Our egoic “i” attempts (and often succeeds) to convince us that everyday experience is about us–and only us. Of course, we realize that other persons matter to a degree: but in most cases, our conceptual self deems itself most important. Our ego would have us believe that life revolves around our needs, our desires, our wants, our home, our family, our career, our health, our wealth, our possessions, our social status, and our yada yada infinitum. To a sad extent, our societies are often driven by these “apparently” separate selves and selfish mentalities. It’s no wonder that we witness so much conflict and strife in the world. With everyone acting with such a mindset, how could they not?
We are fortunate that there is a much deeper way of being in the world. It can spare us from the atrocious consequences related to greed, hatred, selfishness, and anger that frequently accompany the false self. The solution is fundamental to the teachings of the Law of Attraction and at the heart of knowing true Self. The following passage from John 10:10 serves as a potent reminder of how to live in this apparent world:
I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
In my humble opinion, an important point has been missed if we believe that this passage referred only to Jesus. It applies to all of us. We are here–NOW–to make life more abundant for everyone. The teachings of the Law of Attraction have always stressed that a goal must serve the best interests of everyone involved–not only us! Everyone with whom we interact must depart with the feeling of increase. This, in fact, is the compass that enables us to know if we’re following the right path. If we sow selfish desires, the harvest we reap will ultimately lead to our destruction. When we know our deeper dimension of Self, we realize that our purpose is actually to improve the quality of life of those around us. Thus, we discover the following valuable reasons to spend the hours of our days:
TO HELP ONE ANOTHER
TO CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER
TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER
Who of us can say that we are allowing our life to be lived for the sake of others? Even though I realize that serving “Art” and his self-centered desires leads to nothing but trouble (plus boredom and suffering), do I–even now–always cast aside my interests in the service of my fellow brothers and sisters? To surrender our false selves that are robbing the quality of life from our societies is an act of great wisdom. Although it may seem as though we’re sacrificing a very important “person,” we are, in fact, only surrendering the illusion of self. This can be known fully when we make an effort to “Know Thyself” beyond the shallow definitions of name and form. Are you curious? If so, you might begin by asking “Who Am I?”
Dare to Dream (and care for one another).
With heartfelt regards,
Art
