The True Joy in Life by George Bernard Shaw

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George Bernard Shaw wrote the following sentence in a letter prefacing his book “Man and Superman: a Comedy and Philosophy” which can be used as a guide to living a meaningful, productive and joyful life:

This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.
George Bernard Shaw
Epistle Dedicatory to Arthur Bingham Walkley
“Man and Superman: a Comedy and a Philosophy”

The following is an elaboration on the four points that George Bernard Shaw makes to finding the true joy in life:

  1. “Be used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one” – This quote could easily be mistaken to mean that we should have some elaborate goals to save the world and unless we do we are worthless. This is not true. We are children of God who are here to express God’s divinity (as explained in Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life) and we should go about our lives with this in mind. We should infuse everything we do with joy, compassion, peace, love and wisdom. This is the “mighty purpose” which we should recognize.
  2. “Be thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap” – We should be productive! However, again, this could be misunderstood to mean that we must be busy, busy, busy all day and collapse in exhaustion by nightfall. It’s good to be active and have things to do but realize that we’re divinely productive when we infuse whatever we do, even just conversing with others, with good cheer, goodwill, courage and beauty.
  3. “Be a force of Nature” – This could be misconstrued to mean that we should run roughshod over people who get in the way of what we want to do. To be a force of Nature (notice that it’s with a capital “N”) is to be a person who is in control of themselves and has a higher perspective on life. This person is mature, wise, serene and joyful and understands the meaning of life.
  4. Not be “a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy” – This is a continuation of the previous point and it emphasizes the idea that we need to learn how to control the impulses and desires of our lower self. Specifically we need to stop being petty, immature, greedy, self-centered, possessive, envious and jealous. We need to GROW UP and realize how wonderful life is no matter what our circumstances!

Cheers,
Brendan

Three Misunderstandings of the Parable of the Rich Man and Poor Man

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Today’s (9/29/07) Gospel reading is from Luke 16:19-31 and is Jesus’ story of the rich man and poor man who both die at the same time and the rich man goes to hell while the poor man goes to heaven. This parable reveals a great spiritual truth, however, because it’s usually interpreted superficially, it is terribly misunderstood and a source of great confusion.

In summary, the story is about a rich man who has a poor man named Lazarus living just outside his house but never gives him any food or help. They both die and Lazarus goes to heaven and sits besides Abraham and the rich man goes to the netherworld or hell. The rich man is able to see Lazarus and Abraham in heaven and asks for a drop of water but Abraham denies and tells him that during their lifetime he received what was good while Lazarus received what was bad. He then says that Lazarus is now comforted while the rich man is now tormented and that there is a great gap between them that can’t be crossed. The rich man then asks to send Lazarus to warn his family but this request is also denied.

The following are three incorrect assumptions that are often drawn from this parable and which lead to a lot misunderstanding:

  1. God hates the rich. Of course this is incorrect and the idea of God hating anybody is ridiculous. The lesson here is that when you are emotionally and mentally “attached” to your possessions, you don’t understand what’s important. You’re suppose to be detached from all things of the material world, not only physical possessions but also base emotional and mental possessions such as superiority, depression, bigotry, anger, immaturity, pessimism, close-mindedness, lustfulness and fear. Ideally you align yourself with the “things” of spirit and when you do you can have all the material possessions you want but you won’t be attached to them and if you lost them you would be centered in your connection with spirit.
  2. God loves the poor. Again the idea of God loving or hating a person and their financial status is ridiculous. There is no virtue in being poor. The issue is not what you have or don’t have but how you’re aligned with spirit. A poor man who is attached to a sense of self-rightousness or self-importance because he thinks it’s “spiritual” to be poor is as separate from spirit and will be as tormented as the rich man in Jesus’ parable. Further, to the extent that a person is poor due to being slothful, indifferent and lazy, he will also be separate and in torment because we’re intended to be productive and contribute to the growth of God’s humanity even if in a small way.
  3. God won’t grant your requests if you get on His “bad side”. God doesn’t give Lazarus the two things he asks because, figuratively, Lazarus is distant from the divine due to his attachment to the material world and his lack of compassion toward Lazarus during their lifetimes. The gap is not closed by simply a direct giving of the requests rather Lazarus must make an effort to understand how to be generous, compassionate and aligned with spirit and thereby close the gap on his own. In this way the divine find a stronger vehicle with which to work with and express itself. This is a true act of love by God, Who does not have a “bad side”, and is in no way a punishment.

