Re: What is your level of Spiritual Fitness?
Post 10
Dear Ganna
Thank you for the additional insight and your eloquence. While personally, I can understand and related to what you have written I do wonder how terre à terre and practical such fine words might be for the less initiated? The term “fitness” has a more contemporary and accessible connation to it, whereas the term “spirituality” is subject to greater misinterpreted and misunderstanding we have already noted. That is first off why I use it! Additionally, it’s not what one knows that matters it’s what one can apply, the latter being what I am more interested in. In essence my basic aim was simply to have people stop and consider something so any term sufficiently enigmatic or quizzical would serve better to achieve this. You could call that “marketing” a non-spiritual terms perhaps but it could also be seen as a means of brining a subject to people’s attention that they do not necessarily think is for them or that they think they already know. If however taken at face value face value, as you seem to have done, then we’re somewhere different. I feel your aim was perhaps to clarify whether we should use the peck deck or the bench press to work our chess, whereas my aim was do you know such a machine exist, how do you use it, are you actually doing the exercise and if so how well are you doing it and are you consistent, etc.
Nevertheless, I am delighted that you seek to question certain things as it give me in turn the opportunity and further motivation to dwell on what you/I have written and give greater credence to this subject which I kicked of somewhat cursorily and provocatively. To that end I have given myself further editorial licence in expanding my thoughts which you can find here: www.box.com/s/i6t4v0usv966fdbq4y10
In the meantime I’d like to be thorough in responding to some of own observations and remarks.
P (postulate). Maurice, you are talking about people changing in 20-30-40 years kind of drifting by external situations,
R (response). I was simply stating that people change with age with that our perception of what seems true in the here and now.
P. About alcoholics creating a destruction, people running from their discomfort and un- ability to respond to situation.
R.On paper we certainly have the ability to respond, but in practice there is a strong tendency to “react”. If we were all in charge of ourselves all of the time my point is there would be no alchoholics.
P. Spirituality is not about changing those things (which you have put here as the wrongness) but about awakening and embracing who you are at your core as magnificent divine human being and bringing it forward and start to live from that place.
R. Never talked about “spirituality” and “change” I referred to “age” and change for better or for worse. Not judging an alcoholic (as to why they are that), but certainly in my discernment, I note the harm he causes harm to himself and others as he is no longer “responding”.
P. And along the way the more aware you become of it, the more you living from that place, the more "garbage" will fall down by itself. And at a certain stage you will no longer need to be «spiritually fit" or do something about it, it'll become who you are. The spontaneity and ability to respond to situation doesn't depend on how you are spiritually fit and how many exercise you do about it, but from the ability of your Being-ness and being the total presence in your live in each 10 seconds moments.
R. These are nice words but they skim over the reality of human conditioning. It also assumes that we have we all become “aware” and if we do we know what to do with it and that we have the time and inclination to do something about it. So “that certain stage” can be very far and some may never reach it. In the meantime, your spontaneity will be based on whatever you believe you are right now (stories of the past, projections of the future) and any garbage in will be garbage out. And some like to hoard while some like to throw out and other ever salvage what others throw out and give it to others as presents.
P. And if you are talking about infinite human being and infinite consciousness which includes everything and rejects nothing, all those things that you have mentioned are part of the process for people to awaken at different stages in their lives. And this is the matter of choice if they want to expand themselves and their reality or want to stay at the place they are.
R. Not sure that’s what I was talking about and even if I agreed with you, which I do, I don’t believe it would help someone to know the A-Z of nutrition before he could start feeling the benefits of eating differently – under the appropriate guidance and correct information – and working out.
P. So, what if instead of correcting what's wrong with us, we would focus on starting to live from our hearts, acknowledge and honour ourselves, our gifts and qualities?
R. I agree by in large but again nice words, nice ideals and most of us like to be thin but we’re not, and if we’re not does that mean we’re happy not thin. How do we practically cut through the conditioning and the stories we tell ourselves that the above is for other but not for us?
PS If you or whomever wishes to continue the debate this subject further then let us meet and talk about it/share views as that would seem the best way to have a more meaningfull exchange (not that I seek the last word, on the contrary).
