It was, of course, in Meeting that I reached these conclusions.
Oh - and I'm an idiot - the most important part of Quakerism to me is the aspect of non-violence, because the Spirit is all of us and everything; when we harm one person we harm everyone. Think about that a while, the ripples a hurtful word or action cause from the injured person to their friends and family, and their friends and family... Then think of the implications of a positive thought or action.
Sidenote - not all Meetings are inspiring. Abd sometimes, other people's messages that seem specific to themselves can be generalized and often address exactly the issues in my life that are of present concern.
One such message was delivered just after I filed for divorce. A fellow in Meeting had just come back from Florida where his grandmother was dying. As he witnessed his mother caring for her mother much as a child, bathing, dressing, feeding, and helping her to bed it occurred to him that there was a cycle here; a cycle of Mother caring for helpless infant, raising and nurturing the helpless infant, then when that child is grown the cycle turns in a way that the child is now caring for the basic needs of the parent who is now helpless with the fagility of extreme old age.
That's the simple version. For me, I knew there was something more complicated and more profound. I thought about my own mother, and then my kids, their father and his mother. I thought about grandparents. I thought about the gifts of life we'd all been given and what we had done with those gifts, and what reward might be received when we'd done good things over negative ones.
Heaven? But wait... what key turns the lock in those pearly gates? Gates? Heaven has gates? I don't think so. I think Life is it's own force. The messages we get are from one another, from the energy our life creates and puts into the world, which is affected by the energy we get and what we do with it... So Heaven? No. I don't believe there is some "place" we go where things are all pearly and perfect.
I think of the Boddhisatva's, two who achieved "Nirvana", perfect spiritual enlightenment, and refused to enter Heaven until the last blade of grass has gone before them. Well, if we've all achieved Nirvana, what need do we have of going someplace Else? We'd have it here on Earth, wouldn't we?
I guess I believe in Reincarnation. With that in mind, and the thought of the cycles of life and family, here is my version of why we are here.
We are here to make things better. To gently break the negative harmful cycles and teach our children positive healthy ways to live, aware of the spirituality in themselves and the world around them. If the name Jesus helps, so be it. If the idea of Heaven helps, fantastic. As long as those things are not used to intimidate, scare, manipulate, or otherwise hurt people, they are fine with me. I just have a bigger picture, where all paths of Light lead to the same place of Peace. Wherever that may be.
Did any of this make sense? Did I answer your question?
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Part 3 - Tracy's Meaning of Life
Date: 2003-08-01 07:43 am (UTC)Oh - and I'm an idiot - the most important part of Quakerism to me is the aspect of non-violence, because the Spirit is all of us and everything; when we harm one person we harm everyone. Think about that a while, the ripples a hurtful word or action cause from the injured person to their friends and family, and their friends and family... Then think of the implications of a positive thought or action.
Sidenote - not all Meetings are inspiring. Abd sometimes, other people's messages that seem specific to themselves can be generalized and often address exactly the issues in my life that are of present concern.
One such message was delivered just after I filed for divorce. A fellow in Meeting had just come back from Florida where his grandmother was dying. As he witnessed his mother caring for her mother much as a child, bathing, dressing, feeding, and helping her to bed it occurred to him that there was a cycle here; a cycle of Mother caring for helpless infant, raising and nurturing the helpless infant, then when that child is grown the cycle turns in a way that the child is now caring for the basic needs of the parent who is now helpless with the fagility of extreme old age.
That's the simple version. For me, I knew there was something more complicated and more profound. I thought about my own mother, and then my kids, their father and his mother. I thought about grandparents. I thought about the gifts of life we'd all been given and what we had done with those gifts, and what reward might be received when we'd done good things over negative ones.
Heaven? But wait... what key turns the lock in those pearly gates? Gates? Heaven has gates? I don't think so. I think Life is it's own force. The messages we get are from one another, from the energy our life creates and puts into the world, which is affected by the energy we get and what we do with it... So Heaven? No. I don't believe there is some "place" we go where things are all pearly and perfect.
I think of the Boddhisatva's, two who achieved "Nirvana", perfect spiritual enlightenment, and refused to enter Heaven until the last blade of grass has gone before them. Well, if we've all achieved Nirvana, what need do we have of going someplace Else? We'd have it here on Earth, wouldn't we?
I guess I believe in Reincarnation. With that in mind, and the thought of the cycles of life and family, here is my version of why we are here.
We are here to make things better. To gently break the negative harmful cycles and teach our children positive healthy ways to live, aware of the spirituality in themselves and the world around them. If the name Jesus helps, so be it. If the idea of Heaven helps, fantastic. As long as those things are not used to intimidate, scare, manipulate, or otherwise hurt people, they are fine with me. I just have a bigger picture, where all paths of Light lead to the same place of Peace. Wherever that may be.
Did any of this make sense? Did I answer your question?