Cheers,
Brendan

Pinocchio and the Meaning of Life

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The Adventures of Pinocchio, Carlo Collodi’s 19th century tale about the trials and tribulations of a wooden puppet (the original story not the Disney version), provides a neat explanation of the meaning of life specifically addressing who we are and why we’re here.

Who We Are

Pinocchio perfectly symbolizes our dual nature; our material self and our real self. Of course Pinocchio’s material self is as a wooden puppet. Our material selves aren’t made of wood (although I love the English phrase of describing someone who’s not to intelligent as being “thick as two planks”) but we are made of physical, emotional and mental material that combine to create our body. This is the material self that you’ve come to know and love complete with all its sensations, habits,likes, dislikes, thoughts, habits and attitudes. But there’s more to us that this body.

Pinocchio transforms into a real boy after going through many trials and eventually learning to control himself and express his more virtuous traits. Just so we have a real self that seeks to express itself through a disciplined material self. This real self is the most noble, compassionate and wise part of us. It is the soul or spirit which was created in God’s image. We are designed to realize that this is our true identity. In fact we need to know that we are not material selves who have a soul but rather we are souls who have a material self through which we act in this world.

Why We’re Here

Pinocchio redeems himself by the end of the story by first controlling his natural tendencies then expressing the divine qualities of his real self. Through the majority of the story Pinocchio is belligerent, lazy, dishonest and indifferent. He is always shown the error of his ways and promises to change but he most often repeats the same mistakes. Similarly we often succumb and robotically react to the downward pull of the natural tendencies of our material self to be lazy, annoyed, depressed, impatient, gluttonous, indifferent and ungrateful. When we do this it’s as if we’re becoming more material (i.e. more dense) as symbolized by Pinocchio when he’s being dishonest and his nose grows.

By the end of the story Pinocchio has control of his material self’s natural tendencies and he starts to express the noble qualities of his real self as he is courageous and strong when he saves his father and himself from the belly of the shark and he is compassionate, diligent, patient, selfless, determined, purposeful and productive when he works as a farmhand and provides for his father. After a few months of this he wakes up one morning to find himself in a nice new house, lot’s of money in his pocket, his father’s health restored and he is transformed into a real boy! Just so, we are here to express the noble divine qualities of spirit through our material selves. We are to build our character so we are more loving, kind, beautiful, wise, tolerant, cheerful, peaceful, courageous and productive. These are some of the divine qualities that our real selves are here to convey. By doing so we are redeeming the world, fulfilling the divine plan and shining our light.

As since the improved ability of the real self to better express this divinity in the material world is the only thing that survives death – it is truly the meaning of life!

Cheers,
Brendan

Do You Understand that the Earth Revolves around the Sun?

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Imagine it’s 1543 and you’ve been taught all your life that the sun revolves around the earth. You believe it, in fact you know it to be true because it makes sense. If you stood at a horizon, a beach for example, you would see the sun “swing around” by first coming up in front of you than going down behind you. But along comes Nicolaus Copernicus who started to think that perhaps the universe was actually heliocentric (i.e. sun centered) and, from his book “On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres”, you are suddenly introduced to the idea that the earth revolves around the sun! Think about what a complete change in perspective that is. The big round ball that you live on is not stationary in space but is moving around another big round ball. More importantly the earth is not the center, and by implication not the most important feature, of the then-known universe.

This new idea is such a dramatic change in world perspective that it could lead to asking two life-changing questions; “what other fundamental ideas do I hold that are completely wrong?” and “what is the primary focus (i.e. the center) of life?” We now understand much of the operations of our solar system but these two questions are relevant today because most people currently hold a fundamental idea that is completely wrong and they do not understand who or what is the primary focus of life. Most people see themselves as the “center of the universe” and that God or the soul, if they exists, are suppose to revolve around them! These people need a complete change in perspective! Metaphorically it’s as if they never learned that the Earth revolves around the Sun. Just as the Sun gave us life and sustains our lives, the Divine Source, both God transcendent and immanent, is the center of life which we’re suppose to revolve around.

