After 66 years I developed a Way -- My Way.
That Way is Me.
Of course, a lot of older people, most actually, are set in their "way." I believe the term is: "cast in stone." I guess that's why they got old. And, thank God, died. All you get are rigid beliefs and stiff necks, no flexibility, no movement, no heart and no minds that know; totally intractable beings.
Personally, My Way is about staying young. When new and challenging thoughts, ideas and beliefs pop up, I try to keep an open mind and a fortified heart. Such things like, this Earth belongs to our children and grandchildren, none of us, regardless what we do, has a lock on heaven and the so-called evil Muslim are all terrorists.
My Way started when I was eight years old when I began my search for the truth. Life became a laboratory; a place to test and experiment, to prove and to experience the revealed truth. Later that "Truth Revealed" took on capital meaning. My Way was not like the ways of those around me, my "older generation" or my contemporaries. They didn't like new ideas and certainly did not like being challenged. They were totally locked into their belief systems. Their realities were all in their minds. They looked at the mathematical equation, for instance, and said four is NOT the result of adding two plus two. Even though they were provided with mountains of proof to the contrary, they continued to believe what they wanted. They all claimed the right answer, whatever they wanted it to be, WAS THEIR TRUTH! They were all trying to get life and people to fit into their small-minded understandings -- understandings they believed were their immutable truth. It didn't take me long to figure out all that did was create problems, specially if I didn't agree or go along. Someone was always trying to get me to accept them as some authority when they had absolutely nothing to back it up or back them up. That was when I encountered my first bully. It didn't matter what the facts were or what truth was revealed, any resistance or question to their monumental "BS" was considered an overt assault on their manhood or womanhood. That was a serious matter for a young person.
It was about this time I was acquainted with the teachings written in the Bible of Jesus the Christ. His ideas seemed to make sense to me and I figured that if I could duplicate him I just might survive this life. Maybe even receive a blessing or two from God. My Way took on a new direction. I looked at what he said, for instance, "Just let your word
Yes mean Yes, your
No, No; for what is in excess of these is from the wicked one." (Matthew 5:37) and that is exactly what I endeavored to do. I put those words into practice and made them real in my life. In time, as I grew, I became recognized as a person of integrity.
Life is what it is and as I grew I learned the meaning of these words Jesus spoke as recorded at Matthew 5:27: "You heard that it was said, 'You must not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone that keeps on looking at a woman so as to have a passion for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Notice he did not say "mind," but rather "
heart." My thoughts, dreams and fantasies were no different than any other young boy, teenager, burgeoning young man or eventually full grown male. Putting those words into practice was not easy, and then there were the young women that made sure of that, but eventually putting those words into practice provided the safeguard that allowed me to meet and marry the one woman that had also set those Christ-like standards.
Living Jesus' Way caused considerable problems as you could well imagine. So these words of his took on a rather personal and meaningful significance, "Happy are the pure in heart, since they will see God. Happy are the peaceable, since they will be called 'sons of God.' Happy are those who have been persecuted for righteousness' sake, since the kingdom of the heavens belongs to them. Happy are you when people reproach you and persecute you and lyingly say every sort of wicked thing against you for my sake. Rejoice and leap for joy, since your reward is great in the heavens; for in that way they persecuted the prophets prior to you." (Matthew 5:8-12) Am I "pure in heart"? Have I seen God? Am I called a "son of God"? Do I possess the "kingdom of heavens"? Have people all my life reproached and persecuted and lyingly said every sort of wicked thing against me for Jesus' sake?
What does it mean "for Jesus' sake"?
To know the answer to that question is to personally know me, for Jesus said, "Likewise let your light shine before men, that they may see your fine works and give glory to your Father who is in the heavens." (Matthew 5:16)
My Way is not about thinking, theorizing, believing, postulating, contemplating, imagining, fantasizing, or speculating. My Way is about BEING.
Now about that picture. When I first came across it I was immediately taken by the Adam and Eve reality. And sure enough that is exactly, I learned later, the title. Bruno Pasqualini lives in Australia and you can contact him
here.
[Picture Source is: [ 930 x 1522 - 129k - jpg -
www.brunopasqualini.com/.../Adam&Eve-1984.jpg ]
This is a rather interesting place:
http://missiodeiscandia.wordpress.com/ Missio Dei Scandia
For me it is a refreshing and hopeful sign to see young and old people coming together in simple, practical and meaningful ways to replace old, outdated, flawed and failed systems with something that works -- self. Old societies are replacing the democratic systems controlled and governed by the patriarchs, the matriarchs and the oligarchs.
Don't ask me what Missio Dei Scandia means because I don't know. This is what he says about himself: "Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards. Søren Kierkegaard"
In those simple words are revealed Gary's Way.
Gary.
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