I felt so inspired by Robert Terrell’s guest column for Confessions of a Mystic that I penned a response that asks if we can ever become “God like” in our daily lives:
* * * * * * * * *
* On reading Robert’s excellent article, I was reminded of a philosophy espoused by a fellow named Sartre, in a play called “No Exit.” It dealt with life after death and how a man living with two women in one room viewed existence. “Hell. . . ,” the man said. ” . . .is . . . other . . . people . . .“
I knew it had something to do with existentialism. I could not get my mind wrapped completely around it.
My personal philosophy, developed and only refined in the past several weeks, came from the wisdom of some good Catholic thinkers (Yes, Virginia, there really is a Santa Claus):
“The Purpose of Life is to Know, Love, and Serve God.”
No, not the god portrayed in some building or through a statue, or a Greek icon. The God that resides in all of us, and who responds by any other name when someone seeks within himself or herself. Knowing this is the first step. You don’t need to be religious. You can get to know God by simply closing your eyes and meditating until the “nothingness” you finally touch enables you to merge with the Oneness of the Universe. For a brief moment, you can become “God-like.”
(In writing this, have I just committed Heresy?)
Love is the second prong for the Purpose of Life, and it must start with Your Self, the Divine within you that begs for forgiveness for not meeting our mind’s expectations or those of a church, our society, or some other antiquated Belief that does more to shackle than to set you free.
To Serve God is to serve humanity. Mankind and all of God’s Creatures. Unconditionally. Freely. Even Joyfully. How do I know this? I feel it within me after a series of what I can only call “mystical” dreams that connected with later conscious meditations providing what I believe are universal truths.
[As in the words of that great Mystic, Billy Crystal, I simply ask: “Can you dig it?”]
Hi Nancy,
I need help.
I wrote and posted three articles, one yesterday and two today, but none of them are appearing in my regular categories.
Do you know who I can contact to see if Somebody Upstairs doesn’t like me?
I may have messed up somewhere. I only started this adventure on Sept. 24 and I am still learning to count to 10.
Thanks.
Michael J
I’m quite confident that everyone upstairs is very fond of you. 🙂
Maybe the evil minor deities that run the day-to-day operations of blogs have it in for you(as they often do for me), though. They’re spiteful little demons, petulant and intrusive. Or it could be that you’re just approximately as clueless as I am when it comes to these things…
But wait–you’ve got two new posts for today there, and this one. The only thing I see is that you posted the “Identity Theft” one twice (hey–it’s your blog and you have every right). So what’s the problem, dude?
(Cool–now I can go read the new posts. The one on identity theft must be really good!)
Hey . . . hey . . . hey !!
I’m back in the public’s jaundiced but loveable eyes again. How did I do it, you may ask. Well, I’m glad you asked, and I will tell you.
I read the fine print in WordPress and learned that your posts won’t be distributed to categories if you kind of “abuse” the connection you make with your writings. In other words, they have to relate. A story on falling in love should not be sent to a category on “anger.”
I guess I was doing it by not trimming my categories more judiciously. I was mailing thoughts of war to an “angel” category. Yankee fans did not appreciate it.
Well, thanks for being a sounding board.
See you on the monitor later.
Now why in the WORLD would you want to get it “under control”?!! Keep it with you, spread it around in the big, bad world outside (that will just make it even more fun), and stay up on the clouds for as long as possible! The more you let it happen, the better. It’s more than “permissable”–it’s kind the point!
People who know me seem to be baffled by my constant happiness these days.. You just made MY day by “getting it”!
Hello “Stupid Happy!”
Got shivers down my spine when I read you.
You are REAL.
GENUINE.
TOGETHER.
You touch a person in an uplifting manner, and I will selfishly use this feeling to “skip and jump” with my next few steps along my path today.
God, it is so “n i c e” to know, even for a moment, that someone out there in cyberland might be as weird and crazy as I have become.
Oh boy. Gotta get this under control. I’ll be walking on clouds if I don’t.
Thanks. I really mean that. And you know, this is the highlight of my day. What a way to go into the big, bad world outside.
Michael J, a fellow traveler
“To Serve God, is to serve humanity. Mankind and all of God’s Creatures. Unconditionally. Freely. Even Joyfully.”
The only “heresy”…no–wrong word, as “heresy” is merely an infraction of imperfect human rules and dogma misguidedly attributed to God in an attempt to “own” God and create barriers which are antithetical to God’s will–the only thing we can do “wrong” is to willfully refuse to do the above. To do it “joyfully” is just icing on the cake (but once you start to live like that, the joy just comes naturally!). Your post about helping the women in the parking lot is a perfect example. And God wants us to be joyful in that way.
