{"id":6870,"date":"2005-06-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2005-06-01T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/archives\/6870-what-is-service-an-interview-with-john-morton"},"modified":"2019-12-04T14:32:59","modified_gmt":"2019-12-04T22:32:59","slug":"what-is-service-an-interview-with-john-morton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/archives\/6870-what-is-service-an-interview-with-john-morton","title":{"rendered":"What Is Service? An Interview with John Morton"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article was originally published in the New Day Herald in June of 2005. It was taken from an interview with John Morton regarding service, the nature of service and how to serve. Doctor of Spiritual Science graduate, David Bransky, conducts the interview.<\/em><\/p>\n

DB<\/b>: Over the years, our conversations around service have been really pivotal for me, both within our organizations but also in that service stuff that I’ve done outside of our organizations. Service really does seem to be something that’s such a signature aspect of our work. There was a friend of mine who went up to see you in Santa Barbara, and this was four or five years ago or more. And the thing that he walked away with, the thing that really struck him was ahead of time, when they were setting up the room for you, John-Roger was out there with people simply setting up chairs. And, that held meaning for him, and I think in a way catches whatever that<\/i> is.<\/p>\n

JM<\/b>: It’s a relevant subject because it certainly relates directly to ministry. It relates to moving into a divine consciousness. It relates directly to taking care of others. And, I often tell people, “Yes, right in the core of what’s important to do with your life is take care of yourself, and as soon as you’ve done that, you’re now on to take care of others as a responsibility.” So it will be there for you to give the value of what you’ve received \u2014 to give it to somebody else, or to give it in some way as a contribution, let’s say, to the world. That’s how I see it, it comes more as a responsibility. And I think it also reads like, “Who or what is an elder?” Somebody who has received and processed life experience, and now they’re in a position to impart that value to those who are gaining life experience \u2014 to the young, to the children, to those who are coming through what someone else has already accomplished.<\/p>\n

DB<\/b>: One of the things that occurs to me as you’re talking about the responsibility to then “pass on,” especially that generational thing, is that whole group of baby boomers that are approaching, at least some of them, approaching retirement. There is a thing called a Senior Core and that age group might be more open to addressing the transformative quality of service because I think that’s a life stage where people are looking at mortality and what’s beyond that.<\/p>\n

JM<\/b>: Well, I see it as something that works as<\/i> virtue, or at least like<\/i> virtue, and so it becomes its own reward because it’s a form of what’s important to do \u2014 give. And, there’s a direct relationship to receive. So in our capacity to receive, and that we have<\/i> received, then comes another capacity \u2014 to give. And, when someone understands that, then I think they put themselves in a position, as they do it, to have a very satisfying, fulfilling, nurturing life. You can’t run as fast, you can’t think as fast, maybe there’s a fair amount of pain or discomfort that accompanies your daily routine. So, it’s like, things that are shutting down that are no longer in a way available, and a person could get bitter about that or they could turn and say, “Well, what is available and what am I good for now?” You know that I’m not good for these things, “I’m too old” or “I don’t have that ability anymore,” or “They don’t want me, I’m over the hill,” etc. Well actually you’re in this great position to give, to share your knowledge, your wisdom, your life experience, and to do that with joy, as a joyful giver.<\/p>\n

“God loves a joyful giver.” What’s that statement about? I think it’s the natural order. It’s like you line up and you do the intention of God for a well lived life and a well lived life is one that takes and gives. I think if we looked at it we’d say obviously as we come into the world we’re in a position to really need to take, like, what can an infant do for themselves? Well, not a whole lot that someone else can’t do better. Such as, where do they find food? How do they find food? Well, you know, they might not if some how someone or something doesn’t step in. And then I think that starts shifting and obviously we become responsible, we become capable, and then we become less capable. I think that’s the natural order except in an area like wisdom. The faculties to retain our wisdom in large part are retained and they’re to be shared. So, to me, it’s a natural order of a well lived life and it’s a sign of a person’s maturity. It shifts from “Give me,” and “Let me,” “What’s in it for me?,” “I’m doing this for myself and my own satisfaction and pleasure,” to “I’m giving back,” “I’m doing this for someone else’s satisfaction, to help them, to give them something valuable.”<\/p>\n

