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Authority and Conviction

This paper was extemporaneous in response to a call for papers in a leadership class at the University of Phoenix. Authority and conviction encompass authenticity, commitment, ethical standards, honesty, leadership, and a host of complementary character compliances.

For some reason, I asked for viral meningitis back in the mid-80s. At the time I was in the midst of trying circumstances and questioned the very nature of behavior beyond words of commitment and loyalty; the trust we seek in relationships and life. At least choosing the illness is what a progressive self-initiating viewpoint might offer.

I was in a very conflicting and difficult internal place dealing with a job that meant working with airborne weapons — helicopters, fighter jets and missiles for the Department of Defense. I was also feeling like there was no support in my marriage because instead of counseling or therapy, my wife chose to follow the pattern her mother set… involve other men. I was especially conflicted because we had just completed a spiritually-focused process in our church, too, resulting in eternal commitments that I took quite seriously. So I created a time for me to take stock in my own life’s mission and purpose once again. The analysis of authority and conviction brings varying opinions. I took it to new depths.

It sure gave me some clarity on the inside, though. I began to recognize how I had set up my own cognitive dissonance.

I spent several weeks flat on my back with a headache so bad that I wished I could make my transition and free myself of the pain and turmoil. It was not meant to be and I learned to go much deeper into my own being and nature to find the place of peace within. It did not change what was happening on the outside. It sure gave me some clarity on the inside, though. I began to recognize how I had set up my own cognitive dissonance. The culmination of the current dilemmas produced the proverbial ‘time out’ that I had to take due to the fact that I could barely open my eyes because of the pain from the light, even in a darkened room. What does that say about the metaphor of keeping your light under a basket?

Occasionally I have to remind myself of the wonderfully nasty headaches when I get too focused on the mundane and my mind wants too much control over processes that are not controllable or in my best interests. Even understanding the amazing ability to choose what you experience, sometimes we have to be reminded to stop, listen and look around.

As I just relaxed and released to its song I felt a deep sense of gratitude.

As I paused by our pond recently, a couple of decades later, in a moment of contemplation attempting to move through my headache, I heard a cicada for the first time this year. It seems a bit early for them here. Maybe I’m just not noticing time the way I used to; seeming to move much faster as I get older. As I just relaxed and released to its song I felt a deep sense of gratitude. My headache subsided as my mind responded to the stillness. The song of the cicada reminded me of the ‘white noise’ that I’ve found many hear. I’ve used this ‘noise’ to help me meditate as focusing on it without ‘trying’ to listen often decreases its pitch and leads to some very interesting places in consciousness.

In this ‘pause for the cause’ I was gifted with the following stream of consciousness. A natural desire for argument may cross your mind as you read. However, I would ask that you read with an open mind and heart as much as possible.
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One who truly speaks with authenticity and authority does so because they HAVE IT. It is a part of them, often beyond the scope of their own knowing, exuding from their presence even as a young person. When in positions of power and public view, leaders who speak with authority can be heard not only with the head; the heart responds as well. Their words are FELT in the depths of one’s BEING. Everyone has felt the difference at some point in their lives, whether verbally acknowledged or simply logged in their own consciousness. Consider the difference when you are looking for people to work with on a personal or professional basis.

One does not need an office or position to speak with authority of the heart. There are many who weather the storm of personal, political, or professional resistance to authenticity, honesty, and integrity of our natural desire to bond with one another. We’ve been duped into believing that duality is a natural state of being when in fact, non-duality is omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient.

Science is even proving the notion of an anthropic universe [life-friendly] through quantum physics and complexology, a new field of study that uses a holistic approach to understanding our physical world. Holistic philosophy, aka spirituality, maintains that all things are connected. So we have no excuse for not being responsible for the effects of our actions and thoughts.

One who speaks with unauthentic conviction, not having ‘authority’, is convicted almost before they begin… of many false beliefs because of the lack of FEELING. It is noticeable in the lack of resonance in one’s depths and audiences recognize it as well, or at least some do. Emotional manipulation is easy with these types as their mission is to intimidate (covertly and subtly) the actions of the audience toward their own personal agenda or bias. There is often a ‘hidden’ agenda behind this type of presentation. The awareness in our own feeling without emotional attachment is intuitively how we know, or feel, we can trust someone.

