We Have Progressed …

 

I love old movies! Not only is it fun to watch actors we have known all our lives, but it’s absolutely fascinating to see behavior which was thought of as acceptable and now seems horrid. I checked out a 6-DVD set of Jack Lemmon movies from our library. In watching Carol Lynley in Under the Yum Yum Tree, it was very apparent everyone was caught in limbo, not knowing if they were progressive, honest women or manipulative sex-kittens. And the men — My goodness! Most were womanizers who couldn’t relate to women without making blatant innuendoes — except for the few who were portrayed as dullards or buffoons. In many films, we witness the cruel racism which continues on the fringes to this day. There are also many examples of environmental carelessness, animal cruelty, along with smoking and drinking to excess. It is more apparent to us now, looking back, because we have come so far in realizing civil, human, and animal rights. I love reading a section of the Christian Science Monitor entitled Points of Progress, wherein we can join in applauding people who are making a difference around the world. There are also websites which celebrate progress, in case you want to applaud the good news, too!

“The changing glow and full effulgence of God’s infinite ideas, images, mark the periods of progress.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 511:17-18

“Heaven is here. There is nowhere else. Heaven is now. There is no other time. No teaching that does not lead to this is of concern to God’s teachers. All beliefs will point to this if properly interpreted. In this sense, it can be said that their truth lies in their usefulness. All beliefs that lead to progress should be honored. This is the sole criterion this course requires. No more than this is necessary.” 

A Course in Miracles M-24.6:4-13

World Wide Web of Oneness

Graphic of unknown origin

I heard an interesting analogy concerning the body's immune system and the world's ability to heal itself. Each and every one of us are a cell in the immune system of the universe. Every thought we think is either contributing to the unified health of our planet or the propagation of fear and terror. Every prayer, every meditation, ever reaching out through inward listening is magnified exponentially. We have the power to change the world through ourselves. Every interaction brings us closer to a world of love or a world of fear. The Love which heals us personally spreads through the web of Oneness. In the same way that we take personal responsibility for ourselves, our health, our well-being, we can take responsibility for a return to Love. It does matter what we do and what we think. We never know when an interaction with someone will make the difference in that person's life which turns them away from reactive fear to healing Love. The Truth which corrects all errors in our mind is our ascension into heaven within. Never doubt that you matter, that you make a difference.  Allow silence and listening to guide you to being the change you want to see! 

"Immortal ideas, pure, perfect, and enduring, are transmitted by the divine Mind through divine Science, which corrects error with truth and demands spiritual thoughts, divine concepts, to the end that they may produce harmonious results." 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 259: 27-31

“Besides your recognizing that thoughts are never idle, salvation requires that you also recognize that every thought you have brings either peace or war; either love or fear. A neutral result is impossible because a neutral thought is impossible. There is such a temptation to dismiss fear thoughts as unimportant, trivial and not worth bothering about that it is essential you recognize them all as equally destructive, but equally unreal.” 

A Course in Miracles W-16.3:1-3

Differing Reality

Art by Jessie Willcox Smith, 1920s

“I'm not strange, weird, off, nor crazy, my reality is just different from yours.”

Lewis Carroll - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass

When I saw this quote, paired with this painted scene, my thoughts turned to instances when friends and acquaintances have laughed and expressed disbelief in the face of my unrelenting positivity. But the fact is, when someone is relating a tale of woe, very seldom do I see their situation as sadly as they do. While I’m almost always willing to help those in need, I don’t think of sympathetic agreement as helpful. I’m pretty sure Lewis Carroll would enjoy the principles of A Course in Miracles, and it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that he and Mary Baker Eddy enjoyed tea and conversation on occasion! Wherever you are, go forth with joy on this fabulous fall day, enjoying your reality in all its difference!

“As vapor melts before the sun, so evil would vanish before the reality of good. One must hide the other. How important, then, to choose good as the reality! Man is tributary to God, Spirit, and to nothing else. God’s being is infinity, freedom, harmony, and boundless bliss. ‘Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.’ Like the archpriests of yore, man is free ‘to enter into the holiest,’ — the realm of God.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 480:31-6

“I cannot unite your will with God’s for you, but I can erase all misperceptions from your mind if you will bring it under my guidance. Only your misperceptions stand in your way. Without them your choice is certain. Sane perception induces sane choosing. I cannot choose for you, but I can help you make your own right choice. ‘Many are called but few are chosen’ should be, ‘All are called but few choose to listen.’ Therefore, they do not choose right. The ‘chosen ones’ are merely those who choose right sooner. Right minds can do this now, and they will find rest unto their souls. God knows you only in peace, and this is your reality.” 

