If I was to try and characterise the area I live in, I would be tempted to give in to despair and call it an area of house-proud bigots ...
There is a something in that, of course - I've experienced discrimination at a rate 20 times higher than I had when living in the outer suburbs, and people here generally do seem to make a practice of "minding other people's business". I suspect that there is a reason for this: that reason is, basically, the increased psychic pressure of living surrounded by four million leaky auras, whereas in the outer suburbs the leaky auras are one side, and one has access to the energies of Nature on the other.
I actually suspect that that psychic pressure is a key part of problems which have been identified with overcrowding.
That also suggests why sensitivity to such situations varies - people mostly have varying levels of
(conscious) sensitivities to psychic matters, although they are all affected unconsciously to some extent.
The manifestation of this, in the case of people who are not aware of psychic matters and thus have little to explain their - possibly unconscious - feeling of being encroached upon, is a fierce "defence" of their physical boundaries. That includes disputes over fences, trees that CRETINS plant on boundaries, and appearance of houses and people. On that last one, examples include "don't bring down the value of houses in this neighbourhood by having renters", or - as I experience - bigotry, prejudice and discrimination against anyone who doesn't conform to mainstream images.
(In fact, my initial response to the higher level of discrimination I encounter in the inner suburbs is "why would anyone want to live there?" - but I know why, and it can be glibly related to things like jobs [although it is hellishly expensive to live here] and public transport, but more deeply, there are issues such as both genuine need and also dependency on human contact [e.g. to hide one's problems from oneself * by a barrage of noise and stimulation], greater sensitivity towards human culture than nature, etc, etc, etc. In my case, much of my current spiritual work, and my beloved, are both here ... )
Of course, such problems of prejudice can occur elsewhere as well - I know men who are loving, capable and expert fathers who get treated suspiciously by small-minded BIGOTS when the fathers are with their sons, or do advanced parenting that the parentally INCOMPETENT bigots don't understand - e.g., letting a child experience RISKS, such as possibly falling off a bicycle.
As another example, consider this article:
"A few things you shouldn't say to a childless woman", 4th May, 2013:
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/a-few-things-you-shouldnt-say-to-a-childless-woman-20130503-2iyj5.html.
Yes, I'm angry - I'm expressing my horror at the immoral, unethical, unspiritual, prejudiced/bigoted behaviour of some people, not only towards me, but others I know and care about, in a means that is angry - but the focus is my opinion of others' behaviour. Don't forget my view on anger
(i.e., that it is not an emotion, it is an expression of something else - possibly an emotion; see here).
All in all, the capacity of some people to be so utterly stupid amazes me at times - ESPECIALLY the stupidity of "Everyone knows ..."
(which I've been copping recently from some young fanatics on issues around diet - pity the cretins don't think about the life in plants that they are so glibly taking!!!).
Idiots.
Of course, I've also been an idiot ...
Oops :)
OK, that MAY be largely - but not necessarily exclusively :) - in past lives, but many of the mistakes I'm looking at I know I have in my own past. In fact, if you find anyone who is reasonably aware spiritually, or moderately spiritually evolved, they WILL also have made many mistakes in their past. And that is a good thing, as it enables them to
(potentially) be understanding and capable of effective change because they KNOW from personal experience what being "there" is like, and because they are not "there" now, they know at least one way out of "there" - that might not be a way that works for people "there" now, but the FACT that someone else has been "there" and got out is proof that it can be done.
Of course, anyone who is reasonably aware spiritually, or moderately spiritually evolved may not be able to talk about their past mistakes because of responses like the ones I am modelling in this post, and because of things like inappropriate expectations of leaders to be saints
(as an outsider, that seems to happen in the US a fair bit), Tall Poppy Syndrome, attitudes in Australia towards people who have made mistakes, etc, etc, etc.
In terms of the idiots I am observing
(and sighing and saying "Ouch I’ve been there too"), I have a chance of understanding these idiots enough to contribute EFFECTIVELY to changing them - although whether I get to change my neighbourhood before they destroy me is probably a moot point :) .
