Think about it. Imagine your little child peeking into your chest filled with secret letters (which the child is too young, in your opinion, to read) and reading them. How much time will it take the child to make amends with you? A day? A year? A decade? Or the entire life? Or will you hold even grandchildren and great-grandchildren responsible? From one generation to another? Isnt it absurd? And if we consider that the further in the past the event is, the more indistinct interpretations it gets Then the situation looks sad. No one will ever get to the bottom of it but guilt and expiation will thrive. It wont be clear who is to blame, why, and what for. Do you really think God wants it? God, who made his sons and daughters? Who loves them? Doesnt God have anything else to do? He has his hands full. Do you love your children? Your treasured baby could get naughty. You would just chide them gently, ask them to draw a lesson, forgive, and forget! Rinse and repeat. Why? Because you love your child. Only those who dont love their children or enjoy power (revenge), will cherish the guilt their kid feels, maintain it, and nourish. Because it is not the question of love, it is the question of power and manipulation. It is their goal! Is there anything divine in it? It would be a different matter, if it were only about guilt. Alas. That is just the beginning. And so many victims! Since it became an excuse for massacre and absolute injustice in the form of depriving people of their rights and freedoms! You can be too smart, too funny, too ginger, too close to God, too fertile. It doesnt matter. For now one can just kill and enjoy an absolute power! For instance, the Islamic religion used to be less violent in terms of some things. For example, Muslim women had more rights regarding inheritance than women in Europe. Do you believe it to be a problem of religion only? Think of Communism, when children were punished for the sins committed by their fathers (public enemies). Or the practice of the Communist Party of Korea. The same was true about many other countries. The entire family could be extirpated for the actions of one person, regardless of age and generation! It didnt matter what sex you were, what dynasty, tribe, or nation you belonged to, or what political and economic ideas you followed.
Right, our past sins turned into a manipulatory tool. But the future is still ahead of us. There is Heaven you can get to upon the condition of your obedience. Isnt it great? And what do you need to get to Heaven? I might add that it doesnt necessarily exist You should abide by something By certain rules. But who came up with these rules? That is the question. Was it really God? You are supposed to do what you are told to do even if there is a more reasonable option. But who is telling you this? God or a man preaching Gods word? How can we distinguish between these two? How can we distinguish between the Almightys rules and those made by people?
And whats the result? We shall behave in a certain way in the hope of pretty ephemeral welfare in the future, after our death Communists also promised a sort of Heaven. Glorious future. Fortunately, on the face of the Earth, though in some distant future. For one thing, every Soviet family would have lived in a separate apartment by 2000. But Communism fell earlier. Actually, Communism did bring us plenty of good things that changed the lives of working people throughout the world for good! It is of great worth. Im pinpointing such things here so that you recalled what I said earlier. There are no bad ideas. Sometimes it is the means of implementation that is far from good. And here is another important thing. Any movement, including any religious one, has something that was implemented quite poorly, something that was implemented pretty well, or on the average level, etc. Capitalism, just like many other political movements, is no exception. There are so many promises Its actually a common story: We need to be patient for a while but then well begin a brand new life! Thats the whole point!
Our past doesnt let us live in the present and neither do prospects of heavenly future. Neither our past nor our future let us be clear-eyed about the present reality and find effective solutions here and now. We are always lost in our thoughts about either past or future. Or both. As a result, there is no life in the present! But there is a see-saw of time. And we are always stuck. It sounds horrible! Today you are supposed to pay for the sins of your ancestors who probably never even existed. And if you succeed, you get a chance for happiness after death! So what is life in this case? Pure suffering, a trial of patience, an attempt to atone for someone elses guilt. Humans are massively denied the right to joy and happiness. Including their descendants. This is one of the most violent myths! And if you start asking awkward questions, you will be accused of heresy with all that entails. You will be completely browbeaten, Ill say this much. Although, upon reflection Is God really behind all of this? The Almighty who is our past, present, and future God, one of whose names is Eternity, Time, and Space An eternal moment and an eternal journey through time. A point and infinity.