And a great turning point is there in terms of parenting. That’s a great example. In a way it’s like “Why are you getting married?” “Well, I want to share my life and I’m in a place to find someone on an equal basis and we share and we build something.” “Well, what are you building this for?” If you build a big pile of all your accomplishments, and your riches and wealth, what does that really mean if you don’t share it? I find it has less meaning until it’s shared. So a beautiful home doesn’t have a lot of meaning if it’s just two. It has more meaning where there’s a group that can come in and kind of share the bounty or the wealth. And obviously a family is in a natural order. So another measure of our maturity is do we give over to that? Do we realize there’s a turning point there to start giving back to somebody. And sure, it’s still “I’m still building, I’m still growing.” But that would be a sign, if a person has that awareness of the consciousness to serve, and they parent. But, it could be in other ways. Can you be a good friend? Can you be a good neighbor? Can you be a good employee? You know, simple things like “Well, they’re not paying me to do that.” “I know, but it’s there to do.” So it’s a work to be done in this place of employment. Or it’s like “Well, that’s not my job.” “But it’s someone’s job. It’s a job of those who work here.” Why not do it because it needs to be done? And, it’s not about “They didn’t pay me to do that,” or “It’s after five o’clock I have to leave now.” That to me is another sign of, “Do you have that consciousness where you’re willing to do something extra beyond what’s in it for you?”<\/p>\n

DB<\/b>: I think that the cycle’s just happening all the time. If someone’s in a taking cycle there is at least an attempt for greater health, for greater wealth, happiness, all those things. And yet we know, or at least my experience is, those are byproducts also, very deep byproducts, of that giving dynamic and that giving cycle. That there is, for me, that experience of health, wealth, and happiness, and abundance and so forth, you know, I’m sure the touching and the loving. So, it just occurs to me that as you describe that process of getting older it’s not like that result is being denied, it’s just a very different process to go get it as those other things are more diminished.<\/p>\n

JM<\/b>: Yes. My point of view is as long as we’re in this world there’s something to be gained. There’s an advancement, a growth, an opportunity to expand, to lift, to move into greater experience. However, there’s transitions of “What will grow mean?” It isn’t necessarily the same thing that grew me when I was seven, or fourteen, or twenty one and so on. There’s an awareness that it’s shifting and shifting into different aspects of who we are. And so there would of course be an opportunity to serve at any time in our life. You know, as a boy scout or a cub scout or something like that. The opportunity to start experiencing sharing and caring that extends to others or situations is there all along the way. To me there’s kind of a grander dynamic as we get older, because we have been enriched by life experience and we’re building up a reservoir of wisdom and knowledge and the ability to serve is gaining just from our life experience. You know, kind of a crude example is the thief, or something like that, who then teaches law enforcement how to catch a thief and how they think and the dynamics of that. And it’s strange because then, well, they’re serving. They now have a respectable, honorable occupation. Literally at times working for a law enforcement agency when they were a subject of their search, you know, their wanted, top ten wanted or something like that.<\/p>\n

DB<\/b>: Kind of the idea that anything can be used in the spirit of service.<\/p>\n

JM<\/b>: Right, using everything for advantage, upliftment, learning, growth. So, even the negative experiences contribute to a wisdom field and something we can pass on to others. Like an angel at the gate saying, “If I were you, I wouldn’t do that. I did that and there are better choices. Let me help you see some of those choices that you could have.”<\/p>\n

Whatever you would find that represents what J-R teaches and what MSIA teaches about service is going to be something that’s universal and open to all people if they choose. And it is something that should relate to every single person. Service is an opportunity that everybody has and it’s like breathing in and breathing out. Yes, it’s important to breathe in but it’s equally important to breathe out. So, it’s important to receive and it’s important to give, and to give of ourselves in the way that service represents. Well, how do we do that? I’ve found often that there are people that conclude, “I don’t know what to do. I’d like to serve, I’d like to help, and I don’t know where to go, I don’t know what to do.” And my question often is, “Well what are you doing about that?” You know, “Are you checking?” Are you asking, I mean just the simplest thing, “Do you have something I could do to help?” “Could I help?” In any situation. I mean you could go walk to your neighbor’s house, knock on the door and just say: “Is there something I could do to help you?” And they may look at it like “Why are you here?” I mean, “You’re supposed to have an invitation,” or you know, “My house burned down.” Or, “Are you here that I lost my job and now you come?” “No, I’m just coming in case, or perhaps letting you know that, well, if there is something I could do to help, please let me know. That would serve my intention to serve.”<\/p>\n

