Jim Palmer's Blog, page 51

Wanting to be happy isn’t bad

“It is okay to desire happiness. Wanting to be happy is a good and universal desire. If you are earnest in your pursuit of happiness, you will find the truth. Unfortunately, religion told us it is selfish to be want happiness, and we accepted that being miserable is a godly attribute.”

- Jim Palmer, Notes from (Over) the Edge: Unmasking the Truth to End Your Suffering

 

You intuitively know the way

How much religious, theological, or philosophical knowledge do you need to be a person of love and compassion? None. And yet, love and compassion are what this world needs most. You intuitively know that love and compassion are the way. Let it guide your steps today, and you will be happy, peaceful, and free.

Questions worth asking

People often feel this angst about whether or not their beliefs about God are correct. Perhaps some better questions would be:

Do my beliefs bring peace?

Are my beliefs a source of joy and freedom?

Do my beliefs inspire kindness and compassion?

Do my beliefs dispel fear?

Are my beliefs empowering my full self-expression?

Do my beliefs motivate love for all people and living things?

Afraid to die, afraid to live.

“Religion made half of us afraid to die, and the other half afraid to live.”

- Jim Palmer, Notes from (Over) the Edge: Unmasking the Truth to End Your Suffering

Your life is your spiritual path

Sometimes it seems there are so many things in this world and about our lives that we have little or no control over. Remedy this burden by being present to the moment, and respond as the situation requires, however slight that response might be. Don’t judge these moments or responses as not being significant or spiritual enough. This is a trap. God and life are inseparable in every moment. You don’t have to gin-up your life with something you deem “spiritual.” Do you suppose Jesus was always looking for some great spiritual thing to do? No, instead he greeted each moment in a spirit of love and compassion, and simply responded as situations required. 95% of these responses of Jesus would have been considered quite mundane.

Have you ever noticed we aren’t happy?

“Have you ever noticed that a fulfilled desire normally provides only a sense of temporary satisfaction? For example, the pleasure we experience from acquiring a new car or home, or purchasing the latest technology is usually short-lived. As a result, our desires increase in intensity and multiply in number. We are on to the next thing. We become more demanding and less content, finding it more difficult to be satisfied. This is how most people pursue happiness, and yet it only increases unhappiness. Do you remember that one definition of insanity? And yet, at the most fundamental level your true Self is undisturbed, at peace, well, and lacks nothing.”

- Jim Palmer, Notes from (Over) the Edge: Unmasking the Truth to End Your Suffering

Everything is connected to everything else

This is always connected to that; everything is connected to everything else. People think they make little difference in this world, and yet your every thought and action affects the whole of humankind and all living things. Today, your expression of compassion and love impacts the whole. If you drop a pebble in a pond, you can see the waves it creates in the water. These waves slowly spread out over the surface of the pond until all the water has been moved a little. So it is with compassion and love, and it’s affect on the world. Compassion springs from the wish for another being to be free from suffering, and love wants others to be happy. Let compassion and love fill your thoughts and actions today, and you yourself will be happy and free.

There are at least 14 Factors that influence what one comes up with in the Bible

“There are at least 14 Factors that influence what one comes up with in the Bible:

1. Your views regarding the inspiration of Scripture.

2. Whether you would favor a literal or figurative interpretation of a

given passage.

3. Your knowledge and awareness of other “related” Scriptures dealing with the same issue, including the immediate context and the broader context of the entire body of Scripture.

4. Your knowledge and understanding of the background and

motivation of the writer.

5. The way in which a given interpretation fits into your over-all

theological belief system.

6. Your level of understanding of the original language in which the

text was written.

7. The various interpretations and commentaries to which you have already been exposed.

8. The ways in which you process information. Some of you tend to

emphasize reason and logic, while others depend more on personal

experiences and intuition.

9. The degree to which you are willing to accept logical inconsistencies as part of your belief system.

10. Your willingness to change your views in the light of new

information.

11. The degree to which you are satisfied with your current views.

12. The amount of time you are willing to devote to your theological

study and inquiry.

13. The unwillingness to consider alternative interpretations that diverge from your religious tradition.

14. Your overall view of God that has been conditioned by many different life experiences and relationships.

Based on the above variables, does it surprise anyone that there are many different ways the Bible is interpreted? This is especially problematic because many people view the Bible as something to be “right about.”

The only absolute truth is God or truth itself, and our best interpretations of the Bible are only an approximation of it. God was God and Truth was Truth before there was a Bible and will continue to be after the Bible is no more. The Bible is not a theological landing strip for a particular belief system about God, but a spiritual launching pad setting us free to explore and enjoy ever-deepening and ever-widening dimensions of life, love, peace, goodness, beauty, and freedom.

Once I realized that the point of the Bible wasn’t to create a belief system ABOUT God the Bible became an invaluable resource for my journey WITH God.”

- Jim Palmer, Notes From (over) The Edge

Truth is not a belief or doctrine

“Jesus basically said, “He who sees me sees the teaching, and he who sees the teaching sees me.” Jesus was the message… the teaching… the truth. It wasn’t something he taught, it was something he was. The truth is not a belief or doctrine. It is something on the level of being – it is the way things really are, it is who you really are. What is this message, teaching, and truth that was Jesus? How could we miss it? It is that there is no separation. God and humankind are not in conflict with each other. God and humankind are one, inseparably connected in the bond of love.”

- Jim Palmer, Notes from (Over) the Edge: Unmasking the Truth to End Your Suffering

Stop judging your life

“Stop judging your life by saying that you should feel or be a particular way, or have special or better experiences. We think thoughts that make us unhappy with out situation, and we crave a different reality than the one we are in. It is this craving that is the cause of our unhappiness. With whatever arises, whether it’s pleasing or not, all we can do is experience and work with whatever our life is right now. No matter what life is and no matter how we feel about it, all that matters in practice is honestly acknowledging what is going on, and staying present to the physical experience of that moment. In that moment, respond as the situation requires but do not become embroiled in endless judgments about what should or shouldn’t be. Stop rejecting and judging your life. Peace is not found in regret about the past or daydreaming about a different future. The present moment is the eternal moment where peace is found. But in order to be present to the moment, you much accept it first.”

- Jim Palmer, Notes from (Over) the Edge: Unmasking the Truth to End Your Suffering