jbe....
>>If you so much as waver in my direction you will be toasted by the clique on this board. That sounds really paranoid, Fred. Certainly it lacks "positive energy," however you try to soften it by saying you are determined to "love your enemies." The fact is that you have decided we (the "clique") are all your enemies.>>
No.
Stop for a moment. Rise above the horizontal/literal reference.
Go vertical. Within. Think spiritual.
Are "enemies" are really inside us. If we assign them to an existence outside of ourselves we are really only cutting ourselves off from our own energy. The more we define and assign blame for our problems by finding and defining our "enemies" as being outside of ourselves the more we'll maintain the separation internally from our own source of inner energy, light and love.
I know this sounds crazy. But when I made the comment to X in reference to being "toast" I was simply touching upon this urge we all have to judge and assign blame. Why? Because my message - the way I write or say or "do it" - is being questioned and is under attack.
We can't control what other people think. All we can do is reach out and risk sharing some energy with others. What comes back is purely in the hands of the universe.
>>Frankly, I'm disappointed. I rather liked your last post to me. I thought that perhaps something was getting through to you. For one thing, you agreed with my comment that "perhaps you should stop talking so much about your own experiences and start displaying an interest in the
experiences of others.">>
I agree with this statement. I am deeply interested in the experiences of others, but what I cannot control is how this personal interest is being judged/defined or viewed by others. I realize I bounce off different walls than most people are used to. But this doesn't stop me from wanting to reach out and bounce throw more balls of energy against these and other walls. If I don't do this I may miss learning something. And you have a message for me which I appreciate and thank you for.
>>You went on to explain whyyou talk about yourself: it is, you said, because you "believe in taking risks
to expose oneself first."
I dare say that is what you believe. But the problem is that it comes across as boasting. Your idea of "service" is very like what Judaism/Christianity/Islam all call "charity" (which goes beyond alms-giving). Charity (zakat) is one of the five pillars of Islam, for example. Every believer is expected to give 2.5% of his income to charity. What he gives beyond that is "sadaqa" -- sometimes translated as "voluntary charity" -- which should, insofar as possible, be given anonymously, and in secret. We are not necessarily talking money here. As the Prophet said: "Even meeting your brother with a cheerful face is charity."
The point is that all forms of zakat are viewed as service, service that should be rendered without any thought of recognition.
So by focussing on your own experiences, you may be preventing your message from getting across.>>
Before you think I am boasting and claiming credit you should try to understand the dynamic from which I am sharing. When I reach out to help someone, I don't do it horizontally - "me giving to him, period." I have this natural sense of curiousily that wants to treat everyone I meet as a partner and then I try to think of someone/somewhere/sometime who could benefit from what their skills, energy, etc.
This involves me actually retreating into the background and moving on. I don't need to hover over or control. This is what sowing is all about. Planting seeds, thinking of others from their perspective and then connecting the dots and moving on. What you find is that we are all connected to the same energy and have so much to share and serve to others.
But more people need to learn the value of being a catalyst/facillitator. Plant/sow and get out of the way.
>>Back to your post. After proclaiming your own willingness to risk self-exposure, you went on:
Most people like to sit on the sidelines and point fingers. I'm not saying they are bad or good. It's just an
overriding nature for most people. They get into comfort zones and end up back scratching/feeding off others. Then for alot of groups, there's this mutual agenda of blaming, pointing and judging others which feeds more energy into the clique, supporting the negative paradigm.
I think I see the problem here. Actually, there seem to be two problems:
1) You have a very negative view of "most people," and you are quick to "blame" them and "point fingers" at them, and assume they are in need of your "uplifting."
2) You seem to regard any attempt to criticize/analyze your ideas, as you express them, as a manifestation of "negativity" and "finger-pointing." Seems to me you are just uncomfortable with debate. Most people on this thread thrive on debate. Frankly, it's fun (at least, when it's civil). There does not have to be anything "negative" about it. On the contrary, after a good debate/discussion, the participants may find that they have changed their views, at least a little, based on what they have heard.
If you think about it a little, I think you will find that many people have objected not so much to your message per se, as to your style of expressing it. As my mother used to say to me, with a sigh: "It isn't what you say, dear. It's how you say it.":-)>>
I think there this perception that I'm unwilling to "fit" into some definitional mold which others are trying to create for me.
My comments about negative energy are just that. They aren't meant to personalize/define anyone in particular. If you or anyone else perceive my comments/responses like this then perhaps you need to think through the feelings. I have no feelings of anger toward anyone on this thread. There's some great energy here and I believe many have expressed a continued willingness to want to learn, interact - "debate" as you call it.
And if you think I have a very negative view of most people, you couldn't be further from the truth. I just may not play some of the same negative games, but this does not mean that I perceive others as "bad" or negative.
If I was just your average/typical negative person I'd wouldn't be as thoughtful in my responses. Now granted, there are those - perhaps many - who may view my responses with the same displeasure as the sound of nails across a chalkboard. But I can't help/control that. And I'm not in need of their energy.
These interactions are part of a process. I don't claim to know why I'm here. I am just here. Period. I am sharing, expressing, ministering. There's a give and take of a lot of things which can be very empowering in these interchanges.
So, bottom line, I refuse to be hooked by the negative. Life is now. We have so much to appreciate, see and do.
I understand your points.
Thanks for sharing.
Peace.
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