It’s also an awareness that if we’re not giving, a kind of vacuum starts developing, an emptiness, a sense of we’re not fulfilled, not complete. We’re not satisfying that aspect of our human condition that we need to do. That we need to find ways to contribute. I know J-R’s talked about it, as others have, that everybody has a responsibility at the sweat of their brow or a shoulder to the wheel or something like that. And it registers as everybody has a responsibility to contribute. This is not a world that’s set up to just come in here, take, and leave. Obviously if that’s what was going on it would be depleting. Eventually it would be empty, it would become something desolate, lacking in life force. And, I think in some ways that does show up in our world. You know, when there’s not sufficient caring, sufficient regard for our neighbors and even ourselves, then things do become depleted and lacking in ways where there’s disease, there’s pollution, there’s corruption, there’s pain, there’s suffering, there’s difficulties. So obviously, what we need to do is find ways to give back, or override that sense. “Well, I don’t know what to do or what can I do?” Good question, but would you be willing to look? Or is that a question that’s really a statement of “I’m not going to do anything because I don’t see anything that matches at the level of I would do something.”<\/p>\n

DB<\/b>: If I just look at my own process and the times that I’ve asked “Well, what can I do?,” I relate it to looking for a way to serve that has something grand, something idealized, into the future, and the cost of that is missing just right here, the simple, multiple opportunities to serve each day. When I paid attention to what were the experiences of service that were the most fulfilling and the most connected for me in terms of relationship with Spirit, it was response to simple, tiny little things that showed up in the moment when I was paying attention during the day.<\/p>\n

JM<\/b>: Yes and I think part of it would be to turn that intention on every day. Such as, “Do I have the willingness to make myself available to something that’s not about me?” So that it would be about a situation or person or some people that could use some assistance and I’m there, based on results, able to do it. And rather than look around and go “Well, couldn’t somebody else help because it’s not convenient with my agenda or what I had planned?” Just conclude, well, you’re there. And that’s prima facie evidence. You’re there. You’re the one obviously who got called into it by fact. So rather than concluding, “Well shouldn’t somebody else come in, shouldn’t it be somebody else who’s more qualified or more available?” Have an openness. And then that can become conscious so that it’s not really a surprise, it’s more like, “Well I was ready for a tap or a nudge and I just got it.” Instead of I got tapped and I got nudged but, “Not now. Don’t bother me I’m busy, I’m occupied, I have important things to do. Go bother somebody else.”<\/p>\n

There’s a scripture that’s one of the most wonderful stories amongst many wonderful stories in the accounts of Jesus. He’s telling someone “When I was hungry you fed me, when I was without clothes you brought me clothes, when I was in prison you visited me, when I was sick you attended to me.” And, they’re looking at themselves, “Who was doing this? I don’t remember. When did this happen?” And then Jesus responds “Well, when you did it unto the least of my brethren you did it unto me.” And, I think that’s such a powerful spiritual teaching \u2014 our connection to our Father and our Mother who are divine such that we are the children and we’re chosen amongst one another, a family of humanity. That consciousness that understands also realizes “I am my brother’s keeper, I came in that way.” And, even if my brother violated me or abused me or was unkind, and disrespectful, that’s not a reason to be that way yourself. And, at your brother’s or sister’s time of need, to consider if it’s in your place to provide to that, to give to that in some way. It’s in the Hippocratic oath for those doctors who still take that, and I don’t have the verbatim of it, but it’s in effect “regardless of who the patient is I have a responsibility to serve them, to treat them in the very best way I can.” And, it doesn’t matter, like, “Well, they just murdered your brother.” “Well, that oath calls me to give them the best treatment nonetheless. To put aside what I feel like doing to them, and do this.” And, that’s a tremendous measurement of somebody’s divinity, to have the willingness to put aside the injustice or the negativity that is in the world and do something to help, do something to uplift.<\/p>\n

NDH<\/b>: What you just said, is that an example of service being the highest form of consciousness on the planet? Would that be what that really means?<\/p>\n

JM<\/b>: Well let’s say it’s going towards that. It’s difficult to epitomize and concretize the very highest because then that’s it<\/i>. What’s being referred to there is alive, it’s dynamic, it’s ongoing, in some ways it hasn’t manifested itself yet. But we’re in a life stream whereas when we happen upon our consciousness of service then we’re in the highest stream. We’re now elevating and expanding, cleansing, balancing our self in the very best way we could. It’s maximizing what we could do with our life as we live it. And, just because we did it today doesn’t mean there’s no opportunity for tomorrow. It’s like “I did the highest, I’m done now.” Well, no, you stepped into that field but that field is ongoing, there’s no limit in that field. You could be there from now on functioning in your life at the highest service.<\/p>\n