What does it mean for us to revolve around the Divine? It means that we are here to express the higher divine qualities of love, joy, peace, goodwill, courage and wisdom on earth and thereby shine our light. These qualities are the divine archetypes that God used to create and sustain the world. They are meant to be integrated into our character. Why? Because they are the only thing that last (character means enduring marks). Throughout it’s lifetimes the Higher Self retains this improved ability to express this divinity.

We make the mistake of acting as if the universe revolves around us when we are solely focused on our security, prestige, appearance pleasure and possessions. In effect we are attached to the material world and figuratively are “stuck in the muck”. There is no light in this sort of limited focus.

Contemplate the following passage from Copernicus’ book, “On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres” and consider it’s perfect analogy with the Sun representing the divinity that is the real you and the earth representing the human self that is suppose to be governed by the divine.

At rest, however, in the middle of everything is the sun. For, in this most beautiful temple, who would place this lamp in another or better position than that from which it can light up the whole thing at the same time? For, the sun is not inappropriately called by some people the lantern of the universe, its mind by others, and its ruler by still others. The Thrice Greatest labels it a visible god, and Sophocles’ Electra, the all-seeing. Thus indeed, as though seated on a royal throne, the sun governs the family of planets revolving around it.

Cheers,
Brendan

When Two Become One

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In my previous article I discussed the passage in John 10:30 where Jesus says The Father and I are one In this article I want to elaborate on the idea of two becoming one by first explaining the true meaning of an individual then listing some of the areas that humanity has considered this idea of two becoming one.

The meaning of individual has come to mean a separate and distinct person however that is not its origin. Originally it meant a person who is not divided from the Latin in- “not” + dividuus “divisible”. Of course this means that there must be more than one “part” of a person. What are these two parts? The human self and the spiritual self. The lower self and the higher self. The body and soul. When these two are “one” a person is not divided and is therefore an “individual”. This same idea is found in the word holy which is rooted in the word whole. This also implies more than one part. When a person fully expresses his divinity through his humanity he is considered holy.

A person is a true individual and holy when their higher and lower selves unite and the two become one. The idea of two becoming one is very common throughout humanity. It is generally understood that as the two come together they express and produce more than they could separately. The following is a list of some of the “two becoming one” concepts found in humanity:

  • Man and women marry to best raise a family.
  • Together the shepard and his watchdog best guard the flock.
  • The teaching of Jesus and the evangelism of Paul formed Christianity.
  • The driver and car unite to transport people over vast distances.
  • The hunter and weapon serves to protect and provide man.
  • The farmer and land are intimate and together they sustain humanity.
  • Management and labor work together to be productive and profitable.
  • The writer and language coalesce to communicate great ideas.
  • Individuals with freedom form a nation supported by Divine Providence.
  • Einstein revealed that matter and energy are one in the same. Einstein Proves the Existence of God
  • Romeo and Juliet symbolize true love.
  • In Star Wars, Luke and the Force are one and together save the galaxy.
  • Adam and Eve symbolically formed humanity together.
  • A person with Amazing Grace can be saved.
  • Beauty and the Beast forge a great love that transforms.
  • The actor and director combine to convincingly convey the story.
  • In King Arthur Percival receives the Holy Grail when he says “The Land and the King are one”. In fact the Holy Grail is the wisdom that we are divine beings who are here to express ourselves through this body on earth.

Note that with so many ideas of “two becoming one” found it lends support the idea that you have both a divine self and a human self and that they are suppose to become one so that you can express the divine in this world.

The Father and I are One

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Today’s (4/9/07) Sunday Reading are just the following four short but powerful lines from John, Chapter 10, verses 27-30:

Jesus said:
“My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.
The Father and I are one.”

Now there’s a lot to discuss in these short lines but I just want to focus on the key line that is the main issue through the whole chapter; “The Father and I are one.” These words literally prompt his critics to attempt to stone him for blasphemy.

Was Jesus into self-aggrandizement when he said “the Father and I are one” and later in the same Chapter, “the Father is in me and I am in the Father”? In other words did Jesus literally mean himself, the man, Jesus of Nazareth when he uses the personal pronouns “I” and “me” or did he mean something more? I suggest that he meant something more than his temporary, human self when he says these truths. He is referring to his divine self. His eternal, immortal soul which is the true child of God. Jesus is holy, a word derived from whole (which implies two selves), meaning He fully united his spiritual self and human self. He perfectly expressed his divinity through his human self while on this earth.

