As I watch my 21-month old grandson, I see the purity of a child learning about 
his new world. He’s learning how to open doors, take things apart, and climb - to him it’s all a wonderment of discovery. It’s fun to watch the growth and the innocence. Somewhere along the way, though, we become conditioned as to what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior. Depending on how this is presented we may lose sight of who we are.
Then, we move along this path and participate in family activities and interact with others outside of family and adjust to the acceptable behavior and we begin to unlearn who we are. We think we can’t have both – expressing "who I am as God’s creation” and living in this world. We compromise to avoid judgment or rejection and we don’t want to disappoint anyone.
As we become teenagers we start to challenge the ideas and beliefs handed to us. It’s the little child in us remembering and we want to express that in a unique way. But so many distractions and more new discoveries become available that in order to explore them further we need to yield our challenge to some extent and comply. At this point we dive into our world and maneuver around enjoying all that life has to offer getting so caught up in the physical distractions that we don’t even take the time to think about Who I Am.
Photo by Altaf Hussein – at www.sxc.hu.home
From there, it seems that life takes over with the tasks and responsibilities and we get glimpses every once in a while of Who I Am but put that off until we have time. Through all the years of conditioning and the “have to’s” we have come so far we don’t know how to get back to the innocence and pure essence of who we were when we first came into this world. That’s not to take away from all of what we’ve learned but to combine it with your whole being.
Ah, but that’s the journey. I believe that’s why you and I come into this existence, “To discover who I am in a new dimension, a new world, and learn how to express it.” I knew it as a newborn but could not tell anyone and I then began the process of adapting to this world. The animals know too Who I Am but they are also committed to silence. Each of us has to relearn this ourselves and by going within we find the answer. In Patricia Singleton’s latest post With Love, Man Is God - Sathya Sai Baba she quotes:
page 24, "I soon learned that in response to his devotees' many questions, he (Sathya Sai Baba) directs us to look inside ourselves for answers. To the most pressing question, 'Who are you?' he answers, 'How can you know who I am when you don't even know who you are? When you know who you are, you will know everything.' When asked if he is God, he gives an extraordinary answer, 'Yes, and so are you; you are also divine! The difference is that I know it and you do not. Look inside and find your divine nature.' "
What Can I Do:
First, get comfortable with quiet and go within – pray, meditate.
Then, start observing how you interact and begin caring about what you think instead of what others think as Andrew discusses in his latest post, Caring What Everyone Thinks. Realize the gift that has been given to you and to me – we are creations in the image of God. I’ll begin with that as a visualization on this journey when I go within to discover Who I Am. It is not an act of selfishness but one of Godliness.
Inspire others to be true to themselves by listening to them with an open mind and heart without placing any demands on them to see it the way you see it.
Accept each others’ truth with the same openness that you desire. Instead of defending our positions, look for a common ground where we can both agree.
Consider this poem taken from Ray Hunt's site:
The Guy in the Glass - by Dale Wimbrow, (c) 1934
When you get what you want in your struggle for pelf,
And the world makes you King for a day,
Then go to the mirror and look at yourself,
And see what that guy has to say.
For it isn't your Father, or Mother, or Wife,
Who judgement upon you must pass.
The feller whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the guy staring back from the glass.
He's the feller to please, never mind all the rest,
For he's with you clear up to the end,
And you've passed your most dangerous, difficult test
If the guy in the glass is your friend.
You may be like Jack Horner and "chisel" a plum,
And think you're a wonderful guy,
But the man in the glass says you're only a bum
If you can't look him straight in the eye.
You can fool the whole world down the pathway of years,
And get pats on the back as you pass,
But your final reward will be heartaches and tears
If you've cheated the guy in the glass.
From the kitchen table - Pat
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2 comments:
Pat, thanks for the link and I am grateful that I was the inspiration for this article. You say so well what I have been trying to tell my daughter who is upset by my article, the same one that inspired you to write this wonderful article causes my daughter confusion and anger because my opinion of God is so different and so much bigger than her image as a Mormon looking at God. I keep telling her neither of us has to be right or wrong in our ideas of who God is and who we are. She is offended that I dared to say that we are all God.
Patricia - I'm grateful to you for the inspiration for this post. There were parts of it that were hard to form into words and the conditioning shows up in so many little ways we don't even realize it. It was difficult for me to let go of my religious doctrines in the early '80's when I was challenged to look at my beliefs by my husband. The things he was saying made sense and I couldn't dispute it so I decided to trust my love for God and be open to listen to the possibilities. Man sets the rules and regulations - God just loves no matter who you are or what you believe.
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