But it’s also like somebody going up to Everest and realizing “I’ve got to come down now.” You know, “I can’t stay up here \u2018cause it\u2019s too rarified, it\u2019s too high.\u201d\u00a0 I need to take care of myself.\u00a0 I need to in some way do some of the basic things that are not quite like service.\u00a0 Is that serving yourself?\u00a0 Well, there\u2019s no real conflict there.\u00a0 But I would say there\u2019s a reason why we say \u201cTake care of yourself.\u201d\u00a0 That\u2019s a complete statement that goes on \u201cso you can take care of others.\u201d\u00a0 And it\u2019s a precursor \u2013 that if we\u2019re not satisfying our basic needs and our basic responsibilities, we\u2019re not in a position to serve, not in the highest form which is \u201cNo longer am I doing something for me.\u00a0 My cup\u2019s running over, I\u2019m full, I\u2019m satisfied.\u201d\u00a0 Great, that\u2019s like you pass or you can go now.\u00a0 And a person may idle, like, \u201cI\u2019ve done my responsibility today, I\u2019m through, I finished my job.\u201d\u00a0 Now what?\u00a0 Well, you could go off and play, you could be at leisure, in a sense you could do nothing, or you could serve.<\/p>\n

And so if somebody sees that opportunity to serve and then takes it, my experience is they open themselves up to a blessing, that often people do experience and they get high off of service.\u00a0 \u201cWhat was that again, that when two or more are gathered\u2026I feel like I had experience with that presence today, that invisible third one who comes in when we\u2019re gathered in a way that’s to serve.\u201d\u00a0 And often it is that dynamic between the one who\u2019s serving and the one who\u2019s being served and then there\u2019s a sense of \u201cwe are having a visitation.\u201d\u00a0 Something very profound, special, sacred, holy is taking place.\u00a0 And then, I mean, you can get real greedy like \u201cI want that all the time.\u201d\u00a0 And it\u2019s like, \u201cWell, it\u2019s kind of rarified and yes there\u2019s another opportunity but also you\u2019ll need to take care of yourself.\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s like a doctor who said \u201cWell, I\u2019m just going to keep working until I drop dead.\u201d\u00a0 Well you could do that but if you have some rest and nurture yourself you can actually take care of many more by that approach.\u00a0 Not many more necessarily in a day or two but over a week or over a month or a year because you take time to take care of yourself and nurture yourself and recharge yourself, you\u2019re much more available, you\u2019re a better doctor.\u00a0 And, I think some people don\u2019t understand that part of it, the self monitoring, the self awareness that knows, the discipline, like, \u201cThat\u2019s enough.\u201d\u00a0 Sometimes we Traveler folk will exercise that one, you know, where there\u2019s an understanding that the spiritual flow has stopped and that means what we\u2019re doing stopped and it could be in mid sentence.\u00a0 And it could be without explanation, like, no \u201cgoodbye\u201d or \u201cWhy are you leaving?\u00a0 I was just getting going and you had me and you get up and leave.\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s \u2018cause I needed to leave or \u2018cause the Spirit was leaving and I wanted to go.\u00a0 Not be here attending to my ego that\u2019s enjoying your accolade and adoration.\u00a0 It\u2019s not about that, it\u2019s about serving what the Spirit\u2019s doing.<\/p>\n