A Course in Miracles T-3.IV.7:7-16

Grace For All

Photo credit: Nils Reid

Accepting the grace which is ours involves giving it at every opportunity. Recently someone asked why it doesn't bother me to work closely with someone who seems hard to get along with -- for many reasons! I answered that I realize how miserable this person must be to act in such a way. So I don't take her actions personally, nor do I claim them as a part of my existence. And what she thinks of me is absolutely none of my business!  Mary Baker Eddy’s spiritual interpretation of the Lord’s Prayer includes this correlation to "Give us this day our daily bread": "Give us Grace for today, feed the famished affections." Starving affections are a symptom of not accepting the Truth about ourselves and others as a creation of divine Mind. When someone seems agitated and angry, or defensive and irritable, the Grace which is ours is the antidote. By practicing kindness when faced with hardness of heart, meekness when all around us is aggression, loving those who seem unlovable, and paying it forward in every action, we prepare ourselves to acknowledge the God-given Grace which is our true heritage. I simply say an inward Namaste, recognizing that their divine essence and mine are absolutely the same. I've found that loving my neighbor as myself is cause for loving myself more -- which is a nice bonus!

“There is no grace of Heaven that you cannot offer to your brother, and receive from your most holy Friend. Let him withhold it not, for by receiving it you offer it to him. And he will receive of you what you received of him. Redemption has been given you to give your brother, and thus receive it. Whom you forgive is free, and what you give you share. Forgive the sins your brother thinks he has committed, and all the guilt you think you see in him.” 

A Course in Miracles T-19.IV-D.15:5-10

“Comeliness and grace are independent of matter. Being possesses its qualities before they are perceived humanly. Beauty is a thing of life, which dwells forever in the eternal Mind and reflects the charms of His goodness in expression, form, outline, and color. It is Love which paints the petal with myriad hues, glances in the warm sunbeam, arches the cloud with the bow of beauty, blazons the night with starry gems, and covers earth with loveliness.

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 247:19-27

Upside Down?

Photo courtesy of Richard Quick

What if everything is upside down from what it seems to be?  We have all these ideas about what is true and what is false, what is good and what is bad, but what if we don't know? What if we are wrong? We have fact-checking sites to help us decide if something is true, we have preachers and politicians to tell us what is right and wrong -- but I think we're all tired of the constant push and pull of facts versus rumors and outright lies. My favorite thing about A Course in Miracles might be the workbook lessons, because they help us give up our beliefs about everything. I know some people think this is a "bad" thing, because they’ve been taught you MUST believe in something or else you're gullible and will fall for anything. What if that's upside-down thinking, too? When we allow ourselves to release what we think we know, we can step back and see what actually is, without putting labels on everything, then backing away from or embracing something without even knowing why. In my interactions with various forms of thought, it's often difficult to put my feelings and beliefs to the side and simply hear what is being said. But I'm working on it! Non-reaction, simply being with the words, is a peaceful, joyous way to live. I think we all want peace, but some of us have forgotten. Let's keep on remembering to look at things as they are, not as we've decided they are. 

“A miracle contains the gift of grace, for it is given and received as one. And thus it illustrates the law of truth the world does not obey, because it fails entirely to understand its ways. A miracle inverts perception which was upside down before, and thus it ends the strange distortions that were manifest. Now is perception open to the truth. Now is forgiveness seen as justified.” 

A Course in Miracles W-pII.13.2:1-5

"Human thought never projected the least portion of true being. Human belief has sought and interpreted in its own way the echo of Spirit, and so seems to have reversed it and repeated it materially, but the human mind never produced a real tone nor sent forth a positive sound." 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 126:8-14

Understanding Through Food

I love cooking shows, and there are some very innovative ones these days. I’m watching one called Taste of a Nation, in which Padma Lakshmi travels around the United States, meeting immigrants and visiting with them in their homes and restaurants. The first show was from El Paso, and it spoke frankly about immigration problems which have not been solved, but rather multiplied in these last few years. It was heartening to hear everyone supporting each other, no matter what their particular conservative or liberal leaning was. Hearing about people’s lives and watching them cook is so much fun! I love how they bring new ideas for my kitchen, and a knowledge of their heritage, both in their cooking and personal history. It’s a wonderful way to be an "accidental tourist" and to visit other cultures from the recliner. Ah — life is good. Have a fabulous time today!

