Have you ever wondered why you are your own, singular person, or why another person can be so different from you? Undoubtedly, most people ask themselves and others that exact same question over and over again without even realizing it. How often we hear someone (anyone) say, ‘I just don’t understand why/how so and so thinks or does this or that’. I doubt any conversation could go on five minutes without similar statements being made. The answer to all those queries is a simple, personality development—and just what does that mean?
It would be nice if personality development could be explained in a few words—it can’t. It would take volumes and volumes to explore all the intricacies involved. However, a brief intelligible overview is possible—hopefully that would help alleviate some of the misunderstanding, and bewilderment we experience on a minute to minute basis in our daily lives. Hopefully it would give insight into why we each are different, and, simultaneously, help us be more accepting (loving) of each other. So, let’s give it a try.
First off, each of us came ready equipped with our inherited genetic make-up. That includes our basic physique, our temperament, our basic IQ (rationality), and our sex—just to name a few. Those basic qualities equip us to experience stimuli and to react to stimuli. That process begins in-utero and ends at death—in between those two terminals, each of us is being changed on a moment-to-moment basis as we react to each stimulus. Early on, those changes are rapid and frequent—we’ve never had that experience before. So, what do we do with each new stimulus—we react in some fashion—furthermore, we store that reaction information in our subconscious so we will automatically react to similar stimuli in a similar way in the future. Most of that ‘reaction information’ was generated and stored in a very immature mind (rationality) because it was generated before we were able to make rational decisions. Thereby, we are pre-programed with much reaction information which may be, and likely is, irrational. Reaction responses of all types are generated and stored. The quality of that information is directly related to the quality of the stimulus. In other words, our family attitudes, pre-school teachers, babysitters, all of our contacts impart attitudinal stimuli to which we react.
No two of us are exposed to the same identical stimulus, but if we were, we would react somewhat differently because we started with different ‘tools’. So, depending upon the nature and desirability of the stimulus, our subconscious is programed one way or another—all too frequently, obtuse to societally accepted norms. As we reach the ‘age of reason’ we automatically and predictably react to a stimulus in a certain way, but we don’t know why—our base operating system was installed before we were rational.
As we go through life experiencing millions of stimuli daily, we are reacting according to the dictates of our immature operating system—each reaction generates a tiny change in our personality. Our basic attitudes about literally everything are established and further entrenched as we go through life, and all of them grounded in attitudes established before we became rational—it’s a never-ending process in this life.
Of course, after we reach the age of reason, every action we take is dictated by our rational conscious intellect which always has to choose what it considers the better of two choices—those considerations are grounded in our subconscious, and each of our subconscious is dramatically different from the next. Accordingly, each of us sees things with different attitudes.
Nowhere that I have observed this attitudinal difference to be greater than in the area of religion and/or politics. Most every one of us have been pre-programmed in both arenas. It is possible to change the ideas we were programmed with, but it usually takes a lot of education, observation and soul-searching to do so.
Literally everyone has hang-ups — thing or circumstances we avoid or are attracted to excessively. We all have fears, anxieties, or obsessions and we don’t know why. I can tell you from my medical experience, the only method I’m aware of permanently eliminating those hang-ups is through the process of psychoanalytic psychotherapy. That involves sessions of interacting verbally with the therapist. Typically, those sessions are one hour each and on a weekly basis for about a year. During those sessions, the therapist skillfully guides the patient, through conversation, right back to the time when the irrational decision was made—the patient is now face to face with the culprit—a rational decision is now made and, bingo, like turning on a light switch, that hang-up is eliminated forever.
Therein lies my disdain for our legal system which is based primarily on the old Jewish concept of ‘an eye for an eye’. No one is born a criminal—they all develop that way through their basic personality programming. Most of them could be ‘reprogrammed’ through the process of psychoanalytic psychotherapy and made into useful, stable, functioning citizens. Rather than building more jails, we should be redirecting our resources to training and paying many more psychotherapists.
Ultimately before any meaningful change can be made, we have to change the subconscious of the entire world—we must become like-minded about the ‘nature of God ‘and ‘spirituality’. More than two years ago, I started my call for the World-wide Communion of Spirituality which means that each of us recognizes and accepts the understanding that we and every gravid object in existence are made of the same identical perfect particles of energy. My philosophy says those particles must be ‘branded’ with the Spirit of God which maintains and ensures their perfection — we have a commonality with each and all entities including each other. Will my call ever be heeded—not as long as the world is fragmented with irrational religion.
