Receiving the Gift We Give.: Bringing Love, Joy, Unity, Understanding & Freedom into Our Lives.

potential.

Introduction

Where Do We Go from Here?

I believe that spirituality will show us the answers to our problems, whether we’re dealing with Third World starvation or a personal problem right here at home. Spirituality is personal. It is about living your life while being true to what is important to you, not living it the way someone else wants you to. Spirituality means taking a stand when government, religious and corporate entities display unloving behaviors that divide us against one another; behaviors that are not aligned with the Oneness of humanity.

This book will teach you to find your own answers and act on them. I have outlined my thoughts, observations and solutions on several of humanity’s problems with the hope of encouraging discussions that will find solutions for worldwide problems and answers for every one of us. By my definition, spirituality is about being who you are and not being who someone else wants you to be. In addition, spirituality is about taking a stand and voicing disagreement towards unloving behaviors that do not demonstrate we are One. Not finding solutions to our various problems is no longer acceptable.

You will notice that I use the term God throughout this book. Some readers may not be partial to this because of the religious context. Yet many would feel uncomfortable if I had used another term. I am not religious, nor do I share the illusions that most religions spread about God. Although many religions use the word God in worship, I have used it to refer to the Universe, Great Spirit, Creator, Life, Universal Consciousness, or whatever other term you may use to represent your God. If you are uncomfortable with my use of the word God, please substitute it with whatever word works best for you.

My spiritual belief includes God and the idea that we are all a part of God. It is obvious some people have forgotten that we are creative beings, but in the same token we are mere shadows of what we are destined to become. To become who we want to be, it is important to understand that we are all One. Our gifts for creating what we desire are set in motion through entrenching love, joy, unity, understanding and freedom into everyone’s lives. These five items are what I have termed our core drivers. When they are forgotten, no achievement on an individual or collective basis endures. If these core drivers are not imbedded into who we are and how we are living our lives we are doomed to keep repeating our mistakes.

People are passionate about listing reasons why something cannot change. Our resistance to change holds us back, but we should embrace change. It is part of life. Much of our reluctance to change is driven by the wants of our governments, religions and corporations. However, I have found their wishes seldom match people’s desires. What we need are people willing to put forth ideas about how we as individuals can progress and achieve our common desires.

I hope my observations about where I believe we show a lack of love will encourage you to become more aware and to demonstrate that you are love. Love is all that we are. It is through our Oneness and our desire for humanity to experience love, joy, unity, understanding and freedom that we can break our endless cycle of repeated mistakes. We all have a great capacity to discuss our concerns, but we will need to work together to change humanity’s spiritual direction. I believe it is important to understand how and why our actions—or inactions—affect those around us and humanity at large.

When we endeavor to be more perceptive, responsive and conscious concerning our behaviors and their effects, we can manifest our desires. We can choose conscious awareness or persist to create unconsciously and continue to be disappointed with the results.

I will reveal to you specific behaviors that from a spiritual perspective do not work to our benefit. If we step outside our self-created box of illusions we will give ourselves the freedom to be who we want to be. Ultimately, I believe giving love, joy, unity, understanding and freedom to others will free us as individuals and benefit humanity. It is only through sharing the gift of these core drivers with others that we receive them in our lives. Science is comprised of universal laws and I believe these five core drivers also comprise a universal law—a spiritual universal law.

It’s my feeling that when every one of us brings these core drivers into our reality the effect will transform humanity and fulfill our perpetual desire for peace and harmony. As grand as that sounds, it cannot be done without you. But please understand that no one is an island—we all have a degree of interdependency with our surroundings. This is how Oneness works to our advantage. Bring into reality what you are: love, joy, unity, understanding and freedom, and you will be One with all that is. Access who you are by releasing your doubts. As more people practice this, we will create frequency wave after frequency wave of change that cannot be stopped. Being One is all about you—creating from you—and manifesting what you already have. Being One and gifting humanity with these five core drivers will bestow them upon your friends and family, and me as well. And for this, I thank you.

