I am Love, Life, Freedom, Peace so in putting those things first (being who I am), I will not labor under undue anxiety about anything no matter my state of being or circumstances.
Society would say I am mom & dad's son, my wife's husband, my kids father, a coworker, neighbor, friend, citizen of the U.S.A., human on planet earth.
Religion would say I am freewill, a descendant of Adam and a child of God, a sinner or saint, a creation of God, a servant or slave, a co-heir with Christ, a branch of the vine, the light of the world.
Spirituality would say I am an expression of all (i.e. God)...perfect love, peace that passes understanding, perfect freedom and Life.
but...
Who do I say I am?
Am I the sum of my actions and attitudes? Am I defined by my occupation, sport, talent or gift? Am I the combination of my physical and mental capabilities...a product of DNA?
Who or What defines you? How can you know without it coming from 'outside of ' or 'apart' from you?
Is it possible to define yourself?...isn't that what we do?...we pick and choose different pieces and parts from the above and knit them together like a quilt?
In this video Bill Strickland describes the motivating factor behind the building of the Bidwell Training Center in the high crime and economically depressed area of Pittsburg..."You have to change the way people see themselves before they will change their behavior" (minute 18 of the video) and "It's all in the way you think about people that often determines their behavior" (minute 11ish).
How Bill changed the way people see themselves with the Bidwell Training Center is ONE WAY it happens. It also happens in our everyday seemingly insignificant attitudes and actions in the check out line, interstate, office, family, marriage, neighborhood, etc. I'm not specifically advocating more Bidwell Training Centers, I don't think you 'need' a building or program to demonstrate your seeing other people as perfect Love, Freedom & Peace. When we see ourselves as Love, Peace & Freedom (of most valuable worth), we'll begin to see other people that same way. Our seeing others that way wakes them up to the Truth about themselves (i.e. that they are Love, Peace & Freedom) and the process continues as they wake others up, and on and on. The Bidwell Training Center is but 'one' expression of that reality.
If the embedded video doesn't work click the title link.
Driving the original question is a sense mankind focuses on the nature of "God" as opposed to our own nature. We want to know who/what God is and what God wants with us. The question in and of itself perpetuates a dualistic framework (i.e. God is separate from us or me). Religions step in and define who God is and what God wants with us and how we are to satisfy those wantings.
Here's my dilemma. If God is the originator of all. If nothing exists apart from God. Then all is an expression of God. Err...humph...well then what about bad stuff like hate, prejudice, etc? Where does that come from, certainly God didn't originate a system in which hate exists as a choice. One pseudo explanation is that 'bad' stuff is a result of the absence of God, like darkness is the result of the absence of light. I don't know if that works for me or not. If God is all, then how can there be the absence of all? Another way to say it is that God is Truth and bad stuff happens when someone depends on error rather than Truth...but doesn't that beg the question where did error come from if God is all? Some people explain error/bad stuffs existence away using our ability to choose (i.e. it's not that God 'created' error/bad stuff but that when he created choice, it became possible). So, then my question becomes "Why would perfect love (i.e. God) who is all powerful create a system knowing mankind would choose something other than God? Couldn't an all powerful all knowing God create a system in which choice exists but doesn't lead to error or the absence of God? If so, why didn't God do that? If not, God must not be all powerful because surely perfect love would not create a system in which hate, prejudice, etc exists.
So, what are the alternatives?...and please don't tell me that's where faith comes in or we can't know the mind of God.
Go with me here...
What if there is no separate supreme consciousness, big kahuna huna or personality called "God" rather the only things that are real (i.e. eternal) are perfect love, perfect freedom and transcendent peace (i.e. peace that passes understanding)? What if those attributes are eternal, permanent, unchanging and they manifest as all that is (i.e. all on earth, solar system, universe and beyond)?
A few questions from here are...
What causes love, freedom and peace to manifest in 'seemingly' separate forms (i.e. tree, person, star, air, etc)? Why would those attributes manifest in forms which seem to perpetuate the illusion of separation?
and more importantly THE BIG QUESTION for me is...
How would my, our and all's existence change if we really believed (changed/transformed our mind) that ONLY perfect love, freedom and transcendent peace exists and as a result 'lived' AS perfect love, perfect freedom and transcendent peace?
Is a relationship with God the end game? What about an end game of where all experience & enjoy perfect freedom, transcendent peace and unconditional love & acceptance every moment? Could part of, or the totality of, a relationship with God be all experiencing & enjoying perfect freedom, transcendent peace and unconditional love & acceptance?
What do you include in your definition of 'all'? Do you include every single human who ever was and ever will be? Do you include every plant, animal, earth, water, space, matter, solar systems, universes and beyond? Do you exclude anything?
Is it helpful to focus on differences and divisions...to identify or give them life with language? Is it useful to point out error? (i.e. Black men and white men came together desiring equality and justice) Doesn't 'black', 'white', 'men' and 'came together' give life to differences and division? Can the end game be realized by solely focusing on unity and Truth? What if the news showed video of the same gathering and reported "Equality & justice manifested here today". Does that lack something? Is it less/more powerful or helpful?
