along a normal Saturday route to Fresh Market a car comes barreling by us. The driver was literally sitting on his horn and with a disgruntled look on his face.
    He kept his horn blowing all the way up the road on one was in his way...I had to wonder what in the world made him so mad with the world.
    Hugs HiC

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    1. Hari OM
      Morning to ya both... sigh... it takes so much energy to angry. I don't have that energy to expend!!! The sad thing is, though, such people as you encountered (and I have across the stair) create a kind of vortex, a sort of black hole, which can, if one is not very careful, draw one in and down. Love is the anchor to which we must cling. Blessings, Yxx

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  7. Thank you for this excellent, incisive post. You have expressed so well much of what is in my heart.

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    1. Hari oM
      Thank you Stephanie... and thank you for recent comments also. Do you have a blog that I can visit? Cannot trace you via the G+ page as you have only your photo there and no other detail. Yxx

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  8. How kind of you to ask. I don't have a blog and can only imagine how "swept away" I would be in creating and maintaining one. Our garden on the coast of Northern California hopes to lay claim to much of my attention. My G+ page for some reason resists my efforts to update it. I've "connected" with you through Bertie/Gail's wonderful blog.

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  9. It's easy to get discouraged. I feel that the universe unfolds as it should. We do our small part, and cannot control others. I sit with my clients and that rant, many are older, racist, illinformed people. I just hold my breathe, try to remember where they came from. It helps me understand what motivated many around the world. It is difficult just holding our own.

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    1. That said, I do not believe a higher power should interfere, as this is the way of the world. Our circle of influence can be small.

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  10. This is a lot late in response. Knowing that there are others on this earth that have Love and live that love gives me hope. That and the Canadian and Mexican leaders standing up to our bully in chief making him back down. Who knew negotiating with other nations could be so hard? Sounds like you did a great job. Namaste Janice xx

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