One last but important note: My observations about our behaviors and the role that the five core drivers play cover a diverse set of topics. I will discuss individual behaviors in addition to some of the less savory behaviors of religions, corporations and governments. What I have written is based upon my experience and my personal opinions. All I can do is ask that you give them some consideration and determine what your own beliefs are.

Chapter 1

Our Five Core Drivers

Do you wonder why there is an endless stream of conflict and strife in the world? You are not alone. Many a good person has racked their brains trying to find solutions. Many people will tell you they have the solution. Religious people of every faith vow that if we follow their beliefs our immoral behaviors and problems will disappear. Political representatives of every stripe promise that if we adopt their rules and governance our societal woes will disappear. Corporate leaders state that if we provide them with unfettered freedom and let them do as they see fit, our economic problems will disappear. We have heard proselytizing arguments for centuries. They never cease and neither do the problems. When something is repeated enough times someone will eventually listen. But who should we believe?

Religions have existed for thousands of years. They have ruled major sectors of society and sometimes whole countries. Yet the societies they controlled had the same problems that plagued any other society. Preachers state that we need to get back to our old-fashioned values. The problem is, we have done exactly that in many countries and on many occasions and we were no better off. Religions and their leaders have shown themselves to be cruel and unforgiving. I was taught that God is the creator, God is love and unity. Our religions have shown humanity few of these traits and many have displayed as ungodly behaviors as I could ever imagine.

For much of the twentieth century, corporations have done as they please, gaining control over governments and worldwide commerce. They control the world’s money supply and dictate through their marketing what many of us should desire to own. However, continual unemployment, economic crashes and other hardships are brought about by corporate actions. It should be obvious by now to even the most blind among us that none of our corporate institutions are providing the answers that humanity desires.

Corporations believe that their unfettered freedom is the best solution for humanity and the result has been unbridled capitalism. Once again, humanity has promoted a great failure. Unregulated capitalism has shown how people are easily caught up on a wave of self-interest and greed. As with governments and religions, our corporate leaders have proven they don’t care about humanity. Heck, they don’t often care about their own employees. All they care about is obtaining more power and wealth.

The poisons that corporations have allowed into our water, air and food chain are endless—all in the name of making a few more dollars. Even with the few environmental controls our governments have permitted to be put in place, our corporate citizens are still quietly poisoning every single person on the face of the earth. I have no doubt that without concerned citizens we would have no controls at all. Capitalism has proven to be great for those few who have wealth and power, but as it continues to take root its influence has failed 95 percent of the population. Uncontrolled capitalism has led to the gutting of the middle class in North America and Europe. The rich get richer, while everyone else is slowly poisoned and impoverished.

Governments have been continuous failures as well, despite having free reign to demonstrate their worthiness in multiple countries. Humanity’s goal is peace and harmony and yet there are few examples of governments that have achieved this, even in their own backyard. They implement economic measures and rules that work solely for their own people, apparently not interested in what is good for humanity. They are designed to serve a small slice of humanity and don’t particularly care about the damage they cause other nations. This behavior will never lead to peace and harmony.

A vast majority of those who seek and gain political power become corrupted, deceitful and self-absorbed. If we ignore how our governments treat the rest of humanity, our best domestic achievements still marginalize segments of our own population. Too often we use the excuse that it is done for the greater good. Marginalizing anyone because of their race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, gender (or what have you), breeds animosity, violence and hatred. There is a direct A to B correlation. Any process that creates division will always create dissention and violence. It never fails. Whatever happened to the great American statement We the people?

Religions, governments and corporations are still flogging their wares, and people are deceived into believing they will supply the answers. For hundreds of years they have had their chance and failed miserably. Our religious, political and economic beliefs with their crafted propaganda, morals, rules and laws have failed us at every turn. Yet for all these presumed solutions, no one discusses the problem. What is it we are trying to correct?

