Ave,
I've had a realization of sorts about the the role morality plays in life, and it threw me off my game for a bit. I had suspended completely one of my (admittedly few, but earnestly practiced!) vices upon the recommendation of my HGA. It has been over a month, and I had completely removed this habit from my routine, despite regular and seemingly insidious reminders (perhaps from my subtle and cunning Daimon, perhaps by chance). I was thinking about the morality of the vice, and realized that I had come to see the vice as wrong and evil. I spoke with my HGA about it, and he was shockingly indifferent, with no condemnation of the actual vice....and then it hit me! I had needed to see the vice as Evil in order to act against it, and gain control of the habit. When it was simply undesirable, I made no progress in mastering it.
I asked my HGA about the vice and he made it clear that the Vice itself wasn't the issue-it held no intrinsic positive or negative value outside of it's effect on my person. I got a huge gnosis and thought bomb at that moment-that actions and objects that existed outside of myself held a perceived value based on their relationship to my self. I've known there isn't necessarily an objective good and evil, but I didn't have a gnosis, the wisdom of it until now. That the definition of Good is that which increases my well being and brings me closer to God, and that the definition of Evil is that which increases my ignorance and perceived separation from God-on the spiritual level. On the physical level, Good is that which increases my safety and holdings, and evil is that which takes away. These things are entirely subjective and depend upon my standing within my Self to have any meaning. When you take away the self, you find that the meaning dissolves. When you take away any object's relationship to your self, and just perceive it, you see that it just IS.
It's important to note that this doesn't mean there is no such thing as good and evil, right and wrong; it is just that they are entirely situational and subjective values. What I've realized is that I have the awareness of good and evil, and I can apply the concepts consciously instead of having them applied for me by societal conditioning. This makes it possible to see things clearly, to perceive the state of any given thing and apply it to yourself in the way that you will. I'm not sure I'm saying all this correctly It is a state of mind to enter in order to make clear decisions, a way to perceive things and act from a level beyond the emotional.
That isn't the end of it though-after entering this state and understanding the various qualities of an object or behavior or situation, one compares those qualities to whatever goal one wishes to accomplish, and then gives the thing a value based on whether it brings you close to that goal-this allows you to wield your emotionality as a tool for progress as well, and to incorporate that level of self consciously. It allows you to put your reactionary, automatic self to work for you. It isn't a trick, it's an understanding.
I'm entirely sure wiser folk than I have said that better. Anyway, that's something I learned today. Hope all are well.
AIT
I've had a realization of sorts about the the role morality plays in life, and it threw me off my game for a bit. I had suspended completely one of my (admittedly few, but earnestly practiced!) vices upon the recommendation of my HGA. It has been over a month, and I had completely removed this habit from my routine, despite regular and seemingly insidious reminders (perhaps from my subtle and cunning Daimon, perhaps by chance). I was thinking about the morality of the vice, and realized that I had come to see the vice as wrong and evil. I spoke with my HGA about it, and he was shockingly indifferent, with no condemnation of the actual vice....and then it hit me! I had needed to see the vice as Evil in order to act against it, and gain control of the habit. When it was simply undesirable, I made no progress in mastering it.
I asked my HGA about the vice and he made it clear that the Vice itself wasn't the issue-it held no intrinsic positive or negative value outside of it's effect on my person. I got a huge gnosis and thought bomb at that moment-that actions and objects that existed outside of myself held a perceived value based on their relationship to my self. I've known there isn't necessarily an objective good and evil, but I didn't have a gnosis, the wisdom of it until now. That the definition of Good is that which increases my well being and brings me closer to God, and that the definition of Evil is that which increases my ignorance and perceived separation from God-on the spiritual level. On the physical level, Good is that which increases my safety and holdings, and evil is that which takes away. These things are entirely subjective and depend upon my standing within my Self to have any meaning. When you take away the self, you find that the meaning dissolves. When you take away any object's relationship to your self, and just perceive it, you see that it just IS.
It's important to note that this doesn't mean there is no such thing as good and evil, right and wrong; it is just that they are entirely situational and subjective values. What I've realized is that I have the awareness of good and evil, and I can apply the concepts consciously instead of having them applied for me by societal conditioning. This makes it possible to see things clearly, to perceive the state of any given thing and apply it to yourself in the way that you will. I'm not sure I'm saying all this correctly It is a state of mind to enter in order to make clear decisions, a way to perceive things and act from a level beyond the emotional.
That isn't the end of it though-after entering this state and understanding the various qualities of an object or behavior or situation, one compares those qualities to whatever goal one wishes to accomplish, and then gives the thing a value based on whether it brings you close to that goal-this allows you to wield your emotionality as a tool for progress as well, and to incorporate that level of self consciously. It allows you to put your reactionary, automatic self to work for you. It isn't a trick, it's an understanding.
I'm entirely sure wiser folk than I have said that better. Anyway, that's something I learned today. Hope all are well.
AIT
"There is neither Good nor Evil, save the Mind that makes it so."
ReplyDeleteI think that was Blake who said that. I dunno.
Makes sense to me-I've always been a big fan of Blake, let's just say it was him one way or the other.=)
ReplyDelete