And you know that\u2019s a way I would put it in terms of how MSIA serves.\u00a0 We serve the Lord, we serve that presence who is amongst us or with us in the divine way.\u00a0 Now maybe philosophically we just broke rank with a whole number of service organizations.\u00a0 \u201cWell, we don\u2019t play in that, that\u2019s religious.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re too nah nah noo noo or whatever.\u201d\u00a0 Or maybe it steps on these religious toes over here and they don\u2019t say it that way and, \u201cWho are you to claim Jesus?\u00a0 We get to claim Jesus.\u201d\u00a0 Well, it is what it is and there\u2019s no apology for what it is.\u00a0 There\u2019s a divine service and a divine sourcing that to me is of the highest order.\u00a0 So often when we do come together in service we take a moment before we begin to call ourselves forward in the consciousness that is Light and love and the highest good of all concerned.\u00a0 That One who is a presence, an intelligent living presence, who knows the service or who has called us.\u00a0 That it might say \u201cYou\u2019re probably all wondering why I called you to come forward for this.\u201d\u00a0 And then, in a way, no one person has that card.\u00a0 Like, we just know, \u201cWell let\u2019s just get together and we\u2019ll serve and we\u2019ll find something to do even if we don\u2019t know what that is when we begin.\u201d\u00a0 That could be a nice way to serve– not necessarily have an agenda other than perhaps in the Quaker way that we wait for someone to witness, \u201cOk I know what we\u2019re going to do here today in service.\u201d\u00a0 And they share it and everybody realizes, \u201cThat\u2019s it, you just witnessed for the One who would give us our guidance.\u201d\u00a0 And part of our test is, \u201cWould we come not knowing what we were going to do in order to serve?\u201d\u00a0 I\u2019m for that kind of approach where it isn\u2019t necessarily highly organized and highly detailed because if you get too rigid and regimented about what it\u2019s supposed to be it doesn\u2019t leave room for the spontaneity, the aliveness of that presence that comes in our midst and perhaps says \u201cOver here, I know you didn\u2019t plan for this, but, over here.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the more profound experiences I had in service is when I went to Pakistan and Afghanistan and we were there with an organization called Wheels for Humanity to, for the most part, deliver wheelchairs to those who could use them and also because of other organizations that heard about the trip and were requesting, \u201cWell, could you take some relief supplies and distribute not just wheelchairs but anything \u2013 clothing, food, blankets, anything that could serve people in need?\u201d\u00a0 And so there was that too.\u00a0 As I recall there were seven of those shipping railroad cars full of some kind of supplies.\u00a0 And then the irony was that it was locked in customs because of whatever so called \u201cred tape\u201d wouldn\u2019t allow it to get out of customs.\u00a0 So there we were visiting and we were on our way to Kandahar and on the road I was seeing people who were begging, mostly children, on the side of the road.\u00a0 And I thought , \u201cWell here\u2019s the irony.\u201d\u00a0 We\u2019re going as fast as we can to Kandahar to go serve and on the way there\u2019s people going \u201cPlease would you help me, please?\u201d\u00a0 And we\u2019re going right on by.<\/p>\n

DB<\/strong>:\u00a0 \u201cSorry, we\u2019re on a mission to serve.\u201d (laughing).<\/p>\n

JM<\/strong>:\u00a0 And I\u2019m going, \u201cWait a minute, you know, we don\u2019t have to go any further.\u00a0 They\u2019re just right there, they\u2019re asking for help.\u201d\u00a0 And, when I pointed that out to our host, who for the most part were medical doctors, and the equivalent called the Red Crescent or the Red Cross in the Islamic world, they said, \u201cWell those are just common beggars and that\u2019s what they do, they\u2019re taught that from the day they were born and you know we don\u2019t really consider that, you know, people that really need help.\u201d\u00a0 And I go \u201cWell, whatever that was it was getting to me.\u201d\u00a0 And I was wanting to stop and just find out what it was and check it out in some way or be open to the experience.<\/p>\n

DB<\/strong>:\u00a0 You mentioned the phrase \u201cwe didn\u2019t have to go any further, it was right there,\u201d and that really strikes me as probably something true for all of us every day.\u00a0 When it comes to service, there really isn\u2019t a lot of looking that has to do done than just what\u2019s here in our own lives right now.<\/p>\n

JM<\/strong>:\u00a0 Correct.\u00a0 If we were open to studying and inventorying the reality of our world we\u2019d find there\u2019s plenty in our world, plenty of everything, every need.\u00a0 So, shelter, clothing, food, the means to have clean, healthy food and water and to have relationships with the environment that sustain and nurture so that we could be on the planet in a wonderful even paradisiacal way.\u00a0 So the potential I see is here, it\u2019s present.\u00a0 Then what\u2019s going on?\u00a0 Well, an aberration or misdirection or misunderstanding of the relationship that we collectively have to the planet.\u00a0 And then what do we do about that?\u00a0 Personally I don\u2019t find a tremendous amount of value in being reactive and upset and angry and mean and abusive in ways that I have seen people who, in their own way of thinking, are there to help.\u00a0 They\u2019re standing up, protesting or whatever for some cause and, you know, in my way of looking, they\u2019re doing a disservice by just churning up upheaval and disturbance instead of, \u201cIs this really assisting?\u00a0 Is this really supporting?\u201d\u00a0 And I think the real ways of supporting are something each person can determine, but they\u2019re much more what you were referring to, they\u2019re simple, they\u2019re at hand.\u00a0 They\u2019re often in our midst even in our own house, or let\u2019s say what we would call in MSIA the ten percent level, our personal level.\u00a0 Or they\u2019re not much further than next door or in our neighborhood or where we frequent.<\/p>\n

