sojourner said:
You've come with an axe, supposedly to whittle away the stuff with which we've covered our spiritual eyes. You say your motivation is "tuff love."
Did we ask for your "help?" In what way is your "help" indicated here? Who determines that we suffer from some spiritual malady? You? Who determines the best course of treatment for said "malady?" You? Who died and made you the Great Physician???
Misguided because you carry no authority to make the determinations about the conditions of our souls that you have made. Trickery because, under the guise of being "compassionate" about our spiritual state, you're really only pushing your own position onto the rest of us.
Why don't you use that axe of yours to cut down the tree you've planted in the middle of our street? That might be seen as actually helpful.[/quote
Now, back to business.
"Our" street? For what reason does it not also belong to me? I may be outside your beliefs, but I'm just like you otherwise.
No, you did not ask for my help. I offer it freely to all that will listen. Those who don't wish to hear it should not come back for second helpings.
What authority would I have if not my own? Would it come from a book, or a priest? That authority would be second hand. Mine is direct, based upon what I see. I don't mind you doubting what I see, because it is difficult to believe.
But until you are willing to sit beside me on my hill, and see for yourself what I see, you will not know.
People give off light, according to their spiritual understanding. This light can be seen, but not with physical eyes.
Compassion. Do you know what it really is?
Its a kind of antenna that connects to the heart. The bigger the antenna, the more you pick up. And the more you pick up, the more you will see the connectivity of all things. In understanding this, you cannot hurt others without hurting yourself.
I have not hurt anyone. Whatever pain you feel from me, comes from the inabilty to understand me. That kind of pain comes from the inside, not from external sources.
So go your way, little flower.
I'll sit here beneath this tree, and watch the children play in the valley below.
x
"Why most of
you are going to hell." Because *we* (according to you) are trapped in the "hell" of our own minds.
You have brought a message to
us. Your message assumes that you are, in some way,
separate from us. You've made it clear that you don't want any part of our street. Therefore, you've planted the little tree, under which
you are privileged to sit, in the middle of
our street, upon which
we travel
our spiritual journeys. You didn't ask to join us. We didn't invite you. You just showed up and set up your Persian bazaar of inflammatory self-righteousness in the middle of us going about our business.
If you're "just like us," why do you separate yourself from us and pretend that you know more, or have some special spiritual perspective that the rest of us couldn't possibly share?
If a porn shop sets up business in my town, there's little I should do about it, as long as the business is legit. But when the owner violates public sensibility by showing public nudity on his street sign, I'm darn well going to take issue with it.
Once again, you seem to be mistaken that my acrimony lies with the
content of your message. Not much I can ( would, or should!) do about that. We all need to hear various messages and perspectives. But the way in which the message is
advertised...there's the rub.
On the issue of authority: Your signature says it all. Christianity believes that it is the community -- the Body -- that works together in order to see the salvation of humanity. You have a much different prspective -- one that promotes the complete freedom of the individual -- anarchy, which knows no authority.
Do you understand,
I don't need to sit on your hill. Your hill is not the correct place for me. From my own hill, I see basically the same things that you see -- just from a slightly different perspective...and that's OK.
Do I know what compassion is? Not even going to qualify that question with an answer.
You haven't hurt anyone? The fact that you insist on sitting in the ivory tower of your own making, separating yourself from the rest of us, hurts us. If you know what compassion is (according to your definition -- which is a good one, by the way), then you know that you have hurt us. Why? Because you have subtracted from the human equation, which should include you. That's an external source.
Go my way? This is my space. You're welcome to share it with me, but you're not welcome to pee on my roots.
