Making a Difference

Thoughtful Evolution

In the spiritual communities which have aligned themselves with a philosophy called “New Thought” one of the primary tenets is that we are energy beings; spirit wearing a space suit we call a body.  Mind you, New Thought is only new to the western mind.  It is a compilation of principles taught and proven in countless societies, since before recorded history.

So far in this world physical power has dominated, or so we thought.  Let’s take a look at the evolution of thought and how it relates to human physical evolution.  If we look at humanity’s history, with all its beauty and horror, courage and cruelty, we can see significant shifts along the way.  How many hundreds of generations passed when we didn’t even have language?  Then over time  we shifted from rule of the strongest male, rule of magic and superstition, rule of city states and kingdoms, rule of law, and so on.  Each shift in our community interactions was an evolutionary shift and each one began with an idea.  A new thought.

Here is the key concept.  None of those shifts could have happened unless enough people accepted and believed the new thought.  Whatever the thought, it had to be accepted and energized by Spirits in bodies before it could show up in the physical world as what appeared to be physical power and physical reality.

The evolution of though has carried us from grunting survival to where we are today.  Along the way there has been much beauty and horror, courage and cruelty.  Heroism and greed.  There still is.  Here is the good news.  In spite of our faults, in spite of our seeming detours into destructive errors, we have come a long way.  Kindness is growing.  More people have food and hope.  More people show up to offer food and hope to others than ever before.

To paraphrase Einstein, we need to decide whether the universe we live in is friendly or unfriendly.  Each of us must make that decision and as we do, each of us will be a force to bring into physical reality that which we hold as true in our hearts and minds.  Ultimately, this is a friendly universe and our fearful or greedy thoughts can do no more than create temporary detours in an evolutionary process which is an upward spiral toward more and more good.  Choose your thoughts carefully.  They carry the power of your spirit and join with others of like kind.

Making a Difference

You want me to do WHAT??

   When we give of our time and talent through volunteer work, or our resources through donations, we are making a difference in our communities in a very important way.  How many people would starve on the streets of the United States if there were no food banks? 

How much more would the people of New Orleans and other disaster areas  suffer without the donations and help of private individuals?  Some kids have a backpack, new jeans and school materials only because of Back-To-School collections in churches.  New England and other areas have been graced for many years by our volunteer fire departments.  The list could go on for pages.  We are a generous nation, both at home and abroad.

   There is, however, something else we can do that does not take any time or any money.  That might sound like an oddball statement in a world consumed with busyness and nervous about high costs.  What value could possibly exist without the commitment of time and money?  We all know the buzz words.  “You get what you pay for.’  “No pain, no gain.”  “There’s only so much you can do.”  “I’m only one person, and I have a family and obligations.”  “You want me to do what?”

   Perhaps we could ask ourselves if we are engaged in a dance of survival or in a dance of creativity.  People caught in survival mentality see all the ways they can lose.  People engaged in creative mentality continually search for better options.  Sometimes those better options can be stunningly simple. 

   This “something else we can do” is about a shift in how we see the world and our own place in it.  It is not about finding a way to do more or give more.  This idea simply requires a specific focus of our attention.  Quantum Physics has rocked the scientific worldview by proving that the smallest particles of matter change behavior in the presence of human attention.  That means your attention counts whether you know it or not, and your attention can count for a lot when you choose to use it consciously for positive change.  If you have ever walked into a room full of people and been able to sense either a very positive or negative feeling, what follows will make perfect sense to you.  Let me set the scene.

   The world is not in a very happy state right now.  Volatile might be an apt word to use.  Fear, distrust and hatred, leading to hunger, suffering and death are in every newscast.  But fear, distrust and hatred are only possible when people agree on them.  What if some of us started changing our agreements?  That begins with changing our own thoughts.

   For instance, I go into a store to shop several times a week, usually rushed and distracted.  You know what that looks like.  There are a lot of us rushing around, looking distracted and bumping into each other.  Suppose I, or you, take a deep breath on the way in and choose to focus my/our attention on looking for something positive to comment on while shopping.  Or we could deliberately make eye contact as often as possible and offer a smile.  What might people sense from us when our focus is consciously directed toward being a kind and smiling presence?

   And then, suppose I or you convince a friend or two to try the same thing, and they liked it and started telling more friends, and then……….  How long might it take for this idea to move around the world?

   “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.  Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”   Margaret Mead, 1901-1978

Time Travel

Boundaries of Space and Time

So, here’s something to consider.  What if time as we understand it isn’t real?  What if it’s just a game we made up?   What if the boundaries of time had no power over us?  What might happen if we taught ourselves to think outside of time?  Maybe we could create new realities with looser boundaries.  How would you arrange your thinking if there were no time fences constraining you?  Beyond that, what might you believe is possible if neither time nor space could not contain your mind?

Some years ago two university students, a computer scientist and a budding physicist devised an experiment.  Both of them were familiar with studies focused on psychic abilities and other paranormal activities but realized none of those studies were conclusive.  There were already a number of accepted scientific devices in common use that could measure brain activity and the resonance of energies in the bodies.  Then one day a prominent scientist proposed that the brain itself did not have enough cells to manage even the physical needs of the body, let alone go beyond that into the realms of thought and creativity.  There must be an  intelligence in the very cells of the body itself running most of the “works.”

The two students created a software program which proved this was true.  The cells contained not only a basic intelligence, but also awareness and the ability to communicate; in other words, cells possessed consciousness.  Their excitement carried them to the next step, which was to try to determine how far each individual human consciousness reached into the universe.

They discovered that the concentration of measurable consciousness dispersed as distances increased, but they were unable to find an outer limit; a boundary where it stopped.  I wonder how much farther they would have gone if it had occurred to them they were measuring the wrong thing.  How real is time?  We certainly assign it a great amount of reality.  What is space, really?  The sky looks mostly empty, but we are awash in the midst of it.  What might you believe is possible if neither time nor space could not contain your mind?