The Spirit Within

Spirituality has become an important part of my life in the last few years.

I don't mean religion. That's essentially a battery of man-made traditions couched in a veneer of institutionally dictated series of beliefs. It is a self-limiting pretense at understanding God usually based on an extremely narrow perspective.

Most organized religions keep God locked up in a box of their own creation. Then they play the "my God's better than yours" game that leads to anger, hostility and bitter resentment. Until we free God from our chains of limitation, I don't believe we can ever really understand the essence of God.

Recently I have had the opportunity to engage in some conversation about spirituality with someone who is pretty special. This person is intelligent, articulate and always makes me think. They indicated to me a degree of frustration with the whole concept of God, Christianity, the Bible and what it means to be spiritual. And I could sympathize. This person has a warm and caring heart and I believe wants to be connected to something bigger than self.

Don’t we all?

I believe that everyone is on a spiritual journey whether they accept it or not. Some people will agree and some will disagree. That doesn't matter. The truth is some of those who agree still aren't really doing anything about it.

My friend's frustrations address a real challenge in our society. Often any talk of the spiritual nature of life ends up tainted by societal concepts based on a culturally historic link to Judeo-Christian beliefs. When we have been surrounded all our lives by a traditional understanding of God as being the all-powerful spirit being of the Bible, our Holy Father in Heaven, a thing to be both feared and loved, breaking free from those thoughts can be difficult and leave us wondering, if not this picture of God, then what?

What indeed?

Suffice it to say we now live in a society shaped largely through beliefs fostered by a Bible that was essentially created by a group of bishops who decided what stories to include and what to leave out during a period of history in which political upheaval was a real possibility and a way to placate and control the people was desired. Does that sound like a reliable reference upon which to base a modern concept of God?

For those with a vision filtered through beliefs tied to such a system, of course it does. Those who can be open and live beyond the scope of ancient perceptions may start to see God outside the confines imposed by humanity.

I don’t believe there is a god, but I believe that God is all there is. By opening our minds and hearts to the fact that our limiting beliefs cannot contain God, we allow the reality of spirit to embrace us. We are not separate from God for God is not an individual being. God is found within us and we are within God. If you really want to see God, go look in the mirror. God lives through the creative energies that shape this universe and exist in every part of it, including us.

Faiths that claim a monopoly on God are shaped by a limited vision that adheres to concepts forged on anvils of ignorance. The challenge that arises for some of us comes when we think beyond that box in which many organized religions would keep us contained.

Jesus is quoted as saying ‘you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32) Coming to the realization that much of what is preached as the truth in most churches today is in reality concepts shaped by the minds of men and not Spirit can be a harsh awakening. Many who turn away from church end up turning away from the beauty of living a spiritual life because they associate God with religion. But God actually has very little to do with religion.

The truth can make you free if you can grasp the idea of God beyond the church.

Recently I came across a website that comes very close to what I have come to accept as my understanding of God. Check out www.spiritualatheism.org. It references the idea of ‘Spiritual Atheism.’ That would seem to be a combination of two contrary concepts. In reality, it makes perfect sense. As the website notes:

“Although Spiritual Atheists do not believe in a literal 'God'; they generally recognize 'God' as an important and powerful symbol of the inter-connectedness and one-ness of the Universe. They see that, individually, everything in the Universe is a part of 'God'; and, collectively, everything in the Universe is 'God'. And that there is only ONE 'God'.

"Even so, many Spiritual Atheists are extremely reluctant to make use of the word 'God', due to the extreme desecration it has suffered by common Theists and Atheists alike.”

For me, the truth is I can walk away from churches that place their perceptual limitations on God. I can start to find the peace that comes from accepting and understanding that the true spiritual journey does not have to follow one specific path. And I can reclaim the very word ‘God’ from those who desecrate the concept, whether they are theists or atheists.

To my friend and any others who may read this, you are a child of the universe. Do not let the limitations others impose on God keep you from the spirit you feel within.

Peace, love and light.

One to the Infinite Power

A key element to making changes in life involves getting outside your comfort zone. My participation in Toastmasters enables me to do just that. While I am an adequate writer, presenting information in front of a group of people requires a different set of skills. Toastmasters provides a friendly, supportive environment that allows me to develop those skills at my own pace. I'm making changes in my life, and Toastmasters helps.

This got me thinking about others who made changes in their lives and in the world around them. And what better place to share my thoughts than at a Toastmasters breakfast meeting? So I put it all together in a speech to address one of my manual projects. It's presented below, but without my vocals. Sorry.