"Beauty, wealth, or fame is incompetent to meet the demands of the affections, and should never weigh against the better claims of intellect, goodness, and virtue. Happiness is spiritual, born of Truth and Love. It is unselfish, therefore it cannot exist alone, but requires all mankind to share it." 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 57 

“A sense of separation from God is the only lack you really need correct. This sense of separation would never have arisen if you had not distorted your perception of truth, and had thus perceived yourself as lacking. The idea of order of needs arose because, having made this fundamental error, you had already fragmented yourself into levels with different needs. As you integrate you become one, and your needs become one accordingly. Unified needs lead to unified action, because this produces a lack of conflict.” 

A Course in Miracles T-1.VI.2:1-5

Always Indivisible

Art by Courtney Lee

Humans are apparently pack animals. We love to divide ourselves into groups and hang around with people who think like we do. We create churches, sororities, sewing circles, and numerous other clubs in which to gather and share our commonality. Perhaps the time has come for us to recognize that many of these tribal separations are keeping us from seeing the greater good in all humanity. Maybe if we can open ourselves in a more selfless manner, embracing each other because of our sameness, rather than in spite of our differences, perhaps we can stop worrying about what others may think of us and pull out all the stops for some honest to goodness truth. I don’t want to wait another moment for something which feels so right!

“Clad in the panoply of Love, human hatred cannot reach you. The cement of a higher humanity will unite all interests in the one divinity.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health  571:18-21

“God’s Son will always be indivisible. As we are held as one in God, so do we learn as one in Him. God’s Teacher is as like to His Creator as is His Son, and through His Teacher does God proclaim His Oneness and His Son’s. Listen in silence, and do not raise your voice against Him. For He teaches the miracle of oneness, and before His lesson division disappears. Teach like Him here, and you will remember that you have always created like your Father. The miracle of creation has never ceased, having the holy stamp of immortality upon it.  This is the Will of God for all creation, and all creation joins in willing this.” 

A Course in Miracles T-14.XI.11:1-8

Involved or Committed?

Photo credit: Jerry Dupy

I play keyboards for two congregations of St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in our area. Father Joseph, a young Nigerian priest, began one of his homilies by asking if we knew the difference between being involved and being committed. He then told us if we were having a breakfast of eggs and bacon, the chicken would be involved, but the pig would be committed. While getting a laugh from the congregation, it made his point clear: If you’re not giving 100%, you’re not committed, but merely involved. There may be a number of issues in which we are involved, but it's difficult to be committed to something which is, perhaps, far away from home. Also, it's overwhelming to think of all the issues which need our help. If that is true for you, too, pick something in your town, in your neighborhood, in your backyard, and be committed today! Let's sweep our own front porch — and our neighbors’, too, if they need help. Good works grow exponentially, don't you think? 

“Spiritual perception brings out the possibilities of being, destroys reliance on aught but God, and so makes man the image of his Maker in deed and in truth.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 203:13-16

“Preoccupations with problems set up to be incapable of solution are favorite ego devices for impeding learning progress. In all these diversionary tactics, however, the one question that is never asked by those who pursue them is, ‘What for?’ This is the question that you must learn to ask in connection with everything. What is the purpose? Whatever it is, it will direct your efforts automatically. When you make a decision of purpose, then, you have made a decision about your future effort; a decision that will remain in effect unless you change your mind.” 

A Course in Miracles T-4.V.6:6-11

Building Community Through Food

“When we traded nature for concrete, we destroyed our soul.” I heard this in a documentary series called “Broken Bread”. This show highlights people who are working to change the way we think about food. In many parts of our country, the only nearby places to buy food are convenience stores or liquor stores. The question was asked: Why are we normalizing the fact that fresh food is not available nearby? One man in Los Angeles says, “You don’t have to be a critical thinker to figure this out. Plant vegetables!” And so he has done this in vacant lots and areas which would usually be given to grass. He even has banana trees! By doing this and allowing others to pick what they need, they are being empowered to grow food in their own small spaces. This, dear friends, is exactly what the “new world” looks like: seeing ways to bring us closer to the earth and each other and acting on them! Building community through food is a great way to begin. 

