I was recently having a discussion with a friend of mine about the current political climate wherein I took exception to the monies paid to our lawmakers, only to have them turn to the nearest lobbiest to see what else they can collect. My purpose here is not to argue that I'm right. It's to clear up a misconception and to answer a couple of key questions.
Let's take the misconception first. My friend thought that I had an interest in the money after it was in the pocket of the politicians. She pointed out that it would be tacky and pointless for me to worry about it then. She's right. Once the money is paid, I have no interest in how it gets spent.
What does interest me is getting full value for the money we pay them. It seems that, more and more, the needs of voters are being ignored because of lobbyists, political expediency and the constant focus on reelection.
We don't expect politicians to work for nothing. We know they won't. But, once we buy them with more money than we make, and a better benefits & retirement package than we'll ever have, it's fair to expect them to stay bought!
Everything said here is worthy of and, in fact, demands further exploration; in the future. Right now, it's a digression from more important things. The questions are: Do I believe in God, do I believe that God has a plan for us and do I believe I have a right to question what others do? The simple answers would be yes, yes and yes. Most times the simple answers are the best ones - but not here.
I do believe in God. I find it impossible to look at the rich complexity and simple elegance of life without a belief in God. It seems that these two phrases would be at odds with each other . . . until you realize that neither one is a whole by itself. Each is a compliment to the other and the two together make a whole. This is the same way that men and women work together. They are each a part of the whole, or as I prefer, each are a part of the ONE. Following this logic, I won't state, or even guess as to whether God is male or female. I believe that He/She has the best qualities of both and thus is the ONE!
Believing this way is of limited comfort, unless you also believe that God has a plan for us. There has to be a reason for us to be here . . . a reason for us to live, to die and to live again. Since we come from God, the plan is for us to attain, through our thoughts & our actions, enough spiritual maturity to return to the ONE. But, we cannot return until we've paid back every karmic debt we've incurred along the way. This sort of maturity is gained only through experience & with great difficulty, which is why we are given multiple opportunities for growth. There's only one more element necessary for the plan to work; free will.
Without free will, we might just as well be sheep on a hillside, but God has given us free will. we can choose to do well by others or we can put ourselves first. We can speak out against injustice or be as docile as sheep. We can defend others or watch them be hurt. We can even choose to reject or to welcome God into our lives. All in all, by our choices are we known. And only by making the right choices do we return to the ONE!
Thursday, April 28, 2011
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