If you live in the Lethbridge area and are interested in simply checking out Toastmasters, just let me know. There is no obligation if you want to visit for a club meeting. Heck, we'll even buy you breakfast. Contact me and I'll put you in touch with our VP of Public Relations . . . oh, yeah. That's me, too.

For a bit about our club, check out http://eyeopener.freetoasthost.org/. And you can get in touch with me rather than the contacts on the website.

Anyway, enjoy the speech, or rather essay, I guess, as it's written here and not spoken.

One to the Infinite Power

One.

It is the smallest whole number with an actual value.

It is unique in being the common divisor for prime numbers.

And it is also the number upon which all other numbers are built.

There is power in one. And you can be the one.

Naysayers will tell you, you can’t fight city hall. Doubters will say what’s the point? I’m just one person. What can I do? Skeptics will say why vote? My one vote won’t make a difference.

But one can make all the difference in the world. A single person with a vision, passion and the heart to bring about change can do so. Cast a stone into a pond and watch as ripples expand out from the single point of impact. A solitary positive idea or goal is like that stone, creating ever expanding ripples that can wash over a society, a nation or even a world.

In the earliest part of the 20th century, one man despaired at the plight of millions. He saw oppression and a lack of rights affecting an entire ethnic group. He experienced being a victim of racism when he was thrown from a train for refusing to give up a first class seat, for which he had a valid ticket. He was beaten by a driver for refusing to ride on the footboard of a stage coach to make room for a white passenger. Though barely qualifying to enter college, he did nonetheless and became a lawyer.

Mohandas Gandhi first introduced the concept of peaceful civil disobedience while championing the civil rights of the Indian community living in South Africa. He returned to India and led campaigns for an end to poverty, for the liberation of women, for acceptance of different religions, and for the independence of his country from foreign domination.

He was one person who became known globally as Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma – a sanskrit word meaning ‘Great Soul.’

One person takes action and the ripples flow out.

Agnes Bojaxhiu (Bo-cha-shoe) was born in 1910. Her father died when she was eight-years-old. When she was 18, she left home never to see her mother or sister again. But she made a massive difference when she felt a calling to help and plunged into some of the worst slums in the world to pursue her passion. Her influence grew as did support for her efforts and by the 1970s, Mother Teresa was renowned for her compassionate work to help the poor.

When she passed away in 1997, her Missionaries of Charity had over 4,000 sisters, an associated brotherhood of 300 members, and over 100,000 lay volunteers, operating 610 missions in 123 countries.

Ripples.

Now, many may say those are the exceptions. Certainly, there are outstanding individuals who will occasionally surface and use their influence to facilitate change.

The challenge is that with people like Gandhi and Mother Teresa, we see ripples that have grown and expanded to the point of becoming irresistible tsunamis with the strength to wash away old precepts under a wave of innovation and vision.

It can be daunting to reflect on change of that magnitude. But it shouldn’t be paralyzing. Look around our own community and you will see many individuals who are making a difference. It isn’t making a big splash on the nightly news. It isn’t swirling around all over the Internet. But it is real and positive change.

In fact, we don’t have to go beyond our own Toastmasters Club to see people who, like the stone cast into the pond, are making ripples of change. At our last meeting alone, comments by three individuals told me something about themselves that shows they are making a difference.

In her reply to a Table Topics question, Anne mentioned she supports Amnesty Canada. Is there anyone who doesn’t know about Amnesty International and its work on behalf of human rights around the world?

A few weeks ago, I was fortunate to attend a showing of the movie Shake Hands with the Devil, based on Sen. Romeo Daillaire’s book about his experiences in Rwanda during the genocide of the 1990s. Before the movie, Amnesty representatives spoke about what is happening in Darfur today. It’s a group that is working to make the world a better place and Anne is one part of that group. One making a difference.

In comments about her trip to San Diego, Shirley mentioned that she always tries to make working with animals a part of her holiday time. We all know that Shirley is passionate about animals and cats in particular. She has embraced that passion and is using it to bring about positive change.

One of the measures of a society’s compassion and maturity is the way it treats the animals that live within it. Shirley’s efforts help create a more compassionate society for all of us.

In his speech, Dana shared why he really enjoys his current career in comparison to some past jobs he has held. When he spoke about being a paramedic with the fire department and the kinds of work that involves, his enthusiasm was evident. Through the course of his work, Dana strives to save property and lives. In fact, he specifically mentioned having been involved in delivering babies on the job.

Can anyone doubt that Dana is making a difference?

Ripples.

One to the infinite power. One times one times one times one multiplied out to the infinite is still just one.

That is all it takes. Make a difference. Be that one.