Thank You For Being You

There aren't really studies done on this topic but I'm willing to bet the majority of us never hear the phrase "thank you for being you". So many of us aren't even ourselves, we are just a variety of masks that we wear to please others. We wear a different mask for every person in our life. A majority of our masks are on a subconscious level. 

Let me give you a real-life example from my life. One day when I was a child, I called my mother by her name, to me, I was just imitating my father (something children do), he called my mother by her name, I heard him say it and I repeated it. To me it was an innocent act that I probably would have never thought twice about. The look on my father's face when I called my mother by her name, instantly told me I had "done something wrong", he immediately started yelling at me and told me to never ever call my mother by her name ever again and I am only ever allowed to call her mom.

That single event created a split in my mind, where I believed I couldn't be myself around my parents, I had to mask that part of myself. It got pushed down into my subconscious, and from there on out I was always wearing a mask, not only around my parents, but around every adult I encountered. I was constantly terrified of accidentally calling an adult by their name and getting in trouble. Eventually I forget about the memory on a conscious level, but it was still hidden in my subconscious manipulating my thoughts and actions. This single event isn't really that big of a deal, right? Actually, it is, anytime we stop being ourselves for anyone, we are suppressing ourselves, we are not being authentic, when we aren't authentically ourselves, we have enormous amounts of stress. Stress leads to all sorts of health issues.

We do this with every person we encounter, when we upset someone, we subconsciously try to avoid upsetting that person further, we do that by changing our own behavior and thinking. There have been studies that show we start doing this as toddlers. We will even lie to ourselves and change the reality of a situation just to avoid upsetting the "other" person. We humans tend to avoid unpleasant feelings or situations, so we often find it easier just to go along with whatever is happening instead of being authentic and possibly upsetting someone further. The truth is, the person getting upset, is the one holding on to issues from their past. We take them getting upset and believe that we are the cause of their being upset, in reality we are just triggering a memory of something inside of their psyche that they are suppressing.

We humans alter our behaviors, thoughts, and beliefs to appease "others" so often that a majority of us have absolutely no idea who we are. We all think we know who we are but if you really take time to question who you are, you won't be able to figure out which parts are you and which parts are you just trying to please "others". Authentic people tend to be worshipped and admired, deep down everyone knows that we aren't being authentic and when we see an authentic person, we idolize them because we wish we could just be authentic. We admire what we think we lack; we think we lack the ability to be authentic, so we worship that in "others". 

We aren't happy because we aren't authentic. Maybe you grew up in a religion, but you could never really relate to that religion, it just never felt right to you, you always felt out of place. You weren't allowed to even say any of those thoughts out loud, you can't question your religion or faith, "our family has been in this religion for generations, it's just who we are" but maybe that's not who you are, maybe another religion was meant for you, or no religion at all, but you never allowed yourself to even ask the question. Maybe you've been a "Christian" or a "Jew" or a "Muslim" or a "Buddhist" your entire life, it's part of your identity "who you are". Why is that your identity? Is it your identity because that's who you really are, or is it just because your family told you that is who you are?

You are real and you exist. You are normal and perfect. Deep, deep, down inside of all the layers of people pleasing masks, you are there waiting to be set free. Your authentic and true nature is within you, and it can be found. How do you find your authentic and true nature? How do you figure out who you are? Watch yourself, watch your behaviors, watch the things you say, and watch your emotions. The more you watch yourself, the more you'll see what behaviors, words, and emotions are coming from you, and which ones are coming from "others". How do you watch yourself? Meditate

The truth is, you are always being authentic all the time. You, wearing masks for the sake of "others" is simply what you are doing, it is what is happening, you can't be anyone but yourself. When you uncover who you are, your authentic true self, you see that is all you ever were. The illusion of not being your true self comes from believing what others have told you about who you are. You believe yourself to be a combination of everything that everyone has ever told you that you are. You are not who everyone else thinks you are, you are you, that is all you can and will ever be. You are perfect and there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. No matter what is happening, no matter what anyone tells you, no matter what you've done, no matter what you're going to do, no matter how "broken" you are, no matter what you believe, THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOU and YOU ARE PERFECT!

THANK YOU FOR BEING YOU! The universe literally could not exist without you! I couldn't be sitting here writing this to you if you didn't exist, you are vitally important to this universe, whether you believe it or not. There is nothing wrong with you, you don't need to do anything you don't want to, and you don't need to change anything about yourself you don't want to, you are perfect the way you are. I LOVE YOU exactly how you are, and I wouldn't change a single thing about you, you are as the universe created you. I Love You and Peace Be With You!

You are a very special person. There is only one like you in the whole world. There's never been anyone exactly like you before, and there will never be again. Only you. - Fred Rogers

Self

God is selfless, you are selfish. You can't have self without unself. They are two sides of the same thing. You (your identity, beliefs, opinions, memories and ego) are selfish, you always want more, and you are never satisfied. God (Selfless Love) lacks/wants for nothing. God (Selfless Love) is inside of you and therefore part of you. You (your identity, beliefs, opinions, memories and ego) don't exist. You are only an idea of yourself that you believe yourself to be. Since God (Selfless Love) exists, and you (your identity, beliefs, opinions, memories and ego) don't exist, all there is, is God. God is your true nature, God is who you are, God is everything.

