QUESTION OF THE DAY: SELF-REFLECTION IS ESSENTIAL FOR SURVIVAL

For the next couple of weeks, I will only be posting on rare occasions. Just letting readers know. Wishing you discoveries through self-reflection which lead to joy.

Bumping this, as it requires the attention of EVERYONE on this planet at this very critical time:

This is a question very relevant to present times: there are many "stories" and scenarios playing out at the moment, with much that was hidden now rising to the surface so that we are forced to see it all. This will cause much horror and disbelief, yet this "closure" is necessary before we launch into new beginnings, and is necessary so that we realize our collective mistakes and join together to create something better.

What if everyone worldwide realised that “closure” inevitably brings about a new beginning?

Last Edited by Colour Crusader on 07/08/2020 04:02 AM

This is a pertinent question, as complete transparency would be ideal and would solve a lot of problems, though in present circumstances, complete honesty may still be a dangerous path to take. Also, some people cannot "take" complete honesty because the information they would then be presented with would be so different from their own perceptions that they would reject it outright. Sometimes, honesty which is tempered by compassion is also necessary, which means only partial truth so that it can be digested better. And if one enters circumstances in which lying is the norm, and if one does not conform, this can mean certain death. So in such cases, it is necessary to lie in order to survive, although one's intentions may, in the long-term, be good ones ...

What if everyone worldwide were honest all the time?

Why would someone reconcile with someone who consistently uses fear and harm to reconcile, though they call them different things?

In answer to your question, CEWIW, we of course have to use our own discernment as to whether a relationship can be saved, or whether reconciliation can take place. Often, we think it is not possible - certainly if violence or abuse are involved. But there are situations which can be bettered, and viewpoints which can be widened to incorporate new perspectives, thus giving relationships a new chance. To show what I mean, here is a story I wrote:

An elderly Chinese woman wearing thick-rimmed glasses sits grumpily on a small bamboo stool, constantly muttering complaints and squinting at the shoe insoles she is stitching to sell at the market. She belongs to the Muslim Hui Minority and shows fierce loyalty to her tribe, especially now that the antagonism between Catholics and Hui Muslims has recently exploded into open conflict. She turns her back on her Catholic neighbours and criticises all Muslims who are less devout than herself, especially the younger generation. This is exemplified by her selfish, worldly son who is intent on persuing his own interests and who rejects his mother’s concern. Jealous of the attention poured upon her ‘spoilt’ granddaughter, and outraged by her son's apparent insensitivity to her needs and values, the woman turns to her religion for solace. She dreams about being saved from poverty and depression by a prophet or saviour instead of being dependent on her son who finds occasional work as a driver.

One morning she hears shouts and her son arrives in a state of extreme agitation. He has run over a Catholic girl who is severly injured, sparking off violent riots across the city. The woman is devastated, remembering the loss of her own daughter in a road accident. Now, her son has caused similar grief. He does not yet know how, but he tells his mother that from this time onwards, he will dedicate himself to reconciliation between the two sides. When the woman sees his great remorse and capacity to empathise, she realises that she has been focusing purely on a few of what she saw as his “insensitive” moments, thus failing register the wealth of positive aspects in his behaviour. She also sees that she reacted strongly to this particular trait because it was familiar to her. Thus, she comes to reflect upon her own insensitivity and selfishness towards others and towards herself. She is open to everything and everyone. Her greatest joy now is caring for her exuberant granddaughter – a small chubby toddler resembling a ball of purple wool in the jumper she has knitted for her. Her renewed energy and regained independence of spirit enable her to help her neigbours and the family of the injured girl and, with time, her world expands as she never thought possible. Instead of hoping for a saviour, she turns into a saviour herself.

This is a big one, especially, I feel, in the area of political allegiances. My feeling is that some much more will be revealed in the near future, that it will serve to "reframe" many issues, thus forcing people to revise their opinions. Those who cannot say "Oh well, it seems I made a mistake" will fare badly.

Can you let go of your need to be right?