Why didn’t Jesus use more precise language to explain this idea? He did. He was using the language of his faith. His use of the personal pronouns I and me is related to the language used by God at the burning bush in response to Moses’ question of who should I say you are and God replies “I am who am” and “tell them I AM sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14). The use of personal pronouns corresponds to the idea of individual divinity.

The important point of this is that you also have a divine self and in fact you are the divine self who is expressing itself in this world. In this Chapter of John when accused of making himself a God Jesus answered “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”?”. In other words Jesus was teaching us that we are also divine.

Critics and unthinking people will incorrectly assume that I am suggesting that we are God. We are not the One, transcendent God who created and sustains heaven and earth. We are the immanent god, a figurative child of God, who is simply seeking to express divinity on this earth. We are similar in kind but not in degree to God. Just as a thimble full of the ocean is similar in kind to the entire ocean but in no way can it sustain the whole planet as the ocean does.

Our divine self is but a spark of the eternal flame. And, although the spark leaves the flame, it is forever “of it” and it can never be otherwise. In this sense the spark and flame are one just as you and the Father are one.

For further exploration of this idea please see the next article; “When Two Become One“

Forgive Your Mistakes and Grow

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Today’s (3/25/07) Catholic Gospel reading are the familiar lines from John 8: 1 – 11 where the Pharisees bring a women who was caught in the act of adultery to Jesus and say that the law of Moses commands them to stone her and Jesus says, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Then the Pharisees leave without condemning her and Jesus says to the women “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.” These two quotes from Jesus seem simple enough however I think that they raise a lot of questions that often confuse people rather than clarify…so let’s try to get clear.

Most people think of “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone” as a comment that since you’re not perfect, you cannot judge another person. However this is not true. Even though you make mistakes, you can judge the actions of another person and determine whether or not they are part of the Divine plan. You should not however pre-judge (i.e. prejudice) a person (based on the color of their skin for example) before you know their actions.

Since adultery was “against the law”, does Jesus believe a person who breaks the law should not be punished? I don’t think that could be concluded from this incident because adultery is not a mistake that harms society at large and therefore the “sinner” should not be jailed or killed to protect the individuals of a society.

The story’s sin is adultery and most of us can read this and think that the lesson of this story doesn’t apply to us since we are not committing heavy-duty “sins” like adultery, murder, rape, burglary, etc. However it is much more appropriate to redefine what we mean by sin. This word has always carried a much too ominous tone. We should consider our “sins” as the mistakes against the Divine plan that we are making. This will cause an increase in the number of our “sins” however, as Jesus taught in this incident, we are not condemned.

So what are the types of mistakes against the Divine plan most of us are making? See if you recognize yourself in any of the following:

  • Our Higher Self is trying to express joy through your lower self so we are making a mistake when we go through the day being depressed, gloomy and filled with self-pity.
  • Divinity is trying to be loving and kind so we are “sinning” when we are being rude, bitter or spiteful.
  • The Soul is looking to shine Its peace and patience so we are doing the wrong thing when we are being angry, belligerent and impatient.
  • Our True Self wants to be productive and competent in all activities so we are making mistakes what we slack-off in work, slothfully sit in front of the TV or computer and neglect our duties to our children.
  • Our Spirit want to express wisdom through our personality and we are going against that when we make no attempt to consider the meaning and bigger ideas behind life and simply wallow in the world of our desires and emotions.

If you are committing these mistakes, and we all are, first recognize them, then repeatedly work to stop them. Of course that’s easier said than done but remember that your Higher Self does not condemn you for your mistakes. They are all part of your growth.

All of this talk of your mistakes and spiritual growth may not seem to exciting as most of us look at life from the perspective of “what’s in it for me?”, however the growth that occurs when you learn to express love, joy, peace, wisdom, courage, etc. is the greatest pleasure you can have because it’s what life is all about. This growth is the only thing that survives death!

This idea is summarized in a quote from the Irish playwright, George Bernard Shaw (1856 – 1950):

This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.