"As a material, theoretical life-basis is found to be a misapprehension of existence, the spiritual and divine Principle of man dawns upon human thought, and leads it to 'where the young child was,' -- even to the birth of a new-old idea, to the spiritual sense of being and of what Life includes. Thus the whole earth will be transformed by Truth on its pinions of light, chasing away the darkness of error." 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 191:8

“Let us come daily to this holy place, and spend a while together. Here we share our final dream. It is a dream in which there is no sorrow, for it holds a hint of all the glory given us by God. The grass is pushing through the soil, the trees are budding now, and birds have come to live within their branches. Earth is being born again in new perspective. Night has gone, and we have come together in the light.” 

A Course in Miracles W-pII.2.4:1-6

Zombies?

Zombie Crawl - Eureka Springs, AR 

Countless people dressed up as zombies have flocked to our little town of Eureka Springs. It’s time for the annual zombie crawl and a constant, cold rain has not deterred them. I, personally, have never understood the appeal of dressing up in ugly apparel, with macabre makeup, and bloody accoutrement. As I drove through “the loop” on my way home this evening, I contemplated the zombie phenomenon. Why dress up in this way and congregate to parade the streets? I truly cannot imagine why they enjoy doing it! Perhaps “living dead” personifies what many of us are exhibiting in these human bodies. Maybe we’re simply animated flesh, performing our human activities without ever realizing we’re alive. The dead-eyed stares of these Halloween zombies are vaguely familiar. When we haven’t looked beyond the surface of our human existences, there isn’t a whole lot to be excited about. I’m reminded of Bruce Springsteen’s song “Dancing in the Dark” — 

“I get up in the evening 

And I ain't got nothing to say 

I come home in the morning 

I go to bed feeling the same way

I ain't nothing but tired 

Man, I'm just tired and bored with myself 

Hey there, baby 

I could use just a little help.” 

Could it be the zombies are helping us wake up? I hope so!

“The way of error is awful to contemplate. The illusion of sin is without hope or God. If man’s spiritual gravitation and attraction to one Father, in whom we ‘live, and move, and have our being,’ should be lost, and if man should be governed by corporeality instead of divine Principle, by body instead of by Soul, man would be annihilated. Created by flesh instead of by Spirit, starting from matter instead of from God, mortal man would be governed by himself. The blind leading the blind, both would fall.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 536:10-18

“The body is the ego’s idol; the belief in sin made flesh and then projected outward. This produces what seems to be a wall of flesh around the mind, keeping it prisoner in a tiny spot of space and time, beholden unto death, and given but an instant in which to sigh and grieve and die in honor of its master. And this unholy instant seems to be life; an instant of despair, a tiny island of dry sand, bereft of water and set uncertainly upon oblivion. Here does the Son of God stop briefly by, to offer his devotion to death’s idols and then pass on. And here he is more dead than living. Yet it is also here he makes his choice again between idolatry and love. Here it is given him to choose to spend this instant paying tribute to the body, or let himself be given freedom from it. Here he can accept the holy instant, offered him to replace the unholy one he chose before. And here can he learn relationships are his salvation, and not his doom.” 

A Course in Miracles T-20.VI.11:1-9

Truth Coming to Light

Photo credit: Blake Lasater

Every day more truth comes to light in our world. Every day another person is shown to be a ravenous, money-hungry wolf pretending to be a helpful Saint Bernard. Preachers and politicians are the expected charlatans, as they are so publicly blatant in their use of words to manipulate their flocks. But occasionally we see someone whom we think of as the finest representation of goodness in our community, or a sweet little old lady, showing their true colors. I heard about a white supremacist group, a statewide organization, which features a local deputy as one of its prominent members and organizers. In the same organization was a woman from the big city who is a nurse. She has since retracted her affiliation with this militant, bigoted group of people. This is the sort of uncovering which assures me that everything is going to be all right. Whatever horrors people are perpetrating on others, they will eventually become known. While we must witness the nasty workings of these vicious minds, we can also see those who rise up to meet the hatred with love. We are finding out how adamantly we must love in order to overturn the ingrained attitudes of centuries. And we know we can do it, because we've been practicing for a long time. I have a vision of Sean Connery as King Arthur rising up shouting, Never surrender! Let us go forward with joy and wisdom, facing whatever challenges are in our path. Namaste...

