Hallelujah! Six Hideous Belief Fads Are Dying!
by David Truman
Humanity has arrived at a great moment of opportunity. That's because people are becoming DISILLUSIONED with a number of destructive, faddish beliefs that have been seen to create great suffering. Thank God, these fads are failing, and fading out. Let me list them for you.
1. The selfish pursuit of abundance
4. The holy grail of (hyper-) independence
5. Self-creation and individuation
1. The selfish pursuit of abundance
"Think and grow rich. Pray and get what you WANT."
This is the idea most recently promoted by "The Secret" as the Law of Attraction, but it is an old, really sorry idea. The so-called "Prosperity Doctrine" -- pray and get rich -- is part of that same madness. It is all about getting what you want. All such ideas appeal to the worst in mankind by encouraging us to harness our God-given mental powers to selfish, materialistic purposes. Personal power and materialistic gain through spiritual power? What a tragic distortion of any true spirit value! Harness spiritual power for selfish gain? How ugly! We think the use of spiritual means justifies selfish ends -- but it doesn't.
When people are formulating "what-I-want goals," they are often doing it from a place of ego. In that case, their fears and preferences have nothing to do with their actual Self. And when ego harnesses the powers of mind to selfish purposes, people mess up. They are like children trying to play with tools too advanced for them. The principles of creation that people are toying with are true enough, but the average person is not ready to rightly use those tools. The effort becomes insane -- a pursuit of something too low, too small.
As long as people are identified with ego, they cannot properly use spiritual tools. But if they use those same tools as a spirit, things will be right. If we put first the high value of being love as we are, of being here to help and serve, and of overcoming our own ego, we can understand the proper use of the mind. Then we can constructively create what we -- as spirits -- want. But we must first become well-rooted in love, in rightness. With love and rightness as our main goal, we can rightly use everything else. We are unlimited. But this must be the basis.
God intended us to have what we need in abundance -- but not for us to be selfish. God was to take care of us, and we were to take care of each other. That works! It's like when a couple takes care of one another things are wonderful. But when each of them is out for themselves, things are rocky.
Selfish thinking has switched us from God's plan of abundance to humanity's (or rather, ego's) way of lack. The truth of the matter is, humanity's selfishness has prevented God's plan from operating. It has done that by creating lack -- and actually, in a perverse way, preferring it. You see, ego says, "If I live in lack, I am justified in acting selfishly, not generously, or lovingly." But since lack was created to justify and perpetuate selfishness, the idea of using our mind or spiritual power for selfish acquisition can never eliminate lack. The exact opposite is true: selfish pursuits of abundance multiply the very consciousness that creates lack.
The notion of pursuing material abundance as a spiritual quest is the bottom of the barrel. It's right down on the level of "he who dies with the most toys wins." Fortunately, people are finally seeing how ugly and ineffective, how lame, how low that stuff is. Between the over-use of the principle of abundance in Christian television and the glamorization of selfishness in New Age books and movies, people are beginning to get nauseated by this "quest." It's about time!
SOLUTION: DO NOT use otherwise legitimate ways of wielding spiritual power -- prayer, affirmation, and the like -- to ends that are almost purely selfish and egotistical. Instead, cultivate truly spiritual desires and values. THEN you can appropriately use the unlimited powers of mind.
2. The golden idol of whim
"Do what you want, when you want."
Ego-whim is idealized when people proudly say, "I choose to do what I want, when I want." It is so far from right to be a creature of total whim. This results in not being responsible, not being caring, not being reliable. It is the furthest possible cry from compassion, or responsibility, or spiritual surrender. It's far, far different from freedom. It is the epitome of bondage to ego, bondage to preferences, bondage to whim. Whim-based living disempowers us, disconnects us from God and our fellows, obstructs our ability to commit. It prevents us from living rightly and responding effectively to the needs of the moment.
Whim-based living has been the ideal of a generation. But, the results are so disappointing, both practically and emotionally, that people are starting to think the better of it. So, set aside this tragic, worn-out fad of thinking!
SOLUTION: Listen to your heart, not to your preferences and whims. Do what is right, what feels sweet and true, what God would have you do (or tells you to do).
3. Live for number one
"Don't be a fool by being generous to others.
You've got to live for old number one. That's the best."
With ideas like "live for number one," selfishness has been elevated from a vice to a prevailing philosophy of life for the masses. Indeed, this hideous idea is so entrenched in today's mind, most people don't even question it. But look at it squarely for a moment, and you will wonder, "Who made that one up -- Satan?"
These days, we may as well face it, because the evidence is everywhere: brute selfishness has created so much harm, so much havoc on every level. We see irreversible ecological destruction born of greed; emotional destruction wrought by self-serving smallness. Such heartbreak!
Fortunately, seeing the destruction and pain brought about by selfishness, people have begun to doubt that this golden idol of selfishness is The Way. Friends, every one of us can easily see that if selfishness is the way, it is only the way to hell on earth. Hell appears everywhere selfishness prevails. It's about time, then, that people start thinking the better of that one!
SOLUTION: UNselfishness is The Way. Love, service, generosity -- these are the keystones of God's way of abundance, the only SUSTAINABLE way to live.
4. The holy grail of (hyper-) independence
"It's bad to depend on anyone."
"The goal of life is total self-sufficiency."
According to the terrible belief fad of hyper-independence, every person is an island -- or should be. How untrue! The truth is: Humans are social beings. And, healthy interdependence is the only true, effective, and satisfactory Way of Life. God gives us people to depend on: friends, companions, mentors -- the whole lot. And not only human supporters, but also the still small voice, guardian angels, celestials -- true soul companions of many kinds.
