{"id":111686,"date":"2023-10-04T16:57:54","date_gmt":"2023-10-04T23:57:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/?p=111686"},"modified":"2023-10-07T20:51:26","modified_gmt":"2023-10-08T03:51:26","slug":"spirituality-a-down-to-earth-approach-to-living","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/archives\/111686-spirituality-a-down-to-earth-approach-to-living","title":{"rendered":"Spirituality: A Down-To-Earth Approach To Living"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Watchfulness brings liberty. \u00a0Liberty brings greater freedom.\u00a0 The price for freedom is eternal vigilance.\u00a0 If you put off being watchful until tomorrow, you put off your freedom until tomorrow.\u00a0 Being spiritual is really a very down-to-earth, practical approach to living.\u00a0 It’s not illusion and wishful thinking and superstition.”<\/em> – John-Roger<\/p>\n

This article by John-Roger was first published in The Movement Newspaper, March 1980.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The qualities of compassion, understanding and empathy are all positive in their nature.\u00a0 The quality of sympathy can lead you into difficulty.\u00a0 Let me explain: If you were out somewhere and saw someone who had fallen on the floor or on the street, you’d probably go over to see what was wrong with them.\u00a0 In looking at them, you might discern the smell of alcohol and surmise that they were drunk and had passed out.\u00a0 Now, if you try to talk to them, they can’t hear you because they are unconscious.\u00a0 So you can understand that they are drunk, that they are incapacitated, that they are down and out.\u00a0 So how are you going to help them?<\/p>\n

If you get down on your stomach to talk to them, you’re on the same level they are.\u00a0 If you shake them to wake them up, they might throw up in your face; and then other people will have difficulty telling which one of you is the drunk.\u00a0 So you might decide to pick them up.\u00a0 Have you ever tried to pick up a drunk?\u00a0 You’ve probably picked up a baby who’s sleeping and the body is very relaxed and limp, and they sort of “slide all over the place.”\u00a0 Well, drunk people are heavier and older, but the idea’s the same.\u00a0 If you try to pick one up, you’ll probably end up falling down yourself. \u00a0You might hurt your back or strain some muscles, let alone damage your pride.<\/p>\n

As an alternative method for assisting them, you might point out a nearby wall or post and tell them they can use that to help themselves up.\u00a0 Maybe they’re so drunk, they can’t do that.\u00a0 Do you attempt to pull them up?\u00a0 Or do you recognize that they’re too heavy for you and you can’t assist in that way? \u00a0Perhaps you can put your coat over them to keep them warm.\u00a0 That’s compassion.<\/p>\n

Perhaps you can get help from others and together you can get them home, where they can get a good night’s rest.\u00a0 That’s empathy; you’d like to be taken home.\u00a0 And in the morning, the drunk will be sober.\u00a0 And the sober one is a very different type, of person from the drunk one.<\/p>\n

When you are tempted to judge someone for the behavior they are currently demonstrating, you might want to consider a few things.\u00a0 You might want to remember that you do not know all the facts by looking at one aspect of a situation.\u00a0 You see a drunk.\u00a0 Perhaps that is the first time that person has been drunk in all their lives.\u00a0 Who are you to label them an alcoholic or a no-good drunkard?\u00a0 Often the best approach is just to observe what is so in the moment and respond in compassion, understanding and empathy.\u00a0 And leave “labeling”, “pigeonholing, and judging out of it altogether.<\/p>\n

There is an old story about a drunk who gets on the bus and sees a lady on the bus who was very far from pretty.\u00a0 She sees the drunk and says to her friend, “Look at that man; he’s a dirty, no-good drunkard.\u00a0 He hears her, turns to her, and says, “Lady, you’re ugly.”\u00a0 She said, “And you’re a drunk.”\u00a0 He said, “Lady.\u00a0 You’re ugly.”\u00a0 She said, “But you’re a drunken mess! ”\u00a0 He said, “That may be true, but in the morning, I’ll be sober.”<\/p>\n

