Thursday, March 12, 2009

IT'S DOWN TO YOU

I have been wondering why people find it so hard to believe or understand how Love can really cure all. That what we call a mean or evil person can be changed through love. Why must we insist on inventing a God of punishment and vengeance? Why cannot we not envisage change and peace brought abotu by love and not so called 'justice'. It seems to me that what most of us really mean by justice is vengeance. It is we who cannot let go of the need to avenge, to punish. We say we believe in a God of Love who created US yet we also believe that some of US are evil. That does not make sense. We say we believe in God's omnipotence, yet we create a Devil and come up with all sorts of rationalisations as to how he can exist and cause evil. We blame all things bad on a devil. yet we say God is omnipotent. We say god is Love. God is omnipotent. Therefore Love really is the key to all. There is no need for punishment. For condemnation. For abandonment. If these things truly be, the God is nothing, has no power.

I think it is we who cannot love and thus we create ideas of vengeance and punishment. Have you not noticed how those who propound this set of ideas the most never think they will be punished or be the subject of vengeance, judgement and condemnation? How they seem to relish the punishment of others? Perhaps they have been so hurt and damaged (and I believe they probably have) that they can only live with their pain by believing that those who damaged them will suffer greatly. Unfortunately, they do not see hoe they themselves cause suffering to others in their quest to avoid their own.

How is it logical to avenge pain by causing pain? Surely, the aim should be to change a being so that they are not the cause of further pain? Do we really think the change necessary will not be painful in and of itself without the need for some outside agency to cause pain and suffering? Have you never felt the pain of knowing you were wrong and that you caused suffering as a result? If so, did you not change so that you did not make that same mistake again?

Much of our suffering is caused by our own selves. By our beliefs. We come to realise that to reduce suffering, we must change and that change, that healing, HURTS. It cannot be any other way. Changing our beliefs is the most difficult an painful thing we can do.

It is why so many of us don't change. Why we blame others for the suffering we experience. If only so and so were different, would change, would do this or do that, I would be happy.

It's all bollocks. The only person we can change, the only person who needs to change, is ourselves. It is the greatest power we have-to change our minds. Our greatest sin is that we close our minds and thus cannot be forgiven. All that means is that we cannot be changed until we open our minds to the realisation that it is WE who need to change. If there be an unforgivable sin, it is that, to have a closed mind. It only remains unforgiven as long as it remains closed.

Think of someone you know who suffers, be it from a addiction, from an abusive relationship, who remains in their suffering because they are waiting for someone ELSE to change. They cannot be 'forgiven' until they see it is they who need to change.

3 comments:

Susie's Shuffles and Gabbles said...

What insight! I believe as you do and if only others could come to this realization, what a better place we would all be in.

FuguesStateKnits said...

Beautiful!
Hugs,
Joan

Unknown said...

I had an interesting talk with my sister recently about this and your blog really hit home. She and her husband of 16 years are separated and she is sad but does not want to reconcile. She told me that she knows she only married him because he claimed to love her so much and she felt so un-loved that she thought she would learn to love him in time.

She says in some ways she does but not the way a wife should but what is really at the core is that she herself felt so unlovable for so many years she settled for a mediocre marriage.

I think there is a lot of that in the world. It is sad, but too true. We feel unloved and unlovable so we cannot give the love that would help alleviate the situation.

This was an excellent article, Colin. Thank you.