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- July 1st
- WORD IN E D G E W I S E
WORD IN E D G E W I S E
- By Nella Abbott
- Published 06/30/2009
- Columnists , July 1st
- Unrated
Nella Abbott
View all articles by Nella Abbott
Last Sunday I attended church for the first time in a while. People were warm and welcoming and the sermon stirred me because of its theme...fear. Fear is something we all have to deal with from time to time, and perhaps more so now than in recent years. These are certainly uncertain times, and I occasionally find myself refering to Dr. Gerald Jampolsky's book written in l979, called, "Love is Letting Go of Fear."
Dr. Jampolsky, is a psychiatrist and graduate of Stanford Medical School, as well as founder of the Center for Attitudinal Healing. He studied, "A Course in Miracles" in depth, and based his small book on the course in a simple, direct way. I'm convinced that Love is the answer, and gaining the trust and freedom to love is a process of letting go. Letting go to a Higher Power is probably experienced differently by each of us, even those of the same religious beliefs who attend the same church. There are a lot of us with shared values that categorize ourselves by different names, but the words that count are, "honest" -- "decent" -- "kind," etc. Those are labels I notice.
The only thing that stands between us and the awesome energy of love...is fear. Sometimes it is fear of, "the other." When we first bought Old City Hall, we were told by a good friend that we were categorized as "uber-liberals" on a blog he read. I laughed! That was one of the most colorful names I've been called. I wanted to show the blogger my NRA membership card, but was still a little embarrassed about having joined.
Yes, I realized a long time ago that it is way too late for
gun control, I'm a staunch supporter of the Bill of Rights, and it was nice to receive a great free cap with my initials on it. It's so easy to label and categorize individuals. That way, one can either accept them because they are an ideological colleague, or reject them because they are, "one of them." An easy no-muss-no-fuss method of judging others and keeping life's choices simple. It saves time, and secures one in preventing new ideas from challenging one's beliefs...
keeps the status quo. Undoubtedly, fear based behavior. For me, spirituality has little to do with dogma and my relationship with a Higher Power should be manifest in my behavior toward fellow human beings. If I treat others with loving kindness and respect, then I am following, my most influential teacher, Jesus Christ. Even as a good Catholic girl, my favorite Saint was Augustine, who in the 4th century, said "Love God, and do as you please." I knew what it meant, and that was dogmatic enough for me.
Do you think that dogma could be the father of hypocrisy? "The world we see that seems so insane may be the result of a belief system that is no longer working." Perhaps it is enough that we choose to see love in the world and appreciate our common bond with one another, stay in the present moment and let our hearts be filled with gratitude for the clean air, good water, decent food, comfortable shelter and each others' good will. I'm trying to feel grateful for all that I have and all that I am, at least three times a day. It helps me feel good. I felt very good this last Sunday at St. James. The ritual was reminiscent of my childhood upbringing and I felt surrounded by loving kindness and peace.
Thank you.
Dr. Jampolsky, is a psychiatrist and graduate of Stanford Medical School, as well as founder of the Center for Attitudinal Healing. He studied, "A Course in Miracles" in depth, and based his small book on the course in a simple, direct way. I'm convinced that Love is the answer, and gaining the trust and freedom to love is a process of letting go. Letting go to a Higher Power is probably experienced differently by each of us, even those of the same religious beliefs who attend the same church. There are a lot of us with shared values that categorize ourselves by different names, but the words that count are, "honest" -- "decent" -- "kind," etc. Those are labels I notice.
The only thing that stands between us and the awesome energy of love...is fear. Sometimes it is fear of, "the other." When we first bought Old City Hall, we were told by a good friend that we were categorized as "uber-liberals" on a blog he read. I laughed! That was one of the most colorful names I've been called. I wanted to show the blogger my NRA membership card, but was still a little embarrassed about having joined.
Yes, I realized a long time ago that it is way too late for
keeps the status quo. Undoubtedly, fear based behavior. For me, spirituality has little to do with dogma and my relationship with a Higher Power should be manifest in my behavior toward fellow human beings. If I treat others with loving kindness and respect, then I am following, my most influential teacher, Jesus Christ. Even as a good Catholic girl, my favorite Saint was Augustine, who in the 4th century, said "Love God, and do as you please." I knew what it meant, and that was dogmatic enough for me.
Do you think that dogma could be the father of hypocrisy? "The world we see that seems so insane may be the result of a belief system that is no longer working." Perhaps it is enough that we choose to see love in the world and appreciate our common bond with one another, stay in the present moment and let our hearts be filled with gratitude for the clean air, good water, decent food, comfortable shelter and each others' good will. I'm trying to feel grateful for all that I have and all that I am, at least three times a day. It helps me feel good. I felt very good this last Sunday at St. James. The ritual was reminiscent of my childhood upbringing and I felt surrounded by loving kindness and peace.
Thank you.