(Mind you, after three and a half decades of high stress work in engineering, becoming extreme stress in recent years, work might beat them all to it. I have an increasing sense of my own mortality, and thus a desire to pass on what I know to others ASAP.)
Even if I wasn't so aware of my past lives, I think I've finally worked out how to be more forgiving. I've posted previously about my problems with this
(see, for instance, here, and here), and could probably sum my concerns up as "how we train others to treat us" vs. "overcoming stuff". Most of what gets written about forgiveness is about the "overcoming stuff" line, and I've not read anything which addresses the issue of how we train others to treat us. That is, in my opinion, a key issue for social activists - for instance, one of my worst ever managers once told me that, if the victim of discrimination was not affected, then there was no need to change the behaviour of the perpetrator.
That is, of course, absolute, utter and complete rubbish. I won't go into the details of why that is wrong - I'm hoping you, Dear Reader, would be aware enough of what a spiritual, caring world would be like for me not to have to explain, although the legal benefits of changing discriminatory behaviour could be worth outlining ... some other time :) .
Going back to my point, one of our cats, Luna, was bullying one of the others - Willow - quite a bit last year. As a result, Willow would growl and go into defensive mode every time she came anywhere near him, and would often run off. We've done quite a bit of work on that situation, which to some extent was karmic
(Willow was initially very aggressive towards Luna when she first arrived), and now they co-exist reasonably well. Willow was trained by Luna, in a sense, to behave defensively, just as Willow had earlier trained Luna to be aggressive as a form of defence. The solution was probably best described as tolerance, but it could also be considered as forgiveness.
There are, however, times when forgiveness is inappropriate - consider, for instance, the abused spouse who continues to forgive a partner and thus stays in an unhealthy situation ... which is also training the partner to continue in their problem behaviour.
So, subject to that qualifier that forgiveness is NOT always an appropriate, spiritual behaviour, how can one be forgiving? Well, in my case I've been on the receiving end of people who want to be morally superior, and the desire to avoid that sort of arrogance, condescension and stuck-up-themselves-ness
(which is particularly offensive when someone under 30 tries it, for crotchety old grumps like me :) ) is what has enabled me to be more forgiving - or, at least, more patient.
I am, however, less patient these days with people who make no effort to be a mature adult - i.e., someone who makes a reasonable effort to be self reliant rather than a parasite
(yes, I'm still expressing anger) ** . I've read comments in the past about how "adepts" are people who stand on their own two feet: at the time, I thought it was throwing out the baby with the bathwater, by ignoring positive connections between people and looking only at negative. Now, as I have matured further, I've come to realise that it isn't doing that - it is possible to stand on one's own two feet AND also interact constructively and positively with people. In fact, such interactions are actually MORE positive and constructive, BECAUSE of the independence and self reliance of those involved, just as an intimate relationship that is NOT based on trying to fill in gaps in each other is healthier and more rewarding than the other-half-of-my-soul rubbish.
I'm glad I'm not as young and impatient as I was - and I'm glad I've never been as immature
(well, in this life!) as those people at a demonstration here some years ago who attempted to take down the Drivers Licence details of people who lived inside a picket line, and were simply trying to access their homes. I cut myself off from some absolute idiots in response to that ... which reminds me of some people from around that time on committees who made stupid statements such as that they "knew" I drove past a particular store and should get the group's stationery there ... pity that I didn't actually drive anywhere near there! Glad I have nothing to do with those people as well.
Actually, both sets of people demonstrate something which I am going to be talking publicly about in the near future: that the means shape the end.
In the case of the cretins who were breaching the Privacy Act and all moral decency
(yes, subjective judgement there - glad you noticed it :) ) by taking people's private details down, anything they achieved or attempted in future would have been forever contaminated by suspicion over their management of information. Was the end achieved through spiritually acceptable means, or was it through blackmail? Bit of an extreme example, but it shows one possible doubt. Another example of an end that has been thoroughly contaminated by the means is Rudd's reappointment as leader of the Labor Party, and thus Prime Minister. That is a better, clearer example of the EXACT ERROR that those cretins taking down people's personal details were making all those years ago.
