Chapter 32 - Towards BEing - Strength for the Journey
Children experience the world directly, with few preexisting concepts or worldviews. This is why children are naturally incapable, in an uninfluenced condition, of being truly embarrassed. Factual observation, devoid of judgement, is their natural domain. This can make them quite astute, and at times, wise in the ways of common sense.
Adults, due to an extended period of 'education', without a developed awareness, quite frequently leap, unwittingly & immediately, from pure, unfiltered experience, to cognitive dissonance & emotional reactions.
Adults quickly know 'facts' upon observation of an experience, however this knowledge is often simply a reinforcement of comfortable attitudes & well-worn opinions. This situation is exacerbated by the Natural Truth that we tend to attract the life situations that we expect to, so unless we manage to withhold all expectations (as children unconsciously do), we will remain in ignorance.
To state things succinctly, children usually start life with a clarity of vision that thinking adults desperately need. This situation has encouraged an undercurrent of societal perspective that goes a little something like this: "Since adults have made such a mess of the world, perhaps we should begin soliciting the advice of children to create solutions." This sentiment, while well-meaning, is rather foolish, and has unfortunately sparked many heartfelt, but poorly managed & ill conceived social movements.
There exists a Third stage of life, commonly referred to as that of the 'Sage'. While this is certainly a loaded term, it is universally well-recognized in our context, so we shall continue to employ it.
Childhood represents the period of learning the development & lawful employment of Strength, in its physical, emotional, mental & spiritual manifestations. Adulthood is the long (and seemingly never-ending) journey to Wisdom. The period of the Sage lies before those who have learned to balance & temper Strength with Wisdom, and now long to enrich & bless society with cultural abundance, properly known as Beauty.
These three stages are marked by obvious characteristics, and one Natural gift that we all share (despite hiding it), is the means to determine those who are capable of helping us develop ourselves, and also the means to see our place on the Universal path.
Age in years has come to be of little help these days, as largely due to the negligence of prior generations now long departed, fewer & fewer individuals are progressing beyond the adult stage at the moment. This is a pity, but not a tragedy.
The tools of the globalization that have so well distracted us paradoxically carry the keys to our liberation. Wisdom is far easier to come by than ever in the (known) history of mankind. To be sure, there is a deluge of disinformation, confusion, & ignorance as well, but have Faith! Our Divine Sparks will guide us safely through these dark waters.
We are all Children, Adults, and Sages inside, and in the various spheres of life. If we become discouraged, it is helpful to remember that typically, while Adulthood involves both Children & Sages (mentors/'Masters'/etc), those moving into the instruction of Beauty begin to rely upon the 'Master Within', that is, our personal inner Divine Principle.
Adults benefit much from wise Masters, but the further journey requires no such directly external instruction or guidance. It is a time to take the lessons learned, and to give back, not necessarily teachings or words, but through providing living examples.
Children learn to Do, Adults to Know, but Sages must master BEing. For Wisdom finally shows us that Children are happiest (and therefore most in tune with Nature) before they 'grow up', a process of endlessly creating karma for themselves in an effort to Know Wisdom. The perfect balance, then, is living Knowing enough to prevent personal karma, but without striving or imaging to Know any more than is essential.
Doing creates the scenarios that, if reflected upon, lead to internally acquired Wisdom, and this Wisdom guides us to only Do that which is Truly necessary. This is the state of Living as one Is, that is Authentically. We can drop all our self-concepts, while retaining with a vast gratitude, all of our experiences & memories.
If you must Do, Do well. If you must Know, then learn Wisely. If you are content, then just BE. BE, while letting others BE, but if they ask you for Wisdom, and/or Assistance, follow Nature, and share a Beautiful Wisdom, a Beautiful Assistance. In so BEing, you will touch more lives, more deeply, than any plan of action, movement, or creed has ever done!