Sometimes the “ugliness” that you berate another person for is the same “ugliness” that is in you; it’s just that perhaps the forms are a little different.\u00a0 We see ugliness in the other guy because there is ugliness in us.\u00a0 If there wasn’t, we would never see it in another.\u00a0 We want to see them ugly so it will match us, and misery loves company.\u00a0 And when we can see and attack the ugliness in them, we feel more justified in not moving from our own blocks and developing a clearer, more responsible consciousness.<\/p>\n

At some point in our evolution (spiritual, moral, financial, etc.) we must become more responsible, conscious, directed HUman beings.\u00a0 We must consciously take direction and control of our lives.\u00a0 We must consciously watch what we put in our mouths; we must consciously monitor the words that come out of our mouths.\u00a0 We must consciously watch what we think about and the energy that we put into our thoughts.\u00a0 We must watch the things that we allow to cycle and re-cycle through our minds.<\/p>\n

Watchfulness brings liberty. \u00a0Liberty brings greater freedom.\u00a0 The price for freedom is eternal vigilance.\u00a0 If you put off being watchful until tomorrow, you put off your freedom until tomorrow.<\/p>\n

Being spiritual is really a very down-to-earth, practical approach to living.\u00a0 It’s not illusion and wishful thinking and superstition.\u00a0 Let me put it this way:\u00a0 if you’re a little late some day for work and consider driving about 75 or 80 mph to make up for lost time–and you say, “Lord, I know the speed, limit is 55, and if I’m going to get a ticket by driving too fast, don’t let me do it; but if I’m NOT going to get a ticket, let me drive 75”–and then you romp on the gas and fly along at 75–that’s being foolish, not spiritual.\u00a0 There is little that is spiritual in that action.\u00a0 If you think the Lord is going to come in on that level, when you KNOW the speed limit, and knock your foot off the accelerator, think again.\u00a0 That’s your action; that’s you putting your anxieties and your desires into motion, and the Lord will not interfere.<\/p>\n

Perhaps, when the highway patrol pulls you over, you might consider that that is the Lord telling you to slow down.\u00a0 God can exist in the highway patrol, too.\u00a0 A lot of people do this type of action all the time and call it spiritual.\u00a0 They say, “Just give me a sign, Lord, so I’ll know what to do.”\u00a0 They say, “Look, I don’t want to make a mistake, but I really want to do this particular thing.\u00a0 So if it’s not okay, give me a sign and let me know.”\u00a0 You don’t get the sign, so you go ahead.\u00a0 That’s foolish.<\/p>\n

Take a look at the thing you would like to do, the thing you would like to be involved in and, instead of asking for a sign, ask yourself some practical questions.\u00a0 Ask yourself, “Will this hurt, another human being?”\u00a0 “Is this action 100 percent honest?”\u00a0 And don’t qualify that one.\u00a0 Ask, “Am I deceiving myself or anyone else with this action?”\u00a0 “Am I being loving in this action?”\u00a0 If you come up “clear” with all your answers, you’re probably in pretty good territory.<\/p>\n

Every moment of your life is spiritual.\u00a0 There is no moment that exists outside of your spirituality.\u00a0 You can’t reserve your spirituality for certain times and places and relationships.\u00a0 It’s all one thing and it exists at every moment.\u00a0 If you want health, wealth and happiness in this life, there are a couple of very simple guidelines that you might want to apply to your life.\u00a0 One is “Don’t hurt yourself and don’t hurt others.”\u00a0 Another is: “Take care of yourself and take care of others.”\u00a0 And a third might be: “Do everything with love.”\u00a0 You’ll find your life opening up so much to Spirit and you will be so filled with the loving that is of God–and you will know the tremendous joy that comes with knowing your Oneness with the Lord.<\/p>\n

Baruch Bashan<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“Watchfulness brings liberty. \u00a0Liberty brings greater freedom.\u00a0 The price for freedom is eternal vigilance.\u00a0 If you put off being watchful until tomorrow, you put off your freedom until tomorrow.\u00a0 Being spiritual is really a very down-to-earth, practical approach to living.\u00a0 It’s not illusion and wishful thinking and superstition.” – John-Roger This article by John-Roger was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":111688,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[266,260],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-111686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-john-rogers-current-story"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/43"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111686"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111686\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/111688"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=111686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=111686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}