Good Advice From Will Smith

 

I heard an interview with Will Smith where he was answering questions about his spiritual studies. There were a number of things I loved about this hour-long conversation, but I was especially pleased to hear that he and his wife had devoted a year of study to a number of religious disciplines -- a year to each path! They did this to grow in their knowledge, and to deepen their relationship. Toward the end of this video, he is asked this question: If you could create one law for everyone to follow, what would it be? His answer was that everyone would have to repeat back what was just said to them before they can respond to it. He expounded on this idea by saying that we are often not clear on what was said, whether we aren't listening deeply, or simply are misunderstanding the words. He said that we often paint the words of others, adding to whatever we hear, embellishing or taking away from the actual statement. He ended by expressing the importance of clearing our own vision, so we have a purified space from which to relate to others. I am using this photograph today because Kevin Wright, editor of the Gonzales, Texas newspaper, is talking with a conservative legislator at a Chamber of Commerce meeting. It would bode well for the politician if the journalist was misunderstanding!

​"​For communication embraces everything, and in the peace it re-establishes, love comes of itself.” A Course in Miracles Chapter 15 XI:7

“The calm and exalted thought or spiritual apprehension is at peace. Thus the dawn of ideas goes on, forming each successive stage of progress.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 506:​11-14