God (Selfless Love) is within everything. If you believe yourself to be separate from God, you don't allow yourself to see God within yourself or "others". Just because you refuse to look at God, doesn't mean God isn't there. You (your identity, beliefs, opinions, memories and ego) are only able to believe that you "exist" due to the fact that God (Selfless Love) exists. Can't have one without the other. Christ said you are all gods. God (Selfless Love) is all there is. I Love You and Peace Be With You!

The Holy Bible

Before the bible was written, it was a collection of stories that were passed down from generation to generation. There were no computers, phones, typewriters, pens, or paper. "The earliest known writing was invented there around 3400 B.C. in an area called Sumer near the Persian Gulf." According to this site "The Bible is between 3,400 and 1,900 years old", and this site states, "The Old Testament was written between 1500 BC and 400 BC, though many scholars differ on the dates." Creationists, or literalist, or fundamentalists (different terms for same type of interpreters) believe that "the Bible, interpreted literally, suggests that the world is roughly 6,000 years old". Literalists belive that God created the earth roughly 6,000 years ago and yet the bible was only written roughly 3,000 years ago, which leaves us with roughly 3,000 of the bible not being in written form. 

Before the bible became written word it was spoken word. For roughly 3,000 years the bible stories were shared as a community and passed on through the generations. Since there wasn't any technology at that time, the people of the day would tell stories, they would gather and tell the stories as a community and contemplate them together. There was no preacher telling anyone what they should be doing. Christianity didn't exist back then and "The origins of Judaism date back more than 3500 years". Judaism being the predecessor to Christianity.

Current biblical religions are unrecognizable when compared to earlier human beliefs and traditions. Current biblical religions have been transformed into a patriarchal belief system in which there needs to be a person at the top to tell the community what to do and how to do it, a preacher. The bible was originally shared by everyone for everyone as opposed to its current position that only a select few are "chosen by God" and it's those chosen one's responsibility to tell the masses how to interpret the bible. Which is fine, that's where our society is now and it's all part of the process.  

The issue with our current western religious situation is a preacher is only preaching their own personal interpretation of the bible. For Literalists, this is fine, since literalist believe that there is only one interpretation of the bible and that is interpretation is literal, and the preacher has divine wisdom that the rest of the masses weren't blessed with. Nothing wrong with the literalist view of the bible. It should be mentioned that even literalists disagree about the literal interpretation of the bible, which results in different denominations of churches. If there was only one literal interpretation of the bible, then why so many denominations?

There are four major types of interpretation of the bible. The four senses of Scripture is a four-level method of interpreting the Bible. This method originated in Judaism and was taken up in Christianity by the Church Fathers. As you can see early church fathers took up this belief, the belief that there is more than one way to interpret the bible.

From Wikipedia:

For most medieval thinkers there were four categories of interpretation (or meaning) used in the Middle Ages, which had originated with the Bible commentators of the early Christian era.

1. The first is simply the literal interpretation of the events of the story for historical purposes with no underlying meaning.

2. The second is called typological: it connects the events of the Old Testament with the New Testament; in particular drawing allegorical connections between the events of Christ's life with the stories of the Old Testament.

3. The third is moral (or tropological), which is how one should act in the present, the "moral of the story".

4. The fourth type of interpretation is anagogical, dealing with the future events of Christian history, heaven, hell, the last judgment; it deals with prophecies.

Each of the four major types of interpretation also include various types of minor interpretations, some believe that there are countless ways to interpret the bible, since it ultimately boils down to each individual experience, perspective, and viewpoint. 

In John 10:11 Jesus Christ states "I am the good shepherd". "A good shepherd knows how to make his flock go where he wishes without force. He guides them. He must guard his sheep against predators. And a good shepherd can offer them comfort through just a word.." The definition from Merriam-Webster Dictionary: to guide or guard in the manner of a shepherd. 

A good pastor is a shepherd, not a preacher. A preacher tells you what to do, a shepherd guides you. A preacher speaks from their own interpretation, a shepherd allows you to interpret it your own way while guiding you and protecting you. Here's a real-life example, a preacher will tell you that "it is your duty to tithe and give back to God, or else you'll be punished", a shepherd would simply explain to you, "by tithing your learning to trust in and rely on God" and then leave it up to you to decide whether or not you choose to tithe.

This post is not bashing on preachers, people who preach are doing what is necessary for them and those that follow them. The world needs preachers, that's why we have them. This post is simply to ask the question; what type of pastor are you following; a preacher or a shepherd? I Love You and Peace Be With You!

Philanthropy

Give money to the less fortunate, donate items you no longer need to those who don't have as much, donate your time to a charity, you reap what you sow, Love your neighbor as yourself. We've all heard that we need to give to the less fortunate and help those we are able to help. It's just usually not explained to us why it's helpful to give to "others". If we knew what giving to "others" accomplished, we would all be jumping at the chance to do so at every opportunity. 

