On Realities and Paradigms

A bit of food for thought:

We create our own reality.

Granted, we are born into the reality of our parents and a particular society, culture, and moment in history, but the choices we make as we grow and develop into adults, slowly and inevitably place us in our own, separate experience. Whether we decide to conform to the world around us, accepting the predictable consequences of that choice, or whether we decide to think for ourselves and make choices that take us into unchartered waters, either way, we are the authors of our own story.

Think about it.

We also create our own reality as a society and culture. We do this by developing collective paradigms and assumptions (what is sometimes referred to as our cosmo-vision) based on the knowledge, understanding, and revelation that we have of ourselves, the world, and the universe, physical and spiritual, in our particular moment of history. These paradigms and assumptions change as our knowledge and understanding increases and as we receive further revelation. And that’s the way it should be.

(The universal values that define us as human beings don’t change. Love, of course, being the greatest of them.)

Our goals — individually and collectively — should be to learn more, to understand more, and to gain further insight about all things and as a result, evolve as human beings so we can create a better reality for ourselves and for our children.

That doesn’t mean we reject our past paradigms. They are all part of an edifice of knowledge, understanding, and revelation that humanity has been constructing throughout history. All paradigms taken together from every society and culture — past and present — make up the whole of the collective created experience — the reality — of the human race.

I believe we should have the courage (and the joy!) to be open to new knowledge, new understanding, and new revelation. But we should also be humble in our endeavors, recognizing that no matter how much we know or think we know, what we really know is very, very little.

When pondering questions about life, the universe, and everything, I like to keep in mind the following two quotes:

“All I know is I know nothing.” –Socrates

“All you need is love!” –The Beatles

“Only that day dawns to which we are awake.” –Henry David Thoreau

A Wanderer and a Wonderer

Today’s post is a reflection on my beliefs:

I see myself as a gypsy Christian: a wanderer and a “wonderer”. I borrow truths from here and there, and with them I continually build my own paradigm of the universe. I seek transcendence through revelation, through beauty, and through creativity.  I keep my mind open to the freedom God has given me, and, in that same freedom, I explore and question the universe.

This one thing I know: I am a beloved child of God. This knowledge is my strength, comfort, and refuge. And because I know that my Heavenly Father loves me, I can trust that He will provide and care for me in this life and the next.

My personal religious experience: The Lord Jesus is my savior, my shepherd, my teacher, my brother, and my friend. Apart from Him I am nothing and can do nothing. He rescued me from the pit of destruction many years ago. Without Him I would be dead, gone, and forgotten. He gave me back my self, my soul, and my dreams. Through the Holy Spirit, He gives me the strength and the purpose to carry on day after day.

This I believe:

Love is the most important and powerful force in the universe. Our main goal should be to love God. Loving and taking care of others, ourselves, and our planet are ways of expressing our love for God.

Wisdom should be one of our principal goals, but – like love – wisdom cannot be taught. Charity and knowledge can be learned from teachers, models, books, etc., but love and wisdom are chosen paths in the continuous experience of everyday choices and spiritual growth. We must choose to love and seek wisdom and to live our lives accordingly.

Joy and peace grow out of humility, gratefulness, and communion with God.  But all graces (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, and the like) are part of the fruit or evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives and are ours because of God’s unfailing love.

God has given us gifts and placed beautiful dreams in our hearts. Gifts and dreams He knows will make us experience fulfillment and happiness. But it’s up to us to develop and use those gifts and to respect and pursue those dreams. We will be blessed if we do, for we will be walking in God’s will and living the abundant life Jesus spoke about: A life of value and significance. A life that is a blessing to others. A life full of love, joy, and peace.

“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” – Mother Teresa