Therein lies the answer: our religions, corporations and governments have not been trying to correct anything. What they have been struggling to do, in one form or another, is to control mankind. These leaders are of the belief that gaining control is the answer. And what do they use to gain control? Fear. Too many of us have been raised with fear and are still controlled by fear. Scores of us are driven by fear of failure or that we will be left without, or just left out. As a result, we have become selfish and myopic. It does not seem to matter that it has been our leaders who have made our situation worse. Driven by fear, people will latch onto anything or anyone who promises a better life. Like a person who’s lost at sea, they are hanging onto their lifesaver for dear life. Thoughts of unity or understanding disappear.

While in this state, our lofty goal of finding what works for humanity is no longer important. People worldwide have become herded by false fears and driven to become self-serving. Clearly, this has been achieved through the use of fear for the benefit of a few. How many times do we need to hear from religions, political parties and corporations that if we don’t do what they want it will lead to disaster? They insist we follow what they know to be true, or they can’t be held responsible for the consequences. How many times do we need to be flogged before we realize they are not achieving what we desire? Is it not time we started to look elsewhere for answers? It has become painfully clear the answers we thought we had were not answers at all. What can we do?

The answer is closer than you think. It rests within our hearts and our beliefs about who we are and who we want to become. We must banish the fear that is used by our religions, governments and corporations to satisfy their quest for control, which is driven by greed. They have shown us their true nature. Both intellectually and in our hearts we know these behaviors will never lead us to peace and harmony. I do not believe these leaders have the ability to change because these behaviors have been established for centuries. Nonetheless, it is up to every one of us to show humanity another way. It is through love, joy, unity, understanding and freedom—the five core drivers—that we will find answers.

Compared with using fear to control and divide humanity against itself, the benefits of using our core drivers should be obvious. Love is stronger than fear; joy is more attractive than misery; unity is more effective than division; understanding triumphs over indifference; and freedom is embraced more readily than control. Our core drivers are the principles that will work, no matter the situation.

To practice and enforce these principles, ask yourself how you may bring unity or understanding to any situation. Recognize the immediate change when you demonstrate this in your life and to others. If we can be so ardent in using fear for control why can’t we use love and unity with the same amount of vigor? As an innate goal of humanity, peace and harmony are not at the forefront of our thoughts enough.

It seems that our endless search for a solution that will bring peace, prosperity and freedom to humankind has eluded us, assuming of course, that is our goal. If nothing else, this proves humanity is stubborn and relentless. These are good traits when recognized and used to our advantage. On the other hand, we can be stubborn and relentless to a degree that creates resistance to giving up our age-old methods.

Humanity will only change when there is a change within every one of us. We are a collection of individuals and it is the behavior of the individual that defines who we are. From our presidents, CEOs, imams and priests, to street people, doctors or parents, we shape our world. What we are and how we behave affects our family, friends and acquaintances. Every one of us, no matter who we are, will influence many thousands of people throughout our lives.

It is through the individual that change will be driven. Remember these five core drivers: love, joy, unity, understanding and freedom. These are the gifts every one of us can give. Forget that you’ve heard this before or that it sounds simplistic. Just think about it for a few seconds. Now think about it some more.

Who you are and your behavior will influence thousands of lives. Imagine what would happen if you became aware of your behavior and chose to bring some form of love, joy, unity, understanding and freedom into the lives of everyone you met. Imagine the effect if you did this at least once each day. You would heal old wounds, stop creating new ones and begin to move humanity forward, one day at a time.

I believe we can do this together and with your indulgence, I shall explain why I believe these five core drivers are fundamental in achieving our goals.

Chapter 2

Brainwashed by Fear

Even those who don’t believe in God think about God once in a while. Some of us think about God habitually. My attention to God has been replete with peaks and valleys and in retrospect this strikes me as being odd. As a child I spoke to God daily and continued to do so while I grew into adulthood. God was always available to chat, provide quiet advice or answer my questions. Nonetheless, as I became an adult, thinking about God and thanking God was a rare occurrence.

God had been my best friend for years but I let much of that go. Though I knew why at the time, the reasons didn’t make me proud. Worldly goods and adventures had become more attractive to me than God and I wanted to try them all on for size. However, I was continually told that God would not approve of my sins. This made me feel somewhat ashamed, but I was having too much fun to stop. I was involved with drugs, drinking, all-night parties and sex, and I harbored a desire for material wealth and social status.

