We are all painfully aware of the lies that our current President Bush is using to convince the public to continue supporting his war in Iraq. This was all developed in order for his family and friends to gain control of the oil in Iraq and to further his and his family’s interests, not the best interest of the American people. Yes, I know some might say that I’m out of order, but it’s all true and documented. Is it our best interest to continue to spend BILLIONS of dollars on a war that doesn’t benefit the American people? Is it in our best interest to force our way of living and beliefs upon another race of people? Don’t you think that it would be in our best interest if the BILLIONS were spent here in the United States for better education, for taking care of the people left homeless from the hurricanes, for improving the infrastructure of our country, for finding more earth-friendly energy for use in cars and homes, and for any number of better purposes than war?
I finished reading ‘The Laughing Jesus’ last night and the last thing they brought up was the war in Iraq and how President Bush responded to the events of 9/11. As I read what they said I was saddened because I know that there are many so called Christians who believe that this war is the right thing to do. But if they were really followers of the teachings of the Christ then they wouldn’t believe this to be so. They would follow what the Christ taught about loving your enemies and forgiveness.
This is a quote from the book, “As long as we live in the ‘us versus them’ world created by the illusion of separateness, we will continue to squabble and fight. We will continue to project the evil within ourselves onto ‘them’. It will always be the other side that is untrustworthy, duplicitous, criminal and inhumane, whilst we are good, honest, legal and loving. It will always be the other guy who is a terrorist, whilst ‘we’ are the freedom fighters. As a press conference following 9/11 President Bush stated:
How do I respond when I see that in some Islamic countries there is a
vitriolic hatred for America? I’ll tell you how I respond. I’m
amazed. I just can’t believe it because I know how good we are.
He’s right, of course. But only half-right. America is a good country. And in many ways it is leading humanity into a new and better world. But America, like every country and every person, has its shadow side. As long as it refuses to acknowledge this, it will continue to project its own ‘evil’ onto the ‘other’. In an ‘us versus them’ world there must always be an evil ‘them’. Just look at how, when the ‘evil empire’ of Soviet Russia fell, a new ‘axis of evil’ was created within a few years to fill the void. … From the Gnostic perspective, the first step to healing the present world crisis would be for us to be big enough to understand our enemy’s point of view. As Jesus says in the Gospels, we need to stop pointing out the speck of dust in our opponent’s eye and acknowledge the great plank of wood in our own. We need to seek out and humbly acknowledge everything we have done to divide ‘them’ from ‘us’. We have to make amends for our own failings, whilst forgiving our adversaries. We have to trust even where trust has been betrayed. And love even where love has been rejected. We need to refuse to play the game of winners and losers, and make it clear that we can only win TOGETHER.”
I continued to read and here are some great quotes found in ‘The Laughing Jesus’.
“Our highest duty as human beings is to search out a means whereby all beings may be freed from all kinds of unsatisfactory experience and suffering.” The Dalai Lama.
“A human being is a part of the whole, called by us the ‘universe’, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest – a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” Albert Einstein as he expressed the Gnostic perspective.
“The problems of today cannot be solved with the same mind-set that created them in the first place.” Albert Einstein
“The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt.” Philosopher Bertrand Russell
Here is the final thought in ‘The Laughing Jesus’: “Let’s both appreciate and improve. Let’s remember to value each mysterious passing moment. Because being alive is magical. Let’s respect ourselves and admire each other. We are amazing. You are amazing. You are the mystery of existence made manifest. You are the universal mind which is imagining this magnificent cosmos. And you are a unique human being with the opportunity to contribute your verse to the glorious song of life. There is no one in this world who is greater than you and none lesser. You are a marvel. There are no words adequate to describe all you are. Let’s stop being so sober and celebrate our existence. Let’s stop being so frightened of life and adopt a pronoid perspective. Let’s live lightheartedly and revel in the humour of our predicament. Because life is a black comedy so ironic that most of us miss the gags. ‘God is a comedian playing to an audience too terrified to laugh’, as Voltaire quips. So, let’s lighten up and enjoy the show. Then we’ll understand why the Gnostic Jesus laughs. Because life is funny. But only heretics get the joke. … If you can learn to laugh at yourself you’ll have a lifetime of amusement. And when you don’t take yourself so seriously, it is easier to be good-humoured with others. We are one human family. So, let’s learn to play nicely.”
“The best way to live is to be in the present moment and get along as best you can, trying to see the funny side of things.” Pagan Gnostic Lucian.
It’s President’s Day. A day to celebrate our presidents. It’s also a day to stand up and hold our leaders accountable for what is best for our country, not what is best for them. You might think to yourself that writing just one letter to your Congressional Representatives or other political leaders won’t do anything, however, that one letter when combined with others makes a very powerful voice. Stand up, make yourself heard, and let your leaders know what you think. It’s time we take control of the United States of America and rule by the common good, not the good of a select few.
Thought for today: Can you laugh at yourself? Can you stand in front of a mirror naked and laugh, fully accepting the mystery of who you are? This is something that I’m learning to do, part of the reason I’m learning to fully accept what I look like, who I am, and what I believe. Are you tired of our political leaders running the country for their own personal benefit? Are you tired of a war that only exists in the mind of a president who created it to benefit himself and his family? Are you ready to stand up and make yourself heard? I’ve been writing my congressional representatives for some now on everything that I think is being done wrong – the Iraq War, the Veteran’s Medical System, the hurricane relief, and so much more. I always get their standard response, but I’m not giving up, because I have hope that my letters will one day be combined with many others to let our leaders know what the people really want.
NOTE: If any of the things you read from my quotes from “The Laughing Jesus” by Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy has raised questions then please look for the answers. I believe that we are all capable of finding the answers for ourselves. I also wanted to share the following link for The Alliance for Lucid Living – www.timothyfreke.com or write to them at: P. O. Box 3733, Glastonbury, Somerset, BA69WZ, England