Some people feel this sense that, \u201cWell if I start giving over and being of service I\u2019ll be taken over by it, I\u2019ll be consumed by it, I\u2019ll end up depleting myself and I won\u2019t have enough for myself and I\u2019ll feel guilty and I won\u2019t be able to work it out.\u00a0 So it\u2019s so complicated I just won\u2019t do it in the first place.\u201d\u00a0 I just see that as a missed opportunity.\u00a0 It\u2019s like J-R\u2019s story about the person who wants to borrow a lawnmower but by the time they get to the door and the guy opens the door who has the lawnmower it\u2019s like, \u201cKeep your old damn lawnmower.\u201d\u00a0 Because in their mind they had some conversation about why the guy wouldn\u2019t be willing to let him have his lawnmower.\u00a0 So we complicate why we couldn\u2019t serve in our own negative response or attitude towards it rather than \u201cLet\u2019s just do something, just do something really simple.\u201d\u00a0 Maybe it\u2019s, you know, ten minutes comforting somebody and it\u2019s not required that you have thirty minutes or an hour.\u00a0 Just thinking, \u201cWell, is there a way I could take ten minutes?\u201d\u00a0 You know, on my way home, find a way to get out of the car, back in the car, so the whole thing is fifteen minutes.\u00a0 And, rather than say \u201cThat\u2019s not possible, there\u2019s no way,\u201d it\u2019s just like, think about it.\u00a0 Like, \u201cOk Lord, you know my circumstance, you know what I have to offer, would you help me find the match.\u201d\u00a0 Where could I go, what could I do that in some way would be compatible with taking care of myself, taking care of my family, my responsibilities, but yet still getting to participate in service.\u00a0 Rather than say \u201cI don\u2019t have enough time,\u201d or \u201cthere\u2019s too many problems that I have, I\u2019m just not in a position to help somebody else because my life\u2019s such a mess.\u201d\u00a0 And, I think, well, maybe one of the reasons your life is such a mess is that you\u2019re not participating in this side that will help balance you and it will nurture you and it will give back to you.\u00a0 There\u2019s a law of what you sow you reap, so if you sow good things with others perhaps others will sow good things for you and your good turn will be returned to you.\u00a0 It\u2019s not that you\u2019re doing it for that reason, it\u2019s like a seed you plant and you may not be around when the harvest comes in and you just realize that, well, maybe somebody will.\u00a0 So, even though I may not be here, like Johnny Appleseed, somebody will be around and somebody will appreciate that.\u00a0 Or the apples will drop to the ground and they\u2019ll nurture the ground, they\u2019ll feed the ground.\u00a0 So, there\u2019s an understanding that doing some good plants greater good.<\/p>\n

DB<\/strong>:\u00a0 You posed a question of asking the Lord, \u201cWhat is it that I could do?\u201d You know, \u201cI have ten or fifteen minutes.\u201d\u00a0 And at least how that\u2019s answered for me is to just look through the lens of compassion\u2026I was driving up Wilshire blvd and I hit Sepulveda and there\u2019s that left hand turn to go north.\u00a0 I saw the light changing and I saw I wasn\u2019t going to make the light, I was going to be the last one before it hit the red.\u00a0 This all happened really quick.\u00a0 But I saw these two guys on the corner, one guy selling fruit, the other guy just out there with a cup.\u00a0 And, my immediate space was just to really pull in, you know, I think I was even trying to put some kind of shield up.\u00a0 I just did not want to deal with it.\u00a0 And, all this is in a split second.\u00a0 But something caught me about the guy with the cup.\u00a0 He must have been seventy or eighty, I mean an old guy, just totally crippled, bent over, poorer than dirt.\u00a0 And, there was that, \u201cHow could I pass this by?\u201d\u00a0 I was coming to a stop and then it hit that part of me well, \u201cHow can I give this guy money if this other guy\u2019s being ambitious and trying to work?\u201d\u00a0 I\u2019m putting the breaks on and I pull two dollar bills out of my pocket, and my window was open, and I gave the guy with the fruit a buck for a bag of cherries, grabbed it, and then by the time I was stopping, gave the old beggar the fruit and a dollar.\u00a0 But I still had that attitude of let\u2019s just call it \u201cwall.\u201d\u00a0 He started talking and I just kept that \u201cwall\u201d up.\u00a0 But all of a sudden something cracked through that attempt to distance myself.\u00a0 And, I thought of King, Martin Luther King, in terms of brotherhood and sisterhood of mankind, that type of thing.\u00a0 So, I started paying attention and it upped to this level where I experienced it as the teachings of the Christ about \u201cwe\u2019re here to love one another.\u201d\u00a0 The guy went on to say some things that I just found very personal in terms of relatable and valuable in my own process and Soul\u2019s awareness.\u00a0 I felt like he was describing his Soul\u2019s journey and he looks at me and goes, \u201cYou know, I\u2019m just so grateful for it all.\u201d\u00a0 He said, \u201cIf I\u2019m not God\u2019s favorite, I\u2019ve got to be in the top ten.\u201d\u00a0 And he said, \u201cI just had to learn humility this time.\u201d\u00a0 And, then the light changed and of course everybody behind me started honking.\u00a0 And I realized, God, I could have missed that.\u00a0 I mean that was just a profound experience for me.\u00a0 You know I\u2019ll probably just remember that relationship for the rest of my life, although it lasted the time of a red light.<\/p>\n