Curiously, I did not ask God about these activities. I allowed people’s religious beliefs to brainwash me into believing worldly goods, materials, sex and other adventures were evil. I don’t know about you, but over time the all-night parties, drinking and gaining material wealth lose the spark of adventure they once had. I believe the phrase is seen it, done it. With age comes experience and hopefully wisdom.

Eventually, I remembered how God had been my best friend during childhood. I missed that friendship and wanted it back but I was afraid that God wouldn’t forgive me for my sins. In my mind, I had turned my back on God and yet, as I discovered, God was still there for me when I was ready. All I had to do was open up and talk to God again.

Over time I forgave myself, which made God laugh because there was nothing to forgive. God reminded me that my experiences made me who I am today. By standing back and letting me forget God, God taught me much about who I want to be and who God is. Being brainwashed by fear of God is what drove me away from God. Fear is a tool used to control people and herd them where they want us to go. Unfortunately, it works extremely well.

If you are like me—and I find most people are—it is our core drivers of love, joy, unity, understanding and freedom that we desire to access and develop in our daily lives. Intuitively we know this is who we are. I believe that what people dislike most about our world are those aspects that do not reflect our core drivers. We feel anger towards organizations and people who do not demonstrate love, joy, unity, understanding or freedom. What I have learned through my experience of growing into adulthood is that God is love. There is no forgiveness necessary and that is a clear demonstration of love; it is joy and it provides freedom.

Since having this realization there has been an interesting change in my life. I love God and appreciate what God has done. I thank God more now than at any other time I can remember. My experiences and friendship with God have created this awareness within me. Although I had been taught to thank God every day and it felt right, sometimes I would forget because it was never fully explained to me why I should do this. It had not seemed appropriate to ask God this question. I learned through my chats with God that giving thanks was not demanded but nevertheless my intuition told me it was the right thing to do. Still, I wanted to know why and my intuition told me I should search for the reason.

Oh, I was told the usual stories and preached to about how giving thanks keeps you in God’s good graces; that it keeps God on top of mind and is a continual reminder to follow God’s rules. Then came the ultimate threat: you will go to hell if you do not praise God or follow God’s rules. Regardless of where this information came from, deep inside my heart I was not comfortable with any of these answers.

If God is all-loving and we are God’s children how could this be possible? It did not feel appropriate for an all-powerful and loving God to demand that I follow a set of rules and offer my thanks, or even worse, that if I didn’t I would be horribly punished. Why would I, or anyone else for that matter, be sent to hell for not following a few rules?

For many years I had tried to lead a good life and treat everyone with respect. What difference would breaking a few rules make? I did not know the answer to this question. To further confuse things and keep me hanging on a string, some people offered the following reasoning: Why take the chance? If it is true, you have all the bases covered. If it is not true, you are fine either way. This explanation felt hollow and deceitful, yet I could not pin down why. I questioned how not obeying some rules over a period of forty to sixty years of adult life could result in horrible torment for an eternity. The punishment did not fit the crime.

While I recognize that many religions have modified the rules and claim this is no longer true, the outcome is still twisted for their benefit. You can only obtain forgiveness by repenting to one of their authorities. If not, you suffer purgatory, which by the way is not as bad as hell. Some religions believe in multiple lives, which makes more sense to me. However, they too clutter up the works with threats of coming back as a lesser being if you don’t follow their rules. On and on the stories have shifted and changed over time and from religion to religion.

Some explanations have been made ridiculously complex in order to cover up their flaws. Organized religions, as much as they may claim otherwise, do not speak for God, nor is God even remotely represented by their rules. For example, how would you describe someone with the following traits?:

vengeful;

intolerant;

chooses some people over others;

will torture you for being disobedient;

demands praise;

will only accept you if you follow one religion;

demands you follow a detailed set of rules;

tells you what you can and cannot eat; or

condones killing people who are disobedient.