"Clad in the panoply of Love, human hatred cannot reach you. The cement of a higher humanity will unite all interests in the one divinity."  

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 571:18

“Whatever lies you may believe are of no concern to the miracle, which can heal any of them with equal ease. It makes no distinctions among misperceptions. Its sole concern is to distinguish between truth on the one hand, and error on the other. Some miracles may seem to be of greater magnitude than others. But remember the first principle in this course; there is no order of difficulty in miracles. In reality you are perfectly unaffected by all expressions of lack of love. These can be from yourself and others, from yourself to others, or from others to you. Peace is an attribute in you. You cannot find it outside.” 

A Course in Miracles T-2.I.5:1-9

A Strengthened, Uplifted Calm

Photo courtesy of Blake Lasater

Violence. It seems inescapable in this age of information. The metaphysical article in a recent Christian Science Monitor addressed this issue, and it mentioned something I had not considered. When Elizabeth Mata looked up the word violence, the definition mentioned traits such as “confusion, roughness, intensity, and unrestraint”.  The violence we daily witness in the speech of others (whether it comes from our neighbors or politicians) is rampant with these four features. When the author mentioned this definition, she said the phrase “fruit of the Spirit” came into her thoughts. The full phrase, from the book of Galatians in the Bible is: “But the spiritual nature produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There are no laws against things like that.” She ends her writing with these beautiful words: “The radiance of ‘the fruit of the Spirit’ outshines disturbed and disturbing thoughts, which do not originate in God. Like putting out a small spark before a larger fire erupts, each of us can pray to render powerless in our own thinking any small kindling of harshness. We have quite a ways to go before all violence is wiped out. But day by day, we can feel the blessedness of moments washed over with ‘the fruit of the Spirit’ that brings out a strengthened, uplifted calm.” Thank you, Elizabeth Mata, for putting this in perspective for me.

“When you have looked on what seemed terrifying, and seen it change to sights of loveliness and peace; when you have looked on scenes of violence and death, and watched them change to quiet views of gardens under open skies, with clear, life-giving water running happily beside them in dancing brooks that never waste away; who need persuade you to accept the gift of vision? And after vision, who is there who could refuse what must come after? Think but an instant just on this; you can behold the holiness God gave His Son. And never need you think that there is something else for you to see.” A Course in Miracles T-20.VIII.11:1-4

“The understanding of Truth and Love, the Principle which works out the ends of eternal good and destroys both faith in evil and the practice of evil, leads to the discernment of the divine idea.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 561:1-4

A Cup of Cold Water

Photo credit: Blake Lasater

Many of us shy away from speaking truth to error. I read an article by a woman who was growing up in the 1960s, a time when people of different races usually did not voluntarily mingle. She told the story of being at a friend's house when she was confronted by her friend's father. The writer of this story was working with a program for rural Black people and the man of the house had seen her holding a Black child's hand, with another one sitting on her lap. He felt her actions merited corporal punishment! She immediately said to the him, "God loves that little boy. Why don't you?" This made the man more angry and he started to take his belt off, advancing towards her. She said, "God loves you too, and you must love all whom God loves." He dropped his belt and began sobbing, reaching out to hug the girl who had forced him to face himself. This story caused me to think of times I have seen a simple statement change a situation. There is a power in truth; a power which lies do not possess. These are difficult times indeed, but whether it's a woman sitting naked before angry forces, or pregnant women banding together against injustice, or you speaking up to your friend, we must stand for what is right and good, never fearing the consequences.

"Millions of unprejudiced minds -- simple seekers for Truth, weary wanderers, athirst in the desert -- are waiting and watching for rest and drink. Give them a cup of cold water in Christ's name, and never fear the consequences." 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 570:14

“No one can escape from illusions unless he looks at them, for not looking is the way they are protected. There is no need to shrink from illusions, for they cannot be dangerous. We are ready to look more closely at the ego’s thought system because together we have the lamp that will dispel it, and since you realize you do not want it, you must be ready. Let us be very calm in doing this, for we are merely looking honestly for truth. The ‘dynamics’ of the ego will be our lesson for a while, for we must look first at this to see beyond it, since you have made it real. We will undo this error quietly together, and then look beyond it to truth.” 

