In the last post I ended with some pretty important questions. To address these questions I need to explain my theories on how our Universe works. I am not saying this is how it is, I am saying this is how I have reconciled these things within myself. This is where I am at this moment and I reserve the right to grow and as such my understanding could be different in a year or even a week.
The questions I left with where these:
How do I let these people go and not hold negative feelings and guilt once I see them for who they truly are? After all some of these people I love deeply. How do I let go of people I am so close to? How do I process the feelings when I am forced to deal with people who aren’t walking a moral path that aligns with my own? The biggest one I have seen is someone struggling with close family who doesn’t share the same morality.
In my current understanding, the Universe has a basic plan and path that it is on. We have free will for ourselves but the Universe is on a path of sorts. I do believe in an overall guiding spirit of some sort. It could be anything from scientific and mathematical principles to an omnipotent force that we do not understand yet. It could be a combination of both or something entirely different. In my cosmology I just call it the Universe with a capital U for ease of discussion. This post isn’t an attempt to get into a theological discussion about the Universe, God, Allah or any of the other deities available to us. If you get stuck on that you are missing the point of the article and it really isn’t meant for you. Now having put in my disclaimer I can continue with the discussion.
The greatest breakthrough in understanding, and coming to peace with the vastly different moral paths we as humans can take, came from a Hermetic discussion I listened in on. Then I followed up with some research into a Theosophical idea about the original religion and its God(s). I will do my best to give you a short version here.
In my cosmology, we all come here intentionally. In other words, we chose to come and incarnate on earth as humans. We chose our circumstances of birth and to a large degree we chose the basic path our life will take. In our choice to come here, we are attempting to help mankind and the earth stay on its path. All of us are here to do this. This is the key to this understanding. No matter what moral road we take, our goal is to help the earth and mankind stay on their paths. That understanding honestly kind of warped my mind for a while. I just couldn’t understand how someone morally corrupt could be assisting mankind and the earth toward its positive goal.
After a good long time of mulling this over, and more than a few meditations about it, something dawned on me. Mankind is actually lazy and slow. We don’t learn our lessons easily. In most cases what makes us learn is when it is painful not to, or when we are in a position where we feel we can only chose one path. The aha moment came when I realized that those with vastly different moral compasses function to point out our path. They are the contrast to our moral code. Without them we wouldn’t be able to see our path as clearly. We also wouldn’t need to move onto our path as quickly. They are the catalyst that makes us realize our path and the sign post that points us toward our own road. This revelation allowed me to see the Universe at work in them. For lack of a better way to say it, I could find the divine in what I once saw as anything but divine.
After this revelation, the answers to the questions became much easier for me to swallow. I don’t hold negative feelings for anyone anymore, they are just doing what they came here to do. How do I deal with these people when I have to? I realize they are doing their job to the best of their ability and they serve as my own guideposts, so I am grateful they are there to point the way. I am lucky that I do not have any of these people in my close family, but I know many who do. The only advice I can give is to try and realize by their actions, they helped form who you are. In essence, they helped form your moral compass. Be grateful for the gift they gave you. Try to understand in yourself that they are just fulfilling the purpose they have on earth, and allow them to be as they are. As for letting them go, I personally don’t see a need to let them go unless it is harming you to have them around. Once the realization of their purpose sunk in, it was much easier for me to not be angry and resentful. I found that I could look at them as serving a useful purpose on earth and begin to see a small glimmer of the Universe at work.
Do I still get upset? Of course I do. Some things are just hurtful. I now try to see that pain as a growing pain. We as a people and the earth in general are ethically and emotionally growing, and these things are part of that process. Without the loud and proud on both sides of the moral debate we would not have progressed, we would not have grown. The path for me is made clear by those on a different one and I can now honestly say that I appreciate the guidance they have given me.
I still don’t want to share a meal with them, or bring them into my home. Perhaps at some point I will be able to, but that day is not today.
Next up my thoughts on living in integrity within ourselves.