In reality, God depends on us, and we are to depend on God. But we are to depend on God not to fulfill our egotistical wishes, but rather to cooperate with God in good and healthy ways (such as, for example, to heal us in mind and spirit, and to help us heal others in mind and spirit).
In view of the truth of connection and real interdependence, it has been tragically misleading -- and tragically deluded -- for people to think that the goal of spirituality is total self-sufficiency (i.e.: "When I am enlightened, I will need no one else." AND: "I shouldn't care what anyone else thinks, or how anyone else feels. After all, isn't that what enlightenment offers -- complete detachment.") Whoa there! Not that kind of detachment. That is more like spiritual death.
Look: Interdependence is. All life is connected. The whole hyper-independence fad is sick. But fortunately, now that so many people are alone and lonely, socially dysfunctional, and terrified of relationship, we can clearly see that the hyper-independence fad is so not working. Raise your heart in gratitude that hyper-independence is another horribly destructive fad of belief that's wearing thin.
SOLUTION: The TRUE and ETERNAL way is cooperative teamwork between people -- AND between humanity and Divinity. And in the true way, such teamwork happens WITHOUT dropping the ball on healthy and appropriate personal responsibility.
5. Self-creation and individuation
"I am not someone now, but I'm BECOMING someone.
I am obliged to create myself, to construct who I am."
AND
"I get to decide who I want to be."
Working on myself? Creating myself? Pure bullshit! The attempt to create oneself is tragic, futile, and destructive. (Just like the notion of becoming a hyper-independent creature, when we were created to be truly connected, interdependent beings, as we naturally are.)
Regarding creating the self, the truth of the matter is, you've already been created -- by God! Beautifully, perfectly, uniquely, marvelously so! You already exist. Therefore, your job is not to "create yourself," but to discover who you are.
Think about it and you'll realize beyond the shadow of a doubt:
UNCOVERING/DISCOVERING oneself
is DIFFERENT than CREATING oneself.
In fact, obviously, those two ideas are opposite: Obviously, you can't create something that already exists; you can only discover it. Whereas, something you create can't possibly be discovered or uncovered, because it does not yet exist.
This we must admit: While we need not create ourselves, we do need to uncover/discover who we are. We have a real need to get in touch with who we are. But the more we become identified with illusions of self, the more we lose touch with our true Selves -- and the more desperately we need to discover who we really are (that is, who God created us as).
When you look deep into the windows of the soul, and you see who a person really is, you feel awe. Reverence. The social persona that so often covers that up, and keeps it from manifesting its great beauty, that is the "self" ego-mind creates.
Of course, we see and interact with false, ego-driven personas every day. And as we do, we experience much pain and frustration. After all, you know that this social facade, this false persona, is not the beautiful one that exists inside them, hidden. You know it is so much less than who they are, and not one-tenth as beautiful.
And most likely, when you interact with those false personas, you do it with a false persona of your own. Meaning, you're not being who you are, either. You, too, are withholding the beautiful person God created you to be, and are being, instead, a false persona of your own "creation." And you, too, are suffering the fact that your beauty is not shown nor seen -- and you are creating suffering for others because of it.
In any case, the evidence is everywhere: False personas are all that the ego can possibly create -- and they are but empty illusions of self. And, whether those false creations of self happen to be grandiose or tiny, vain or "humble," they are ugly and destructive. The bottom line: the notion of creating oneself is an egoic illusion of tragic consequences.
SOLUTION: DO NOT try to "create yourself." Instead, look to discover/uncover/manifest the person God created you as. Rest assured that the purpose of spiritual life -- indeed of life altogether -- is to discover, uncover, manifest as -- LIVE as -- the one God created as YOU.
6. Childish Divine genderism
One of the worst belief-fads in the world is worrying about what gender God is called. Accordingly, if you relate to God as a man, someone may insist that you call God a woman. And conversely, if you relate to God as a woman, some will prefer that you relate to God as a man. Those are artifacts of the ugly power politics of masculinism and feminism. Such concerns have no place at all in any truly enlightened society. Surely everyone should be free to worship God as they will.
Meanwhile, others will say it is wrong to relate to God as a man or a woman. They are seeking the Absolute, while forgetting the value of the manifestations of the Absolute. But friends, it is all equally real and true. God is genderless and gendered. God is all of it.
We need to grow up. We need to admit that male and female are just expressions of God's aspects. Therefore, how could God not be both? So there's nothing wrong with referring to God as male or female.
The truth is:
A true heart relates to, and appreciates, the UNIQUE values of the male and female at every level -- including the level of Divinity.
Fortunately, people are getting disgusted with petty concerns about God-image. A new generation is being born. Many disgusting uglinesses -- including foolish arguments about the gender of Deity -- are fast becoming a memory of an old, dark era. We are moving out of that era, and as we do, people will be able to use gender names or non-gender names freely, and without fear of silly "correction."
SOLUTION: May a thousand flowers bloom! Love God in all forms, or in no form, but do not be attached to the words and concepts we associate to God. All such attachments only separate us from God's reality, and from the knowingness of our own heart.
Friends, may we rejoice in a more enlightened world
Rejoice with me that humanity is finally ready to outgrow these childish fads of belief. If you can see that these things are horrible, and go for the opposite of these things in earnest, you will be part of the vanguard that leads our planet into brighter, more liberating, and truer forms of belief.
With love and thanks,
David Truman
by David Truman
Please feel free to share copies of this article.
We only ask that you mention its source.
- LoveTrust -