A Course in Miracles T-11.V.1:1-6

Exactly As It Is

Food insecurity is the nice term we have coined to describe people who are hungry or in need of nutritious food. I have a friend who severely budgets her food dollars, yet she won’t take advantage of the wonderful programs we have in our area which would help her survive. I often send her photos of the food deliveries Answering the Call supplies every other Wednesday, trying to tempt her. I tell her, “You don’t even have to sign up; just drive through and pick up.” This morning, I found myself mentally berating her for her choice. Then I stopped myself with a reminder that making assumptions is a death knell for true communication. I was self-righteously accusing her with the assumptions I was making. And so my morning meditation was prefaced with a desire to listen without judgment, while extending a compassionate hand with no expectation of the result. It’s easy to think we know what is best for someone, or to decide our intentions are pure and their reactions are based in false pride. May this realization allow me to extend Love purely, expecting no specific result.

“Where concepts of the self have been laid by is truth revealed exactly as it is. When every concept has been raised to doubt and question, and been recognized as made on no assumptions that would stand the light, then is the truth left free to enter in its sanctuary, clean and free of guilt. There is no statement that the world is more afraid to hear than this: I do not know the thing I am, and therefore do not know what I am doing, where I am, or how to look upon the world or on myself. Yet in this learning is salvation born. And What you are will tell you of Itself.” 

A Course in Miracles T-31.V.17:4-9

“The wrong done another reacts most heavily against one’s self. Right adjusts the balance sooner or later.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 449:7

Clarity in Communications

Photo credit: Blake Lasater

Many times in these writings, I have mentioned communications and the need to be clear when speaking and writing. Listening is an important part of communicating, as is reading comprehension. I bring this up today because of confusion from things I have recently written. Last night, a friend from the west coast called me and said, “I didn’t know Joan Baez was from Arkansas.” Of course, I replied that I did not know that either! He referenced a Facebook post I had made comparing our local Crow Johnson Evans to the legendary Joan Baez. So I opened the post and we read it together and he saw that I had not stated anything of the sort. Then today someone told me they thought my recent daily writing about Frances Xu was implying she had committed suicide. Admittedly, I was a bit illusive about her death. (For clarification, she had multiple brain tumors.) Since that wasn’t the important part of her story, I didn’t stress the details, and I apologize for any confusion. These two misunderstandings bring an awareness of the need to increase my clarity level while writing. And, once again, I thank those who tell me they don’t know what I’m talking about! Namaste…

“Misperceptions produce fear and true perceptions foster love, but neither brings certainty because all perception varies. That is why it is not knowledge. True perception is the basis for knowledge, but knowing is the affirmation of truth and beyond all perceptions.” A Course in Miracles T-3.III.1:8-10

“Ears. Not organs of the so-called corporeal senses, but spiritual understanding. Jesus said, referring to spiritual perception, “Having ears, hear ye not?” (Mark viii. 18.) 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 585:1-5

Doing Our Best?

Photo courtesy of Aaron Springston

The last one of the Four Agreements (ancient Toltec wisdom as interpreted by Don Miguel Ruiz) is, “Do Your Best”. For years, I was comforted by thinking that everyone was doing the best that they could. This "best" may not have been what I thought was best, but it was the best they could do at their stage of development. I managed to think that even someone like Hitler thought he was doing a good thing. I truly believed that everyone was working towards being the best that they could be, truly wanting to better humanity and their environment, and they were simply ignorant of how to do those things. Now, I've come to think that is not so. Many people are willfully ignorant and seem to revel in it. They witness pain and suffering and find selfish ways to blame the sufferer. They turn their back on animals in pain, giving shadowy excuses for their behavior. Is this the best that they can do? If I could find some reason for their lack of empathy, perhaps I'd still think they were doing the best that they can. But it seems too many people are ruled by a love of money and power; wanting no more than fame and flattery. My heart has been broken by everyone from Bill Clinton to Bill Cosby. We're all just tired. But we must continue to strive to do better. Namaste...

"The best sermon ever preached is Truth practiced and demonstrated..." 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 201-1

“Child of God, you were created to create the good, the beautiful and the holy. Do not forget this. The Love of God, for a little while, must still be expressed through one body to another, because vision is still so dim. You can use your body best to help you enlarge your perception so you can achieve real vision, of which the physical eye is incapable. Learning to do this is the body’s only true usefulness.” 

A Course in Miracles T-1.VII.2:1-5