feelings

[Harry Kholer]

i have been lurking here for several weeks and i have had an overwhelming
desire to write you all with a couple thoughts. i hope you all will take them
in the way they are meant.

1. i seem to feel a lot of 'i' & 'me' in the messages here. ideas such as 'i
am doing better', 'i am on my way', 'i am a wanderer' etc.

2. i also get the distinct feeling that there are those here who feel that
some kind of 'point system' is at work and the more 'points' you get the
closer you are to 'arriving.'

imho some of you are missing the 'point.'
i occurs to me that following the realization that you exist and are part of
the one, all that remains is service to others. now comes the part some of
you are not going to like.

if in your service to others you are trying to gain 'points' or become better,
or look better or seem higher than those you are serving then you are not
serving them, you are simply serving yourself for yourself.

imho if you and i do not serve others simply for the fact that the service
needs to be with no thought (yes even a thought) of seeming to be anything
but an aid to the person then we are doing the service for the wrong reason
and are not progressing but regressing and only fulfilling our own selfish
needs.

if you brag, or even tell some third party about the help, you have destroyed
the essence of the help and in the overall scheme of things negated the love
and dimmed the light that could be you.

in short, i believe the reason why i do things is more important than what i
do. by this i mean the real reason known only to me. this is the way i have
chosen to lead my life. and above all else i do not lie and more specifically
i do not lie to myself.

this message will find its way to those who need it. those who understand it
will go on, those who do not, at least a seed has been planted.

harry kholer

[jha_amin]

--- in asc2k@y..., harry kholer <harry@e...> wrote:
> i have been lurking here for several weeks and i have had an
overwhelming
> desire to write you all with a couple thoughts. i hope you all
will take them
> in the way they are meant.
>
> 1. i seem to feel a lot of 'i' & 'me' in the messages here. ideas
such as 'i
> am doing better', 'i am on my way', 'i am a wanderer' etc.
>
> 2. i also get the distinct feeling that there are those here who
feel that
> some kind of 'point system' is at work and the more 'points' you
get the
> closer you are to 'arriving.'
>
> imho some of you are missing the 'point.'
> i occurs to me that following the realization that you exist and
are part of
> the one, all that remains is service to others. now comes the part
some of
> you are not going to like.
>
> if in your service to others you are trying to gain 'points' or
become better,
> or look better or seem higher than those you are serving then you
are not
> serving them, you are simply serving yourself for yourself.
>
> imho if you and i do not serve others simply for the fact that the
service
> needs to be with no thought (yes even a thought) of seeming to be
anything
> but an aid to the person then we are doing the service for the
wrong reason
> and are not progressing but regressing and only fulfilling our own
selfish
> needs.
>
> if you brag, or even tell some third party about the help, you
have destroyed
> the essence of the help and in the overall scheme of things
negated the love
> and dimmed the light that could be you.
>
> in short, i believe the reason why i do things is more important
than what i
> do. by this i mean the real reason known only to me. this is the
way i have
> chosen to lead my life. and above all else i do not lie and more
specifically
> i do not lie to myself.
>
> this message will find its way to those who need it. those who
understand it
> will go on, those who do not, at least a seed has been planted.
>
> harry kholer

outstanding post, harry.
alot of "condensed" truths.
i for one thank you for stating your case so well.
however, this problem is not unique to this site,
whether just by nature of the anonimity of the key board or
the desire to impress a few of our fellow man it seems to
carry through on most "spiritual" sites.

glen

but there is still learning. ;)

[jha_amin]

this from a fourth way site from another list
which will remain nameless.

superficial aim and real aim
when we make aim we often do not take into consideration how
difficult it will be to keep it in view of the different events that
may happen to us. we expect we will be able to travel in a straight
line and reach our goal. therefore, when our aim is superficial and
made in a moment of enthusiasm it is usually useless and leads
nowhere.
what is a superficial aim? it is one that is turned towards external
life and which has behind it some personal advantage, for example
merit, praise from other people, that you will be better thought of
etc. in the bible, the christ says: `let not they left hand know
what thy right hand doeth.' matthew 6.3. according to the language
of parables `left' means the weak side or personality,and `right'
means the deeper more real part of ourselves. so if we make an aim
from personality for some advantage, we will not be making it from
our real side. for this reason, real aim must be something that is
not quite put in words, something you don't tell your false
personality and you must not expect to achieve it immediately. in
this way we will not become disappointed by the constant breaking of
it or when it appears that we are going in a different direction
from what we intended. the most important thing with real aim is
that it cannot be reached directly but it is like a sailing ship at
sea which has to tack this way and that according to the wind to
reach its goal.

so to begin to have a real aim we must have made aims to know that
we cannot keep them so that we can see the force of resistance. real
aim comes from an emotional perception of something you dislike in
yourself and you wish to change eventually and can only arise from
long self-observation and valuation of the work. it depends on a
certain integrity of feeling that persists in spite of downfalls and
as a result we need a lot of patience with real aim.



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[Johnny]

--- in asc2k@y..., harry kholer <harry@e...> wrote:
> 1. i seem to feel a lot of 'i' & 'me' in the messages here. ideas
> such as 'i am doing better', 'i am on my way', 'i am a wanderer'
> etc.

empathically, such comment is encouraging both to speaker & audience,
because it invites one to offer a helpful response.

> it occurs to me that following the realization that you exist and
> are part of the one, all that remains is service to others. now
> comes the part some of you are not going to like.
>

one cannot achieve sto merely by visible action. thoughts & feelings
also are deeds, & therefore make up two-thirds of sto! one must seek
to explore/analyze/pray/meditate, etc. to be one with regard to one's
perception/acceptance/reflection of all life in the universe. aspects
of life like regard for environment and treatment of animals are also
a part of sto.

here's one way to view the steps toward sto:

hope = belief = empathy (listening, looking, reflecting)
faith = knowledge = commitment (acting, praying, meditating)
love = unconditional charity = oneness (light, giving, being)

> imho if you and i do not serve others simply for the fact that the
> service needs to be with no thought (yes even a thought) of seeming
> to be anything but an aid to the person then we are doing the
> service for the wrong reason and are not progressing but regressing
> and only fulfilling our own selfish needs.

as explained above, thought & reasons are essential parts of sto.

> if you brag, or even tell some third party about the help, you have
> destroyed the essence of the help and in the overall scheme of
> things negated the love and dimmed the light that could be you.
>
empathically, bragging is discouraging; but it can't be discouraged,
because it invites us to make a helpful response.

> in short, i believe the reason why i do things is more important
> than what i do. by this i mean the real reason known only to me.

since reasons for doing any/some/no thing also are deeds, they are
felt & perceived by others, & therefore never known only to one self.

[my comments betray my 3d training & work as a counselor. :)]

peace & love, john