Last Edited by Colour Crusader on 07/11/2020 04:52 AM

How may people are we "loyal" to? Does this involve close family only, or does it extend to others? To strangers? To everyone?

What prevents your loyalties extending to the whole of humanity?

Which part of yourself have you injured or killed?

I would say that a great majority of people have killed their connection to the DIVINE, which one could also call INTUITION. Many have also killed their sensitivity and remain unaffected by hearing about or (worse) committing acts involving killing or torture.

This is a very important question, especially for those people who are absolutely convinced that they are RIGHT: this is a time when a lot of reframing is occurring, and it is very beneficial for our journey if we can let go of old beliefs and integrate that which is new and which enables us to see, with hindsight, that we were in error:

If your focus changes, is it possible that everything you think is true is only a partial truth?

It is really necessary in these times to EXPAND OUR VIEW OF OURSELVES. Do you conceive of yourself as a son or daughter of the DIVINE? And does your behaviour match this idea?

Given that we are all saviours, what new behaviour will you adopt?

Last Edited by Colour Crusader on 07/23/2020 03:54 AM

This is a very "contemporary" question, considering that FEAR is rampant at the moment, in face of a supposed virus taking over the world.

What if fear always attracts the thing we are afraid of?

Why did God destroy the world and kill all my friends?

That explains my mother in law.

Hello AC 77743250. In response to your question, GOD is not a person with a vengeance. GOD is universal mind, cosmic consciousness, and is a force in ALL LIFE, including IN YOU. You are part of it. Concerning the world as it presently stands, you have rightfully concluded that it is on the brink of destruction. However, we have joint responsibility for all developments - or lack of development - here. It is not all orchestrated by a man in the sky.

Why are your friends killed? Either by others or by themselves, or a combination of the two. Again, not a person in the sky.



Why did God destroy the world and kill all my friends?

Thank you for my Monday morning laugh, AC! Regarding the mother-in-law, try to put yourself in her shoes. There is probably much you do not know which led to her attitudes. Has she ever been properly understood? Has she ever "come into her own", or lived her dreams? Maybe you can help her to move on ...



Last Edited by Colour Crusader on 07/28/2020 04:53 AM

Hi OP, love your thread. I have a question for you - Should we accept help?

Thank you for your appreciation, AC. You ask "Should we accept help?".

The first thing which comes to mind is "Do we need help?", and this is something which each person is invited to assess at various times in their lives when they find themselves in difficult situations, and when they do not see any chance of talking action - or of gaining a new perspective - all by themselves. Then it is good to seek out someone who one trusts, in order to discuss it with that person. The very act of talking about a problem with someone else may clarify which paths are open to us.

We gain in self-confidence, of course, if we manage to solve our own problems by consistent self-reflection, and by consistently asking ourselves what part we have ourselves played in cornering ourselves into a seemingly hopeless situation. If that can be recognized, there is less danger of getting into similar issues in the future, and less need for "help " of any sort.

There are some people who cannot accept help. These are the ones which are caught up by ego. It is their ego which will prevent them from asking for help, which is in affect "losing face" in their eyes. Thus their problems will continue and continue to fester without clarification and closure.

In our world today, there are also those who offer help with the aim of enslaving those to whom they offer help. On a much bigger scale, this can be seen in any welfare state, where benefits are forthcoming but come only under certain conditions to which one is - from that point on - bound. Accepting help, therefore, can mean a sort of imprisonment, and it is up to us to decide whether we want to enter into any of these sort of "contracts".

Regarding help, the best place to find it is WITHIN OURSELVES. We may have trusted friends, who may help, but they also will have their own ideas and be influenced by their own experiences. The best instructor you can have is your internal DIVINE FATHER FRAGMENT, which one could also call INTUITION or HUNCHES.

This fragment has ONLY OUR BEST INTEREST AT HEART. In meditation, one can quieten one's mind, ask a question, and see what answer "springs to mind", or what images appear, or what feelings arise. All these are indications of the next step to take, and if we follow them, and note down the advice and whether it had any value, we can document all this and trace our spiritual development as prompted by this divine inner advisor.