JM<\/strong>:\u00a0 Interesting metaphor and from another literal standpoint your life stopped you and brought something to you that, if you looked at it, you weren\u2019t so open to.\u00a0 Then you didn\u2019t have all that much choice about what you would do with it.\u00a0 I mean, you could have obviously avoided it by keeping your window up or turning the radio up or something so you wouldn\u2019t have to hear whatever they were saying.\u00a0 But at another level, it was something that happened and that you chose into and then you were effected by it, and you\u2019re still served by it.\u00a0 So, I see a consciousness of service that visited you in a profound way and that it has spiritual significance, that there aren\u2019t accidents.\u00a0 And, often when I somehow interact with the people that are asking for spare change or something on that order they render wonderful blessings.\u00a0 And, it\u2019s an open book how it all works, you know, what\u2019s called for, whether it\u2019s actually handing them money or maybe it\u2019s just handing them a smile.\u00a0 And, that\u2019s often what I find I do. \u00a0I don\u2019t necessarily give them something material, but I give them a look that\u2019s receptive and open and \u201cHow you doin\u2019?\u201d or \u201cNice day.\u201d\u00a0 That it\u2019s not a bother that we\u2019re having an interaction even though I\u2019m not going to do what you asked me to do.\u00a0 But that\u2019s not what it\u2019s about.\u00a0 And I often find that\u2019s returned in kind, just if I have a cheerful open response, there\u2019s a nice response even though I\u2019m not doing what they asked me to do.<\/p>\n

DB<\/strong>:\u00a0 Yeah, it\u2019s like the money\u2019s a level of it, but then there\u2019s that other level of it too that to me counts as much if not more.<\/p>\n

JM<\/strong>:\u00a0 What else can I do to serve you?<\/p>\n

DB<\/strong>:\u00a0 At one point you\u2019d mentioned the idea that someone that would react in protest and create greater disturbance isn\u2019t necessarily serving the situation.\u00a0 I think a measurement or a litmus test of service is, \u201cDoes it bring greater health, wealth, happiness, abundance, prosperity, and riches, loving, caring, sharing and touching to myself and others?\u201d\u00a0 And, if the answer to that\u2019s \u201cYes\u201d all around, it probably does fit.\u00a0 Because it occurred to me that to keep it at \u201cwanting to serve God and doing God\u2019s will,\u201d I would think that guy that is going to attempt to shoot an abortion doctor, or a Jihad person that\u2019s got violence going, would probably answer \u201cYes\u201d to that.\u00a0 That, you know, to their thinking, that\u2019s doing God\u2019s will.\u00a0 So, it had to be more than that.\u00a0 And I think that more is the simple, \u201cDoes this bring greater loving and compassion to myself and others?\u201d<\/p>\n

