Useful versus Right

[zeitgeist]

Believers have a great advantage over agnostics, they believe in metaphysics and as we all know, it is the belief that moves mountains. But agnostics have an advantage too, they are not biased by thousands of years of accumulated spiritual knowledge of what is supposedly right for you.

To use a Freudian expression, the believers have a spiritual super-ego burnt into their brains which is pretty hard to overcome if you ever have to. God, in Neale Walsch's Conversations with God, often used the expression useful rather than right. If you need to travel to a certain destination and you go in the opposite direction, He said, well, that's not useful.

Perhaps we can use the notion of running into a maize along our spiritual path. You know that the exit lies in the north, but you have to move south in order to get there. The point is that you have to become psychologically whole before you can become holy, and God and life only know what this entails for your personal journey. Reflections: Useful versus Right

[rei]

at some points of your post i have trouble understanding what you mean.
are you saying spiritually minded people are at a disadvantage because of their integrity?

or are you more getting at how spiritually minded people sometimes develop a huge shadow self because they try to pretend the sniping person, the judgmental person, the greedy person - is not them?

[Chris_1977]

There is no burden of the centuries if you decide to only believe the things you want to believe. I think the whole "useful vs. right" thinking is just wrong. Serving two masters is one too many. What if you were doing just useful things? Would that include lots of "wrong" things? Why? I think "right vs. wrong" thinking is just a trap. When we were kids we were told that some things are right and others are wrong but as an adult that kind of thinking is not useful. Acutally, even with kids it is just a shortcut because you cannot spend hours explaining everything and at some point the adult just has to declare that something is "wrong".

[zeitgeist]

Originally Posted by rei

at some points of your post i have trouble understanding what you mean.
are you saying spiritually minded people are at a disadvantage because of their integrity?

No to the first, unless of course society, parents or significant others superimposes standards that don't really work for you - you will then revolt sooner or later.

or are you more getting at how spiritually minded people sometimes develop a huge shadow self because they try to pretend the sniping person, the judgmental person, the greedy person - is not them?

Yes, I think this is a big problem - so many want to be light workers only to find that "bad thoughts" are popping up all the times, or even worse, these just get repressed. Before you can become a light worker you have to outgrow the dark corners of your soul.

[rei]

i do not think it is about outgrowing... for me and in my understanding it is about acceptance. accepting those things as also part of who we are. not judging ourselves for wanting to smack an overly critical boss, for example.

lightworkers could sometimes stand to embrace more of their humanity.

right and wrong are entirely subjective anyway.

[zeitgeist]

Yes, that makes a lot of sense to me - thanks!

[zeitgeist]

Originally Posted by Chris_1977

There is no burden of the centuries if you decide to only believe the things you want to believe. I think the whole "useful vs. right" thinking is just wrong. Serving two masters is one too many. What if you were doing just useful things? Would that include lots of "wrong" things? Why? I think "right vs. wrong" thinking is just a trap. When we were kids we were told that some things are right and others are wrong but as an adult that kind of thinking is not useful. Acutally, even with kids it is just a shortcut because you cannot spend hours explaining everything and at some point the adult just has to declare that something is "wrong".

So the notion of "wrong" is just wrong, right?

[Chris_1977]

Originally Posted by zeitgeist

So the notion of "wrong" is just wrong, right?

Well, you know it is difficult to wean oneself of notions that are being practiced all around you. Still, I don't see all the calling out of wrongs everywhere helping anyone.

[vartann]

Originally Posted by zeitgeist

Yes, I think this is a big problem - so many want to be light workers only to find that "bad thoughts" are popping up all the times, or even worse, these just get repressed. Before you can become a light worker you have to outgrow the dark corners of your soul.

self-virtue displayed is not self-virtue
is a craving to shine for recognition


_____________
The real Stalwart is not he who babbles endlesly about cutting down his Enemies. The Stalwart is he who says nothing, goes out at night, and gets cut down on his Path." Hagakure

[zeitgeist]

[QUOTE=vartann;440986]self-virtue displayed is not self-virtue
is a craving to shine for recognition


You know, this is such a powerful statement, I hope the phrase burns itself into my brain and reminds me all the time whenever I want to shine on the subject of spirituality. Somebody once said that the spiritual writer community is full of ego, fairly advanced but ego nevertheless. I thought that was such a sad observation and I certainly hope it is not true. Many thanks!