Why were they doing so? Impatience, fear of not achieving a desired change - or not achieving it in an "acceptable" time frame, genuine fear over the changes to the world that could result - which has subsequently been shown to be a completely justified fear. In fact, looked at that way, each of these motivations is actually quite understandable, and it is possible to see how these people - not cretins at all, just human beings with normal flaws - made that mistake.
It is still a mistake, and a major one, one that well and truly justifies my actions - to go my separate way - at the time
(they were showing no signs of learning from their error any time soon). Maybe they have learned since then, maybe not, but eventually they will learn ... maybe in a future lifetime.
(There is a MUCH better activist group around now, anyway - Get Up. I particularly like the consultation that Get Up does, and that the consultation shows credible awareness of the breadth of views of people.)
Dealing with impatience is an issue I still have to deal with - particularly because, as I get older, I am more aware of my mortality, and wonder if I will get any of my major aims accomplished before I die.
In my case, I attempt to deal with that fear by reminding myself that I have had massive amounts of excellent BPF [1] guidance in this lifetime, and if I don't get my work done, then I am simply going to have to guide others as they complete the work
(there are time constraints, so I will not be able to do this work in a future lifetime). Achieving my goals by guiding others to do them would still be a personal failure
(because I failed to do them myself), but at least the work itself would get done, and the main karmic debt would be mine for not having accomplished what I set out to do.
In response to my concerns, I am being far more rigorous about personal boundaries, which gets back to being a TRUE adult and trying to stand on my own two feet. I regret that I didn't listen more to myself about lifestyle choice when I was younger - in particular, I should have bought a boat to live on
much earlier in my life
(around two decades earlier), and been much more rigorous about financial matters so I could keep the boat I did have in the water for longer
(I would like my partner to have have had the chance to see "Harmony" afloat). Now, I am simply going to have to dig myself out of my current constraints
(with the help of my partner) and try again.
All of which takes time
(and thus requires patience) and
yet more self discipline.
Ah! Now there's a dirty word in this day and age - self discipline! I've seen several young people rebelling against discipline and, as a result, doing things like failing to adequately control their dogs and creating problems for other people sitting at tables on the footpath, and that is one of the clearest examples of the problem of failing to have an adequate amount of self discipline in one's life.
Let's see ... self discipline, patience, maturity, acknowledging that the means shapes the end, self reliance, psychic and self awareness, appropriate forgiveness, avoiding moral superiority/smugness and social fads/fashions, respecting other people's boundaries *** ... these sound a bit like a moral code of behaviour, a SPIRITUAL
(as opposed to an immature religious) moral code of behaviour. Hmm ... perhaps oddly, I actually consider this a personal or self-focused moral code of behaviour, one that is not only counter to the stereotypes portrayed of current generations and the generation I'm supposed to belong to, but also other generations' moral code of behaviour, many of which were either aimed at promoting the physical wealth of others, or the material experiences of self ... this personal or self-focused moral code of behaviour is aimed at personal spiritual wellbeing and worth, which is - obviously - not material, but also likely to ultimately contribute to others' spiritual wellbeing. We don't contribute to others' spiritual wellbeing by making lots of connections to those who are suffering and holding ourselves down, we do so best by raising ourselves first and then trying to help others raise themselves - and stopping others who attempt to prevent them from doing so by psychic attack, group think, tall poppy syndrome, socialisation, control, or the indolence of
"I only ..." or
"I just ... " or
"everyone knows ..." (that's cropping up in the diet debates a lot, with some truly stupid claims being made at times).
So, having had that rant ... may you rise spiritually that you may help others to rise spiritually.
* PS - something that very few people seem to be willing to
consider, is that sensitivity to cold can be, in part, due to having an
excess of negative energy in one's aura. I was asked again at the
spiritualist mob I help out with the healing about my apparent
indifference to cold (despite the temperature being high teens [Celsius]
- which is NOT cold), and replied the way I normally do these days,
which is that it is due to past breathing exercises which have a
cumulative effect on internal body warmth. That is true, but the MAIN
reason I don't feel cold is that I have done an enormous amount of work
to clear myself of negative energy - particularly around past lives.
