It Only Takes Five Minutes to Predict the End of the World

[Art]

its amazing... i'll sit and wonder what is lacking, what is the road-block. today i read the 3/17 blog titled "it only takes five minutes to predict the end of the world". talk about resonance.

i appreciate david's openness and honesty about his feelings. if i were to describe my "impression" of david, it would be a librarian - a "director of information". like it or not though, david is a leader - he leads by his "example". and, it that sense, we are all "leaders".

getting back to blog itself, the section on relationships really has hit home. i'm happily engaged and have found love. it was through this relationship that i developed the courage to leave corporate america and re-embrace my spirituality. however, lately (past 3-6 months) my fiancee (sp?) has been perpetually stressed out. (note: she is a "dogmatic" baptist, so our "views" essentially differ) i'll admit to being a "perpetrator" during times of my life and in this relationship, but lately our relationship has been "unbalanced" and i'm the "victim". so, as you can imagine, it has been difficult to "progress" in these conditions. i need to reflect more on this "lesson" though...

you'd think i'd feel "sad" when i read this material and the possible implications. however, it was very uplifting and reinforcing. thats what i meant by "its amazing". i felt a strong need to reflect on my "current situation", to find answers, and when i looked, there it was, on the "homepage", in an "obscure place". david's blog addressed items or "questions" for me, specifically leadership and relationships. i already discussed the relationship. for leadership, the message was simple. complete your "inner work" first before you can effectively do "outer work". so, in other words, i have been focusing too much on outer work without having completed my inner work. this is the reason for the difficulties and road-blocks.

so, taking lessons learned in other posts, i need not be "pressured by time" to complete my inner work. i don't need to be "perfect" or "ready" to lead others in the future. get back to "the basics" and "re-discover" love.

thanks.

[soup]

...complete your "inner work" first before you can effectively do "outer work". so, in other words, i have been focusing too much on outer work without having completed my inner work. this is the reason for the difficulties and road-blocks...

there may be many possibilities and each of them may contain some inherent legitimacy. if people upleveled themselves out of ignorance then possibly they would use their "free will" choices in more efficient manners, i.e. completing both inner and outer work simultaneously or in parrallel as if the outer world is but a reflection of the inner world made manifest in a way which they may better become conscious of and comprehend.

of course there is another possibility beyond a serial or parrallel approach, that of working upon the fine line which dissolves such separations.
i wonder, where does inner start and outer begin - could it be the lining of our lungs or alternately the threshold between dream state and awake?

[Art]

soup -

let me begin by saying thanks for taking the time to reply to that post. i am awe-struck at your level of knowledge and the ability to provoke further contemplation on already complicated "topics", for lack of a better word. it takes a high level of knowledge and connections within that knowledge to write the intelligent statements you do. i hope that small praise will "brighten" your day! :d

believe it or not, it feels like years ago since i wrote that. oh how things are different; what, its been about a month and a half ago? is time speeding up? heck yeah! i'd say to anyone reading this here and now - don't wait, don't you dare. quit procrastinating and get out there and do "it", whatever "it" may be... the opportunities are there for you to take, don't wait for them to come to you; by then it'll have been too late...
when i wrote this original post, i was experiencing alot of turbulence in my life. this particular writing of david's helped me step outside myself and look in. i'd warn you though, don't overanalyze situations - do your best with true intent and peace will come. somedays it takes alot of work to see it, but its there, and if you focus on that peace of your life (misspelling intended), it will grow and you will be surrounded by love. :d i recently read that "there is no force in the universe other than positive. "negative" is the lack of positive." so, in other words, the root of "negativity" is either not knowing the "positive" (love, light) or consciously ignoring it (free will to do so). i'm curious to hear what others think of that statement, as it resonated highly within me... either way, the light will shine through, even in the darkest conditions.

i too have spent alot of "time" contemplating the teachings on this forum, and the "movement" overall. however, i was "forcing", and intentions weren't pure enough. eventually i realized that this forum isn't a place for sounding out each and every single thought or idea, and that i didn't need to be a catalyst for discussion... if i felt drawn to respond or create something truly thought-provoking, yes proceed to post. but, i realized early enough to let things go as they are; in other words, surrender the desire "to control". this was very deceptive and took alot of reflection to see this behavior i had...

answers weren't (and still aren't) to be found here, nor discussed. the answers can't be effectively described in words. but, they can be felt. from within. one can describe feelings (we're all having them, aren't we?), but the "translation to words" is poor at best.

am i where i need (or eventually see myself) to "be"? no. i've got a whole lot more growing to do.

i do know this... i believe in all is one, and that we have the ability to grow shed our "perception of separation". additionally, we are all foruntately to be a part of the awakening and to be incarnate here and now. we are spiritual beings having a physical experience. and, to be having this physical experience at this moment in lov(e)volution. think of the infinite number of 3d spiritual beings and how lucky we are to be here and now...

but, i'm still art. so, i am still in "practice"; learning.

back to the original converstion, i think inner and outer work go hand in hand. initially the balance tilts heavily in favor of inner, then moves toward "equilibrium", whatever that may be (can it ever be totally "outer" if "all is one"? hmm...) honestly, i use these terms only to communicate with others here on the forum, and do not think of actions as geared toward "inner" or "outer" anymore...

a wise man on this forum wrote to me,

"pssst- art- we're already celebrating, dude- didn't ya get the memo? the dawning of a new age for mankind on earth is reason enough to celibrate- what'r you waiting for? break- out the good stuff- we're on the threashold of an awakening, that's the talk of the galaxy.......

bob

let's rock this world!!!"

yes sir - let's rock this world! so, as i describe it to everyone around me, "...i'm riding the wave..." my eye is on the "game", but i'll be darned if i'm not gonna enjoy playing it! :d

[Robert Riedel]

"there ya go, man- keep as cool as ya can-face piles of trials with smiles. it riles them to believe that you've perceived the web they've weaved"...and keep on keepin' on! as the moody blues would say...

bob