I believe in a phenomenon I have been known to call a 'Universal connection'. Yesterday one of these destined occurrences deeply affected the mood I was in and took me from feeling pretty low and depressed to feeling a joyous epiphany. Let me tell you about what happened. You see, I don't believe in random, arbitrary coincidences. My understanding is that life is a combined relationship between humanity's freewill, and the will of a higher power who I call 'The Great Spirit". I believe in a paradoxical type of destiny that is both preordained by this higher power, but also can be altered by our own decisions that we make every moment of everyday. Opportunities and obstacles are presented and then we are to decide whether or not to take any specific action relating to the situation.
O.K. So yesterday I wasn't feeling very well; I have a history of depression and anxiety and I perceived a few events that happened to me as being quite negative. Well it just so happens that the day before I had been sent an email from my Tai Chi instructor that had some links that related to depression, as they know of my problem. I looked at one site that was about some new form of neurotechnology where listening to a certain type of C.D. is supposed to send one's mind into a deep state of meditation. I am admittedly skeptical about this sort of thing as of course money is always supposed to exchange hands. The good thing about this particular site is that they offer a free sample C.D. of which I ordered.
Anyhow, I started to peruse over the information on this site and I came across some quotes by famous people. One that struck me was by a Rabbi Hillel and as my good friend at work is very interested in Jewish culture and religion, I cut and pasted it into Messenger for him to read. As I was feeling down, I left work early and went home to read some more of a book that I've really been enjoying lately. It's called 'Sacred Journey of the Peaceful Warrior' and is written by Dan Millman. It's the sequel to a book I really loved entitled, 'Way of the Peaceful Warrior'. After reading for a chapter or two I came up to Chapter 17: 'Courage of the Outcast'. The chapter began with these words:
If I am not for myself,
Who will be for me?
And if I am only for myself,
What am I?
And if not now, when?
(Hillel, Sayings of the Fathers)
This was the exact quote that I had sent to my friend earlier that day! Out of all the quotes in the world, out of all the chapters I could have read up to, out of all the days in my life; this quote came up twice in one day! I knew there must be a reason for it happening so with some help from my friend I did a little research today on the Internet. This quote has been translated from Hebrew so I have now come to see that it has been interpreted in many different ways. This is the general meaning that I have come to think that the words mean:
'If I am not for myself, who will be for me?' relates to self-esteem. It means that if you don't believe in the spiritual aspects of your Self and love yourself for your divine essence and not just your ego, then others will only see you as someone who hasn't truly formed an identity of your own. If you don't love and have faith in yourself, then others will naturally find it hard to love and have faith in you.
'And if I am only for myself, what am I?' To me this is about then spreading your love and faith to others around you. It is very important to do things that will make you feel better about your own self-esteem, but just doing things for yourself is selfish. The best way to become a strong and happy person is through the service that we can do for others. We have to realize that others are just another form of ourselves, the 'I' that is intrinsic to all forms of life in the Universe (Great Spirit), and their well-being is just as important as our own.
The last line, 'And if not now, when?' refers to action. It's all good and well to have this knowledge, but it is the act of putting it into action that is of greatest importance. Now is the only time that is truly real. The past is gone and can never be lived again, while the future has not appeared yet and for some of us (while in human form) it won't ever come. Any second could be our last, so now is the time to put our knowledge and beliefs into work by integrating them into our every movement.
I believe that these 'Universal connections' happen all around us everyday of our lives. We only have to focus our attention to see them; though sometimes they are so profound they will just jump right out and smack you in the face!
Jesse S. Somer
M6.Net
http://www.m6.net
Jesse S. Somer is a human who is learning to remember that there is more to this life than meets the eye.
Whenever, we have a task or project to carry out... Read More
(Channelled)Good morning Roy, good morning Joseth.What has love got to... Read More
I said something last week I haven't said in years.... Read More
Iktomi:Another and somewhat longer term correspondent of mine is a... Read More
We may sometimes consider the difficulty that occurs with our... Read More
Our church is infested with lobby lizards. They crawl around... Read More
Observations from the Town Car... "Home James!"The bulk of driving... Read More
Last NAN I explained how to petition the female Saints... Read More
As you grow in wisdom, you will release, more and... Read More
It is life, time for breathing deep, sighs and touching... Read More
We humans are a funny, funny breed. We spend our... Read More
The junk I'm talking about is the stuff that we... Read More
Some men see things as they are and say, "Why?"... Read More
Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God;I... Read More
I want to tell you a love story. It's actually... Read More
The expression "Spiritual Enlightenment" has been used often in reference... Read More
The Birth of Jesus Christ18 Now the birth of Jesus... Read More
The "Left Behind" series is inspiring, in that it makes... Read More
In the movie "Forest Gump" we see Forest succeed in... Read More
What is success? It probably means different things to different... Read More
Why Abandon Religion?It is so commonly believed today that religion... Read More
"This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as... Read More
Stress & Spirituality ? How Spirituality Affects Stress LevelsTake a... Read More
I have discovered as I grow older in Christ Jesus... Read More
Charity isn't the easiest virtue to master. And with St.... Read More
Breese limo service at o'hare ..There are many energy beings available to assist us in... Read More
In Corrogue it is frosty.The ramp into our "acre of... Read More
Jesus said, "No one can see the Kingdom of Heaven... Read More
After 6 years, I left an abusive relationship with an... Read More
Matthew 2:16-18Herod Kills the Children16 Then Herod, when he saw... Read More
Of the many individuals who were touched through the ministry... Read More
CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA: Of course we may never know the real... Read More
If we are honest with ourselves, we would have to... Read More
What better example than Jesus' life to explain about having... Read More
It's human nature to point a finger when we think... Read More
The fundamental aim of spiritual study is to get facts... Read More
On reading Susan Cato's Time Magazine Canada piece titled, "In... Read More
Have you ever thought about how your orientation to time... Read More
The essence of the Christian faith is the good news... Read More
The bible tells a story about four men who sat... Read More
Matthew 3:4-6 John Baptizes the People4 Now John wore a... Read More
I have held numerous teleconference workshops where I help individuals... Read More
First, there is the field of complete consciousness.This then expresses... Read More
1. How can anyone receive direct communication from Divine Source,... Read More
(Channelled)Good morning Roy, good morning Joseth.What has love got to... Read More
It's strange how my life today looks wildly different from... Read More
When we feel that something has gone wrong and are... Read More
What the Animals Tell Us"I am the Sun's son. I... Read More
Life is growth. For many people life is like a... Read More
Throughout history, what is portrayed in all religions as being... Read More
Spirituality |