The feeling is undeniable and the lack of it irrefutable when one relies on the heart-felt resonance of vibration, whether uttered from the mouth or displayed in print through one’s words doesn’t matter, it is in their energy field for those who have the ability to feel. That would be everyone for those of you wanting to feel separate from your own power now. It appears that our ability to act as citizens prompted by this authentic presence and natural desire to be friendly and loving toward others has been depressed and even subverted by those who speak with a lack of authentic conviction.

In fact and purpose, meaning their agendas do not support life or love, even though they may say all the right words to make the willing believers (our natural state is trust) feel safe. In fact, many have become so desensitized by the rapid-fire information age that this natural internal state of discernment and recognition has been lost.

Critical self-reflection as we listen to or read our own words is always happening within the truth circuits of our naturally oriented love consciousness, which resides in truth. “As I speak, therefore I AM” to paraphrase a wise one. We have the ability to be Self-monitoring in alignment with Divine Flow within us at ALL TIMES.

It is a sense of serenity that, paradoxically, disrupts anything that is out of alignment with itself, humans being the most obvious example at this time.

We choose to remove ourselves from it. It is that simple. All the kingdoms sing praise when you can stop and listen to their song. Our natural state is one of love and surrender, faith and trust. This can also swell into a torrent of energy, commanding resonance in ALL THAT IS when we focus on the awareness of Oneness, non-duality thinking. We might call this the ‘War in Righteousness’ that is beyond any ONE person yet is encompassed by ALL. It is a sense of serenity that, paradoxically, disrupts anything that is out of alignment with itself, humans being the most obvious example at this time. Humans have in turn, affected their very survival by infecting the Earth with their selfish acts backed by evil intent. btw… this is not the work of some EVIL ONE. This was the choice of individuals who then drew together to support one another.

See what they/we have done?

In the formality of non-dualistic thinking, us and them become ‘we’ and there is no ego without ‘wego’ in the sense of our collective responsibility. Without pointing fingers, we can acknowledge that life as we know it can get much better and we have the methods and technology to affect change toward a more holistic local, national, and global renaissance of simply looking out for one another instead of destroying ourselves and our environment.

Now imagine what we could do with the same, or even greater, concerted effort in calling for authentic authority and responsible action. Imagine what pure motives and unselfish behavior could do to turn the tide of desire, desolation, and destruction. We often resist the religious or spiritual messages that promote our divine unity and brother/sisterhood of spirit across the sand-drawn boundaries of cultures and ethnic distinctions.

Recent scientific discoveries in tracking genetic lineage shows that we are all related, so why are we not able to act as a family? Serendipitously, I had an experience when first contemplating the depth of my connection just after going through a rather disheartening divorce. Being adopted with no results of research for lineage, I have an overriding “Who Am I?” question that is a precursor to action of any depth in nature.

Zen Benefiel
Zen Benefielhttp://zenbenefiel.com/
Zen says his life has been spiced with personal and professional opportunities that came through his nurturing of faith, love, and trust that dreams do come true. What built that faith, love, and trust began as an orphan told of his adoption just after his 4th birthday. The spice continued with experiences that span the gamut of the paranormal and include off-planet engagements over a lifetime. Can you say outlier? With two Master’s degrees and multiple certifications as well as an interesting professional history (ZenBenefiel.com) his passion turned to transformational life coaching just after the turn of the century, having become a rather astute cognitive scientist with extraordinary insight and intuition, he transformed Be The Dream (founded in 1988) from the intention of bridging best business and spiritual practices to a reality that has served hundreds. A decade and a half of writing was filled with cathartic wonders. His gifts are useful for Team Partnering as well, facilitating people, places, and things to build mega-structures with pre-construction teambuilding sessions. Divorced with four children, 9 grandkids, and 2 great-grandsons, he remarried after 30 years. Luba is from St. Petersburg, Russia, and their meeting, both agree, was a cosmic conspiracy of destiny, spiritual compatibility, and future vision of a newly ordered world in harmony with natural order. After 47 years of preparation, and stepping into what feels like fulfilling destiny, he recently became the Executive Director of the Live and Let Live Global Peace Movement that is inspiring the world now.

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