But it is not enough to be present in the moment, here and now. It is really important to be aware of this moment.
But let us get back to the topic of our discussion. Why is this myth so violent? Because it denies us our present life, deprives it of happiness and the ability to enjoy life. It holds us in shame and guilt for our past, in awe of our future. Shame, guilt, and awe are perfect tools of not only control but also of manipulation. They can easily transform a free and thinking person into a stupid and subordinate puppet. But it wasnt why God made man and gave us the opportunity to think
Tips
Do you want some advice? Stop living in the past! Stop living in guilt that was forced upon you! Stop living in some bright and glorious future that was also forced upon you! Start living here and now. Start off with getting in contact with reality and becoming aware of it! People around you dont necessarily need to know anything about it.
If you feel guilty, find a way to apologize and also do something within the framework of this apology that would be on par with the action you apologize for. That is to say, if you stole a hundred dollars, you should give a hundred dollars back. If you offended someone, dont do it again and say a few kind words. Thats pretty simple, huh? Yes. If it was a minor misdeed. But what should you do when it comes to something much more serious? That is how karma works if we are talking about that. Understanding that you need to do something of equal importance in the course of or after apologizing will stop you from wrongdoings. And yet there are plenty of people who view it differently. But karma never makes other people or the descendants responsible for someones offenses or good actions. And again, a lot of people never think about it this way. Think about it, try to analyze different points of views.
So what do you think now about the phrase «Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift»?
What, in your opinion, does it mean to be present in the moment, in the here and now? How can you practice being present? Do you have any ideas?
Key points
Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift.
And there may be endless number of points of view and versions!
You should abide by something By certain rules. But who came up with these rules? That is the question. Was it really God? You are supposed to do what you are told to do even if there is a more reasonable option. But who is telling you this? God or a man preaching Gods word? How can we distinguish between these two?
Our past doesnt let us live in the present and neither do prospects of heavenly future. Neither our past nor our future let us be clear-eyed about the present reality and find effective solutions here and now.
The Almighty who is our past, present, and future God, one of whose names is Eternity, Time, and Space An eternal moment and an eternal journey through time. A point and infinity.
But it is not enough to be present in the moment, here and now. It is really important to be aware of this moment.
Shame, guilt, and awe are perfect tools of not only control but also of manipulation. They can easily transform a free and thinking person into a stupid and subordinate puppet. But it wasnt why God made man and gave us the opportunity to think
The myth in a nutshell
There is always a cause and effect of your own choice. Each person creates their own Hell and Heaven, first of all inside themselves and then in the surrounding world. You should probably also remember that the point is not to ensure your future in Heaven but to create your Heaven here and now.
5. The Myth of the Good and the Evil
Your experience
Have you ever experienced an event that you saw as a good one while other people considered it bad? Or vice versa?
So how would you describe this event? Is it good or bad?
Have you ever experienced an event that you saw differently at the time and later? Perhaps, you even totally changed your mind about it?
So how would you describe this event? Is it good or bad?
Is snake venom good or bad? What or who makes it good or bad? What about an axe, a knife, a bow with arrows, porridge, or milk? Are these things good or bad? What or who makes them good or bad? Perhaps, the one who controls them? What will it be? Destruction or creation? Can a knife decide that? Can porridge determine that? Or is it done by the one who holds the knife or cooks the porridge?
About the myth
What is good and what is evil? We have some very specific tenets. This is right and that is wrong. From whose perspective? To whom? In what context?
What is good and what is evil from the point of view of time? From the point of view of the past, present, and future?
What is good and what is evil from the point of view of emptiness of things themselves, phenomena, or events?
What is good and what is bad? Is it our judgment? Are they the same as good and evil? Or are they independent concepts? Or are they all interrelated?
What is the difference between good and evil? Between good and bad? Is there any difference at all?
In this context, the Buddhist idea of emptiness is pretty much interesting and seems more reasonable (or maybe not?). But lets discuss something else. Why do the talks of good and evil, of good and bad sidetrack us? What do they prevent us from seeing? What are we missing as a result? What if the good and the evil are just a blindfold? What does it prevent you from seeing?