Over the past few days, I’ve been taking a friend who’s in trouble to AA meetings–I’d never been to one before. The others there would probably think I’m nuts, but I LOVE those meetings. I have never felt God’s presence so strongly as I do there, among the alcoholics and addicts trying to get each other through one more day and talking to their Higher Power (sometimes I’ll actually see someone doing the latter). All the divisive crap is left at the door. I’m always stupid-happy by the time I leave. Church never made me feel that way..although that’s not to dismiss anyone for whom going to church has that effect.
Contoveros 
Hi Nancy,
I need help.
I wrote and posted three articles, one yesterday and two today, but none of them are appearing in my regular categories.
Do you know who I can contact to see if Somebody Upstairs doesn’t like me?
I may have messed up somewhere. I only started this adventure on Sept. 24 and I am still learning to count to 10.
Thanks.
Michael J
LikeLike
Hey, Michael,
I’m quite confident that everyone upstairs is very fond of you. 🙂
Maybe the evil minor deities that run the day-to-day operations of blogs have it in for you(as they often do for me), though. They’re spiteful little demons, petulant and intrusive. Or it could be that you’re just approximately as clueless as I am when it comes to these things…
But wait–you’ve got two new posts for today there, and this one. The only thing I see is that you posted the “Identity Theft” one twice (hey–it’s your blog and you have every right). So what’s the problem, dude?
(Cool–now I can go read the new posts. The one on identity theft must be really good!)
Nancy
http://saradode.wordpress.com
LikeLike
Hey . . . hey . . . hey !!
I’m back in the public’s jaundiced but loveable eyes again. How did I do it, you may ask. Well, I’m glad you asked, and I will tell you.
I read the fine print in WordPress and learned that your posts won’t be distributed to categories if you kind of “abuse” the connection you make with your writings. In other words, they have to relate. A story on falling in love should not be sent to a category on “anger.”
I guess I was doing it by not trimming my categories more judiciously. I was mailing thoughts of war to an “angel” category. Yankee fans did not appreciate it.
Well, thanks for being a sounding board.
See you on the monitor later.
Michael J
LikeLike
Told you–evil minor deities with their capricious whims!
Nancy
LikeLike
Now why in the WORLD would you want to get it “under control”?!! Keep it with you, spread it around in the big, bad world outside (that will just make it even more fun), and stay up on the clouds for as long as possible! The more you let it happen, the better. It’s more than “permissable”–it’s kind the point!
People who know me seem to be baffled by my constant happiness these days.. You just made MY day by “getting it”!
Thanks.
Nancy
LikeLike
Hello “Stupid Happy!”
Got shivers down my spine when I read you.
You are REAL.
GENUINE.
TOGETHER.
You touch a person in an uplifting manner, and I will selfishly use this feeling to “skip and jump” with my next few steps along my path today.
God, it is so “n i c e” to know, even for a moment, that someone out there in cyberland might be as weird and crazy as I have become.
Oh boy. Gotta get this under control. I’ll be walking on clouds if I don’t.
Thanks. I really mean that. And you know, this is the highlight of my day. What a way to go into the big, bad world outside.
Michael J, a fellow traveler
LikeLike
“To Serve God, is to serve humanity. Mankind and all of God’s Creatures. Unconditionally. Freely. Even Joyfully.”
The only “heresy”…no–wrong word, as “heresy” is merely an infraction of imperfect human rules and dogma misguidedly attributed to God in an attempt to “own” God and create barriers which are antithetical to God’s will–the only thing we can do “wrong” is to willfully refuse to do the above. To do it “joyfully” is just icing on the cake (but once you start to live like that, the joy just comes naturally!). Your post about helping the women in the parking lot is a perfect example. And God wants us to be joyful in that way.
Over the past few days, I’ve been taking a friend who’s in trouble to AA meetings–I’d never been to one before. The others there would probably think I’m nuts, but I LOVE those meetings. I have never felt God’s presence so strongly as I do there, among the alcoholics and addicts trying to get each other through one more day and talking to their Higher Power (sometimes I’ll actually see someone doing the latter). All the divisive crap is left at the door. I’m always stupid-happy by the time I leave. Church never made me feel that way..although that’s not to dismiss anyone for whom going to church has that effect.
I can dig it…:)
Nancy
LikeLike