Sadly, that is somewhat being undone by current stresses ...
** Mind you, in my 20s I once declined to date someone who was still living with her parents: it just didn't seem right, to me ...
*** I am one of those people who adds her milk to her coffee before the hot water. I've heard a few theories about why this works, but, frankly, who cares? Seriously! I have far more important things to think about in my life, and consider such questions a complete lack of perspective ... unless you're a professional barista, or otherwise connected to the coffee industry (or dairy industry - or possibly the health industry IF it has a measurable impact on health).
[1] BPF = Balanced Positive (spiritual) Forces. See here and here for more on this.
[2] Please see here and my post "The Death of Wikipedia" for the reasons I now recommend caution when using Wikipedia. I'm also exploring use of h2g2, although that doesn't appear to be as extensive (h2g2 is intended - rather engagingly - to be the Earth edition of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy").
Love, light, hugs and blessings
Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear"; ... aka Bellatrix Lux?)
My "blogiography" (list of all posts - currently not up to date) is here.
I started this blog to cover karmic regression-rescue (see here and here), and it grew ...
See here for my group mind project, here and here for my "pagans for peace" project, and here for my bindrune kit-bag.
-
One size does NOT fit all.
- May the world of commerce and business be recognised to be a servant, not a master, of the lives of people.
- A home is for living in, not feeling, becoming or being rich or a “better” class than others.
- The secret to being
(financially) rich is not to have lots of money: it is to have an income
above the poverty line, and then make whatever sacrifices are necessary
in order to live within 90% of your means.
-
Like fire to the physical, emotions to the soul make a good servant,
and a bad master.
-
Armageddon is alive and well and happening right now: it is a battle
between the indolence of "I only ..." and/or "I just ..." and/or "Everyone knows ... " and what Bruce Schneier [2] calls "security theatre" on one side,
and perspicacity and the understanding that the means shape the end on the other.
- The means shape the end.
- Sometimes you just can't argue with
a biped that is armed with a sharp stick, a thick head and not too much
in the way of grunts.
-
Spiritual love is far more than just an emotion - it
is a concept, thoughts, actions and a way of living.
- One of the basics of serious
spiritual / psychic work is that the greatest work is that which we do
on ourself, which seems trivial to many. Our own Innermost Essence,
which is our Higher Self / Soul / Spirit, has the power to do so much,
and is actively participating in the creation and sustenance of this
physical reality. Some mote of our conscious or unconscious knows that,
which is why we seem inclined to be dismissive of Self Mastery - which
is a bit like the child who sees an adult spending money to buy toys,
and fails to recognise the daily grind of work which has led to having
the money.
- My favourite action movie of all time is "Gandhi".
However, I loathe the stereotypical action movie - and, for similar
reasons, I loathe many dramas, which are often emotionally violent, more
so in some cases than many war films.
Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger [people]. JOHN F. KENNEDY
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good [people] to do nothing. (based on writing by) EDMUND BURKE
Your children are not your children. ... They come through you but ...
they belong not to you ... for their souls dwell in the house of
tomorrow KAHLIL GIBRAN
We didn't inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we only borrowed it from our children ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPÉRY
Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
True compassion is more than flinging a
coin to a beggar; it is not haphazard and superficial. It comes to see
that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
Those whom we cannot stand are usually those who we cannot understand P.K.SHAW
Few men are willing to brave the disapproval of
their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, and the wrath of their
society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or
great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those
who seek to change a world which yields most painfully to change." SENATOR ROBERT F. KENNEDY (US Attorney General 1966 Speech)
People I'm currently following or reading, or have considerable respect for, include:
You can find news sources I use here.
Tags: activism, attitudes, growth, immaturity, maturity, personal responsibility, perspective, self discipline, society, spirituality,
First published: Wodansdagr, 21st August, 2013
Last edited: Wednesday, 21st August, 2013
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