I have asked various people how they would describe a person like this and was told that this person was demented, soulless and evil. I must admit, a person with these traits does have few redeeming qualities. However, this list of traits is used by many religions to describe God.

If you find my last statement shocking, read the list again. Have you not heard it stated by religions that God will take vengeance; certain people are chosen; you will go to hell for your sins; you cannot eat pork; a disobedient son should be stoned to death? I have heard these statements and more as being ascribed to God by multiple faiths.

I notice two problems with how this list portrays God. The immediate one is most obvious and of greatest importance. If we believe these traits apply to God why are we surprised when people portray them? Humans are pretty observant. We notice how others behave and we emulate the people we admire. Unfortunately, without realizing it, people believe the above list reflects godly traits and as a result, are likely to mirror them in their own lives. The second problem with our portrayal of God concerns how we first came to give God these ungodly traits. Humanity has a history of being brutal. We have projected how we behave onto our image of God since we had no other frame of reference to use except ourselves. The world’s most powerful empires have preserved power by wielding an iron fist and it was obvious that this behavior worked. Being the highest authorities on earth and believing they were sanctioned by God, they used themselves as the model of behavior for portraying God. With these beliefs, why would any authority portray themselves as being contrary to God? These people may have been in power but they were not loved. If not for the fear these authorities wielded through their soldiers and a fear of God, they would have been killed in an instant.

God is love and religions rarely espouse love towards others. The contradiction was far too enormous. Religious rules, edicts and dogma have nothing to do with the nature or makeup of God. They have been manufactured by man and have been created for self-serving purposes.

These rules have been concocted by people (read religions) to control us through fear in order to gain power. There have always been power plays between governments and religions to determine who would have control over various societies. Religions have enormous powers and throughout history those in control have continually been placed on a pedestal. Even though they are people, not unlike the rest of us, we have been trained to treat them as icons, deeming them more important than their followers.

Recent history has shown us how some religious leaders have gone to the extreme, convincing people that their word was God’s word and that it must be obeyed. Voicing any disagreement was used as proof that you were against God. Repercussions for voicing disagreement included the torturing or killing of the dissenter and their family. This happened (and is still happening) with religions and governments alike in far too many places. I would imagine that if there was no clear escape and a person was fearful for their life, they would indeed succumb to fear. Fear has been used as a control tactic for centuries by neighborhood bullies, governments (as demonstrated by the Third Reich), and by religions. The concept of hell as a control mechanism brings to mind the following quote: It is Hell, of course, that makes priests powerful, not Heaven, for after thousands of years of so-called civilization fear remains the one common denominator of mankind. H.L. Mencken.¹

We have worldwide means of communication, including postal service and telephones, mobile devices, social media, texting and the Internet, movies and television. The passing of information between hundreds of millions of people around the globe occurs within minutes, or at the most, in days. Now, governments and religions are having a difficult time controlling the population. With easy access to new ideas and information, people have begun to question statements and actions that would have been accepted blindly one hundred years ago. Our current religions are losing their followers because they resist giving up their old ways of hierarchy and control. Their message is based upon fear and We know better, we are the only way to God no longer rings true. People have found inspiration from God through a multitude of religious concepts and other spiritual teachings.

I keep reminding myself of one question: Do you believe God is the Alpha and the Omega, the all-powerful being and source of all love and creation? If you can answer Yes, then how could you believe in a God that needs anything—especially anything from us? How could you believe in a God that must resort to threats to get what they want? God has no needs because God is everything and can do anything. How could a being that is everything and all powerful be needy? Religions have created a fear of God in their desperate attempts to control people and hold onto their power.

Governments and corporations are no better. The continual use of fear as a control mechanism has mastered human behavior around the world. According to our religions, even God sanctions the use of fear as a tool and if God says so, it must be appropriate for us to use it as well. It saddens me when I observe how many people still believe God must resort to paralyzing threats of extreme and unjust punishments in order to command our obedience. Many religions teach this as the way of God. I believe this is contradictory and divergent to how an all-powerful being would behave. This is human behavior, not God behavior.

Do we really believe this will bring peace and harmony to humankind? For me,