Wisdoms from the Journey - Vol VIII (Jan thru Oct 2014)

Thanking GOD for “Un-Guides” – an Introduction …
(09/01/2014)
We all have hundreds of interactions with others every day of our lives.
Many of these meetings occur via mass media & social media, while some happen
"in the flesh". And during quite a few of these interchanges (during most of them,
in fact) we end up hearing various "facts" or receiving various tidbits of "truth";
the open echoes of the beliefs & devotions of those with whom we share ideas.
Now, most of the people we encounter share a mixed bag of information,
with some of their opinions being a bit biased, and others being more "objective"
… And yet a few of our everyday interactions involve folks who reside primarily
at one of two extremes: namely, our "True Guides" -- those rare people with whom
we speak or to whom we listen who give out information that bears the "Good
Fruit" of Peace & Joy -- and our "False Prophets": those very few who spout off
opposing views that promote division, judgment & fear … And while it is easy for
us to be thankful for the former and to denigrate the latter, I am here today to offer
a different way of dealing with life's "False Prophets"; a different way that allows
us to use their maladjusted (and sometimes even malicious) misinformation; a way
that allows them to serve as a help rather than as a hindrance; a way that allows us
to set aside our reasonable feelings of loathing for their lies and hatred for their
hatred, and embrace them instead with grace & gratitude … It's actually a pretty
simple process -- Here's how it works:
First, we identify our "False Prophets" -- namely, those people whose
values & beliefs directly contradict those of our conscience ... Note: These "Un-
Guides" are not necessarily the people who make statements that we find to be
uncomfortable or "radical" or "insulting" or "heretical", or even those who
advocate beliefs that contradict our own. No, the "False Prophets" of whom I
speak are those who advocate division & judgment & fear & hatred instead of
harmony & acceptance & Love & Peace. They are those who champion
accumulation over generosity & self-safety over selfless caring …
And even though such individuals are not that common, there are a few
very-well-known figures who are currently fulfilling this invaluable role for many
of us (I'll mention three of them in the pages that follow) ... In addition to these more
famous examples, each of you will have more-personal relationships with
individuals who are only "False" for you ... These folks aren’t that hard to find --
oftentimes taking the form of a co-worker or even a family member.
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