JM<\/strong>:\u00a0 Well one of the essential questions that we have in the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness is \u201cWho and what is the highest God?\u201d\u00a0 And if there are, let\u2019s call them higher powers, can they be of a nature that\u2019s still not of the highest power and of the highest nature?\u00a0 And I think that\u2019s something that\u2019s in the ten commandments, \u201cThou shall not place false gods before me.\u201d\u00a0 We have that potential to take on lesser gods and to worship them and consider that \u201cmy life is dedicated to this and I will die for this and you should die for this too\u201d kind of thing.\u00a0 What kind of god would teach you that?\u00a0 And part of that is to look at the fruits, what is this tree bearing that you\u2019re sourcing?\u00a0 Is it the things that nurture all people?\u00a0 And then if someone says, \u201cWell, these are the bad evil ones and god has called upon me to destroy them and send them to eternal hell,\u201d you know, my view is \u201cWell, I have a greater God than that, that has a better way than that.\u201d\u00a0 Of course, now you can get into an argument, you can get into points of view.\u00a0 But if it\u2019s true that the highest God has a way to work something out that\u2019s not against anyone or anything, so that the outcome is everyone is served, everyone is uplifted, then of course that\u2019s a higher nature than some are served and some are not, or we need to eliminate the trouble makers or the ones that are serving the opposition.\u00a0 So one of the things in MSIA is we don\u2019t fight the opposition.\u00a0 We\u2019re not in battle or war with those in some way who are worshipping what opposes the highest good of all concerned.\u00a0 But at the same time we\u2019re not reinforcing, we\u2019re not here to in some way feed it.\u00a0 If someone\u2019s shooting bullets to harm, we\u2019re not in a place that says, \u201cWell here, take these bullets I found these bullets go ahead and shoot some more.\u201d\u00a0 We would not contribute to things that are destructive and counterproductive and not really serving.\u00a0 And, you know, this is something that each person is called upon to consider.\u00a0 Whether a person is in a position to consider is a whole other thing.\u00a0 They may be so worked up over their self disturbance about the way the world is or the way their life is that they\u2019re not really available to consider what\u2019s going on at a greater level than just around their tree.\u00a0 And this is something I look at that service does, it kind of says \u201cGood is going on here.\u00a0 Hey, take a look.\u201d\u00a0 And regardless of the disturbance over there or the trouble over there, good is going on here.\u00a0 And if you\u2019ll look you\u2019ll see a potential for greater good.\u00a0 If we can do it here we could do it there or we could do it over there.\u00a0 And, in fact, if you would stop doing all that troublemaking and disturbance and violence, \u201cHow about doing this instead of doing that?\u201d\u00a0 Wouldn\u2019t that be more helpful?\u00a0 And, that\u2019s how I see it.\u00a0 It\u2019s in simple ways.<\/p>\n

NDH<\/strong>:\u00a0 That\u2019s like \u201cregardless of race, creed, color, situation, circumstance or environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

DB<\/strong>:\u00a0 Yeah, I agree with you, I mean it just seems like \u201cregardless\u201d holds so much of how I experience who we are in our aspiring to what this is.<\/p>\n

JM<\/strong>:\u00a0 Well we are called upon to love one another and, you know, I don\u2019t look at that as just exclusive to those who are identified with the Christian faith.\u00a0 I consider that something that all people, regardless of their religion or their faith or what they identify with, could consider as a practical thing, even an atheist can consider it.\u00a0 \u201cFine you don\u2019t believe in any higher power or whatever, would you mind doing some loving here?\u201d\u00a0 And even if you go \u201cWell, my neighbors, I love them.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cWell, how about over in this neighborhood?\u201d\u00a0 They could use some loving in that neighborhood, would you mind paying a visit occasionally?\u00a0 You know, that simple idea that it transcends our identifications or personal histories, you know, the particular natures that we have as individuals that make us unique or different.\u00a0 That there are qualities in service in caring and giving to others that transcend that and make life in this world, regardless of what happens afterwards, nicer.\u00a0 One of my favorite rallying calls is \u201cLet\u2019s go out and do some good.\u201d\u00a0 Like \u201cReady.\u00a0 Break.\u201d<\/p>\n

DB<\/strong>:\u00a0 laughing<\/p>\n

JM<\/strong>:\u00a0 Like, let\u2019s resolve that regardless of what we choose to do today \u2013 whatever that is, a picnic, or go downtown to protest the latest law that was passed \u2013 let\u2019s do some good.\u00a0 Let\u2019s keep our tracking that, \u201cIs this doing good?\u00a0 Is this helping, truly helping?\u201d\u00a0 And we test it.\u00a0 In MSIA we test.\u00a0 Does is work for everyone? Is it against anyone?\u00a0 And, if those don\u2019t apply then you\u2019d better look again.\u00a0 Well somehow I sense we\u2019ve come to a pause for now.<\/p>\n

DB<\/strong>:\u00a0 Thank you John, thank you all.<\/p>\n

JM<\/strong>:\u00a0 Let\u2019s go out and do some good.<\/p>\n

DB<\/strong>:\u00a0 Break!<\/p>\n

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

This article is taken from a recent interview with John Morton regarding service, the nature of service and how to serve. Doctor of Spiritual Science graduate, David Bransky, conducts the interview. John Morton is the Spiritual Director of the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness (MSIA).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":87044,"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":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","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":[261,257,110],"tags":[6620,6623],"class_list":["post-6870","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-john-mortons-current-story","category-ndh-archives","category-service","tag-consciousness-of-service","tag-spirit-of-service"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6870","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\/47"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6870"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6870\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6870"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6870"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6870"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}