Most of us have the wrong idea when it comes to helping others who are less fortunate. Most of us are thinking of it in terms of "what's in it for me?" and since it appears on the surface that you are giving to someone "other" than yourself, and nothing is in it for "me", there isn't much motivation to actually care. Some of us give our time and or money but it's just so we can show off how charitable we are and so everyone can see how special we are. That doesn't mean we can't learn anything by letting the ego run the show. There is always something to be learned in everything. Some of us donate out of obligation, out of fear of punishment, or as a duty.

People who volunteer their time or donate their money or help "others" generally live a happier and more fulfilled life. They are able to live happier more fulfilling lives because every time they help "another", they are helping themselves. We are all one, there are no "others" so when you help "another" you are only helping yourself. When you ignore "another" you ignore yourself. 

You avoid what you don't like about yourself in "others", such as being poor and in need of help. Since you want to be rich and successful, you are afraid of being poor and in need of help and you don't like that you feel that way, so anytime you see someone who is poor or in need of help and it reminds you of that part of yourself, you decide to ignore that person and to not help them. When you see that this is the reason you don't want to help others, you realize it was never about the "other" person to begin with, it was only your insecurity about your fear of being poor and helpless. Once you face your insecurities over your fear of being poor and helpless, you will no longer care that "others" are poor and helpless, you will simply help them. If you weren't afraid of being poor and helpless then why would care if someone else is poor and helpless? Why wouldn't you just help them? I Love You and Peace Be With You!

Morals

Morals could be considered right vs. wrong and are a matter of opinion. There is no definitive right or wrong. Right vs. wrong is simply a difference of opinion. When living in "right" and "wrong", we hold a belief that we can be "right' or we can be "wrong". How do we know that what we believe to be "right" is actually "right"? How do we know what others believe to be "wrong" is actually "wrong"? Is it because someone told us? Maybe we read it in a book such as the Bible, the Quran, or the Bhagavad Gita. The truth is we don't even know what we believe or why we believe it, we tell ourselves we know why, but most of us don't have a clue, most of us never take the time to question what we believe and why we believe it, we're terrified of questioning our beliefs.

The majority of the world would agree that the nazis were "wrong", I guarantee the nazis thought that they were "right". I guarantee none of the things that happened as a result of the nazis was because they thought they were "wrong". The nazis believed they were "right" and the holocaust was the most extreme example we have of what happens when we believe the idea that we can be "right" and not willing to question whether or not are we actually are. Just to clarify, it is not my position to state whether or not the nazis were in fact "right" or "wrong". My position is to simply point out the fact that both sides believe themselves to be "right".

Most of us assume that the "side" with the biggest majority would be the side that is "right" but the minority that believes the opposite, and believes just as strongly that they are in fact right. Both sides see themselves as "right" and sees the other side as "wrong". So who's the ultimate judge on what is "right" and "wrong", a lot of us would agree that the Abrahamic God is the ultimate judge on "right" and wrong" but the Abrahamic God himself has two sides. 

God is described as a protector of his people who will wipe out any enemies. Deuteronomy 28:7 "“The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you." Not only will God kill your enemies, but he will also cause them to become your enemy. Wouldn't it be less work if God just left others alone instead of causing them to become your enemy just to be killed? That's beside the point. The Abrahamic God that is all about causing you to have enemies and then killing them, is also the same God that said in Exodus 20:13 "Thou shalt not kill." We have God telling us to kill our enemies and at the same time telling us not to kill. Seems a little contradictory and confusing, it's almost as if God himself can't decide between "right" and "wrong". Since even God himself gives us mixed messages as to what's "right" and what's "wrong", it seems we don't even have an impartial judge.

In the criminal justice system, we all want an impartial judge and jury. We all want the ruling in a courtroom to be based on evidence alone and not be based on bias. Wouldn't God be biased since he clearly acknowledges enemies? An unbiased judge doesn't see enemies, they only see the law. Would you really want to sit in a courtroom on trial where the judge sees you as enemy? You wouldn't stand a snowballs chance in hell. Yet we are perfectly fine with a God who sees enemies as long as he doesn't see "me" as one of his enemies, since we all know that God wipes out his enemies.

Every individual is the decider on what they to believe to be "right" vs. "wrong". The more we try to be "right" the more tangled up and confused we become. The need to be "right" leads to stress, confusion, misery, and fighting. The less we care about being "right" the more peaceful, confident, joyful, and accepting we become. One of the greatest things we can do is admit when we are wrong. It is only then that we start to see that we can be both "right" and "wrong" at the same time which illuminates the duality of the concept. Once the concept is illuminated, it is brought into our awareness, we are able to see it once it is brought into our awareness. We don't need to do anything except to look at it, once you look at it, you see it for what it is which is an illusion. That principle applies to every concept that we hold so dear. I Love You and Peace Be With You!