That there are no such things as the good and the evil? That something that is good for one person can be evil for another? That these concepts rather add to confusion instead of explaining things? And if we add the concept of time here, the notion gets even more complicated. How can we get to the bottom of things? What can help us do it?
But lets now talk about the most important thing. About life! It is the greatest gift! Was it the mercy of God, Allah, nature, the Universe, or some spirits? It doesnt matter What matters is that life exists on our planet! Perhaps it exists somewhere else. But we dont know for sure. At least it seems we dont have neighbors. Or is it that we choose to believe so? Perhaps we are also wrong about nature, perhaps we are prejudiced against all forms of life. We are just looking for something similar to us, arent we? But life is life, it can be so different It can have so many forms. But then, what is life?
Alright, we are surrounded by outer space. We have to take into consideration so many factors space-like in their scale! And yet we live. If we assume that Earth is the only planet in the Universe where life exists Arent we fooling it away? Killing each other for a reason or with no reason at all? Due to some farfetched myths? Even if life does exist somewhere else, it isnt the same, it is unique! And again Id like to ask you the question: Arent we fooling life away, killing each other over trifles? Life! In so many forms! That is whats most important! That is what we need to protect! That is what we need to cherish! What we need to take care of! And what we need to respect! And if someone is willing to destroy life for the sake of some rules (life that was created by entirely someone else) They shouldnt do it. Our life is of the greatest value. And this is a way to put your gurus to test! If they choose religion, if they choose rules, or if they choose the good, and then go and destroy life (meaning other people and living beings), all their pleas are worth nothing! Because they failed to see the main thing! Our life is what counts most! If we choose to believe the stories of God/Allah or other deities/spirits, then we should accept that they created not just a planet. They created Life in all the diversity of its forms! What an incredible and wonderful phenomenon! It is a sin, an evil to destroy life! And it is easily done. But it is good to create, to produce life. And this is a much more difficult task. It takes efforts!
But so many other things take our efforts too. Our entire life is about making efforts. The entire path of our soul is about making efforts. In order to go up, you should make efforts. To go down, you should make efforts too though it is much easier. It takes more efforts to rise. It takes efforts to stay human. It takes enormous efforts to deal with fears, attachments, and sins. It takes efforts to develop spiritual qualities and values. It takes efforts to cultivate awareness and love. Sometimes it takes efforts to make an effort.
But no one tells you about it. Because in this case, you wont kill. Because in this case, you wont plunder. Because in this case, you wont rape. Because in this case, you wont find excuses for doing it! Because in this case, you wont be manipulated! Because in this case, you will see what is valuable and start making efforts in that direction.
Start noticing life! Start noticing how it flows, rolls, and streams. Realize that you are alive! The energy of life is constantly flowing through you! Realize that there are millions, billions of living creatures around you in all kinds and forms! You dont even see most of them. You dont know most of them and will never learn about them! Even the Universe is alive, planets are alive. Its just that their lives are different. The scale is completely different! Just like when we talk about germs and bacteria living in the human body. For them, even a human body is a whole different scale. Try to comprehend how many factors had to coincide to give birth to Life. The Life that we have. We, among other people and living beings, were born. And all of them want one and the same thing. To live!
Cherish life! Your life and the lives of others! Turn it into Heaven here and now. For the sake of yourself and lots of other people (and, perhaps, other species), not for the sake of a tiny group!
But how can we do that? What do we need for that? What can help us do it?
Love and compassion. To yourself and to your surroundings. What is love? What is compassion? These questions are so simple and yet so complicated. It is not enough to say that you love and show compassion. These are the states that give birth to an action or actions. These are the states that provide us with power and inspiration. With determination and clarity. But what else do we need them for? They are the basis of harmony between individualities and diversity of forms. They are the key. To have unity among all individualities and diversity of forms, we need harmony between ourselves and the life around us. And for that, we need love and compassion. For ourselves and all other forms of life. For life itself.