http://www.care2.com/greenliving/which-desire-leads-2.html
Which Desire Leads?
Don’t pretend to be better–or other–than you are. Don’t fall into the trap of having one face for the world and another for God. Who you really are is exactly who you should be.
Desire has become a huge problem for modern people. Two forces pull us in opposite directions. One liberates us from old values. The other wants to preserve those values. The resulting polarization can be seen in every sphere of life, especially the social and political realms.
Churchgoers feel righteous, responsible, and obedient to God’s will. They view anyone unlike themselves as devoid of values, and therefore unworthy of God’s love. By denying God to all those who have strayed from the path of righteousness, the devout are unwittingly taking on themselves a role that belongs only to God.
This schism can also be seen in our inner conflicts. At bottom, the pull of old values is restrictive. Its God is judgmental, and his demands are not to be flouted. In other words, spirit exists to rebuke the flesh and keep its appetites under control. The force of liberation, on the other hand, evokes a God of tolerance who loves his creation and ask only for love in return.
To heal this schism, we need to realize that God makes no demands and sets no particular limits of any kind, on thought, word, or deed.
At the beginning of the path, it doesn’t matter whether you are devout or atheist. What both sides have in common is constraint.
How does God want us to grow, in what direction, according to what guidelines? None. You get to grow the way you want to, by following your own desires. You are already growing the right seeds. The things that deeply interest you play the role of God; you feel an irresistible attraction to them.
Adapted from Why Is God Laughing? The Path to Joy and Spiritual Optimism, by Deepak Chopra (Harmony Books, 2008).
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55 comments
add your comment »Sorry about the contradictory email. I only realized that I was talking to another person in desperate need of professional help while I was typing it out. My bad!
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Well, well, well. Once more, you accuse others of committing the atrocities that you yourself have committed. Once more you slap someone in the face and act astonished when someone slaps you back. But I have your measure now. You are doing this just for your sick pleasure, aren't you? Well, you must be getting some kind of payoff with this little game of yours. What is it? Do you get off on dissension and conflict? That's it isn't it? You enjoy doing things like this! How else do you justify your actions? It just seems that as soon as the furor dies down, you attack someone else and just sit back to watch your little drama play out. You are a sick, sad person and I'm just so sorry that I let you get to me. I really should have known better; I have an estranged father who does the exact same thing; but I let my anger blind me to your sickness. For the love of God, please get the help you so obviously need. I can be a compassionate person, but I'm not a mental health professional. I will pray everyday for your deliverance.
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NO REPLY from Alicia. Some people routinely criticize others. But if they do'n't provide evidence to back up their charges, there is no reason to believe them? No credibility !!!
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Dear Alicia, please tell me what your problem is. What precisely have I said that you disagree with?
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Ah, Lars, Lars, you are quite the SUCCESSFUL little troll, aren't you? I mean, that has got to be IT, right? I can't conceive of a reality in which one of your ilk just wandered onto this thread, and felt that your message would be well-taken...
People like Lars (for they really exist) are right, of course, in their own small, sad way. And in case you are not misrepresenting yourself Lars, then yes - you are right. There is a Jesus, who died for your sins, who daily, by the second, by the hour, dies for your sins, because the sins that YOU COMMIT, you yourself, with your small, diamond-sharp arrogance, reproduce so quickly by the hour, by the second, that by last Tuesday they had already surpassed the grains of the ocean and the stars in the sky.
You, of all people, are RIGHT to stick so close to him. But you have stuck so close to him that you have utterly stopped SEEING him. You, and your whole venomous congregation have utterly perverted his message, and ruined it for all of us - and for yourselves as well.
So I would recommend, Lars, that you fall down on your knees right now, pray to Jesus for forgiveness, so as to eradicate the grave sin of Pride from your heart.
Now, this is a very old thread, and the only reason I bother is that I have the sense that dear Lars is tracking comments, so invested he is in the little bombs he drops. So here you go, Lars. Take heed, and God Bless.
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Dear Andrew
It makes no sense to hang out with people who pretend to seek the truth while rejecting Him who IS the Truth.
You know, some people are so flexible in their thinking, they never come to a conclusion. So please, make up your mind and team up with Jesus who died to save you and give you eternal life.
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Hang out with people who seek the truth. Run away from people who claim they found it. People like Lars K. are rigid. Flexibility in thinking is a step towards the truth. It is more in tune with the universe.
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CAN ATHEISTS BE GOOD PEOPLE? Or better - why would they care to be good? Because they reject Jesus as their Creator and Savior, gratitude plays no part in their lives and makes no impact on their behavior. And because they think there is no God who knows all about them and their secrets, they believe the implication of "what goes around, comes around" is restricted to what other people know about them.
Are there good atheists? No, because they lack real motivation to be good.
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I aplogize most humbly for my atrocious language and vile hate rhetoric. It must have made everyones' lives a living hell. I can only throw myself at the mercy for what passes for a court on this site. If my terrible crimes warrant it, I shall unsubscribe from this site and never ever visit here again. I can only hope that in time you can all find it in your hearts to forgive me for my shocking behaviour. Sob!
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LOL!!!!!!!!!!
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