I am absolutely convinced Jesus understood that underlying concept—he was a super-genius—he condemned no one—he said love (acceptance) was the only answer. He was a heretic because he preached a concept of love with which he intended to supplant the Jewish sacrificial religion of guilt and appeasement— Jesus despised religion —he accepted each of us unequivocally. How then should we react—by begging him to accept us more? I think our only legitimate action/reaction is a great big thank you Jesus.
He tried desperately to liberate us from that guilt driven, controlling, extorting religion so we could freely accept our all-loving God, and accept each other as ourselves. Quite obviously, he failed miserably because those who formulated the first Holy Roman Catholic Church at the behest of Emperor Constantine in the year 325 reverted directly back to the sacrificial, demeaning religion of the Jews.
I have elucidated these and many, many more concepts in my two books, Wilderness Cry and Peace in Spirituality. Since making this original post, I have published Provocative Catholic, another sequel to Wilderness Cry, which further elucidates and expands the parameters of that philosophy. Please see the attached Press Release and video trailers created by Publisher Covenant Books for Wilderness Cry and Peace in Spirituality.
Additionally, I have published Growing Up In Fancy Farm Kentucky, a semi historical, semiautobiographical, humorous account of my upbring and activities for the first twenty-two years of my life spent in Fancy Farm, my hometown.
All my books are now available from Amazon-Kindle, both hard copy and digital. Also available, autographed, from me (handg@comcast.net)
906242_Press Release for Wilderness Cry
Press Release for Peace in Spirituality
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SACRIFICE- now here’s a word that imparts a feeling of dread and drudgery, and well it should. How many times in our daily lives we are called to sacrifice our time, energy, talents and money for others. Most often it is for our family members, but frequently it may be for neighbors, friends or even total strangers. The question is ‘why do we do that?’. One might answer in various ways—sense of duty, sympathy, empathy (do unto others….). Regardless of the exact reason or attitude, sacrifice is always done because of one basic value and that is love.
So what’s my point—don’t allow yourself to get caught in the trap of judgmentalism. Just because a person may seem to you to be insensitive, it may not be the case at all. Just because you as a specific individual may think of yourself as being extremely self-sacrificing, never allow yourself to be critical of other’s seeming disregard. Remember, all of your sacrificial activity carries with it a trail of selfishness—you get sense of self-satisfaction. Be careful not to let yourself be perceived as a do-gooder or, worse yet, holier than thou.
My take is simply that ‘its all wrong’. My God is Perfect Rationality. He/she/it exists in eternity. Eternity is a state if being where there can be no change (time). God, being perfect, cannot possibly be pleased or hurt—allowing such would expose an imperfection. Jesus was the ‘only’ sacrifice of consequence. Jesus was genius—he saw the universal evil of selfishness—he recognized that the Spirit of God was in everything including him—he saw that in order for God to show his ‘perfect love’ to the world, he, Jesus must die in atonement for all the evil in the universe. He did so graciously but not without great fear and anguish—I can’t imagine such. God is heaven. We and everything in existence are in God and of God.
VENGEANCE-Now here is a word (concept) that is near and dear to my heart in a negative way. My basic concept and belief is that vengeance has absolutely no place in our lives. So why am I so different from the rest of the world? Literally all so-called civilized nations as well as the three Abrahamic religions have vengeance as their common seat of operation. All legal systems are based on a revengeful punishment system for misbehavior. How many times have we witnessed a wronged family express glee when a sentence of major proportion is handed down, or express disappointment and disdain if a sentence lighter than expected is rendered? Why do you suppose that is? I think without doubt it stems from the Jewish religion and perpetuated by Christianity and Islam.
As I listen to homilies Sunday after Sunday, I hear of God’s mercy, never God’s love. Since we are all dreadful sinners, God has two choices—either show mercy and forgive us or send us to hell. Of course that mercy is ‘dished out’ by the Church—in exchange for our money and time. Never mind that we are sinners because God made us to be that way. Never mind that Jesus died to guarantee everyone’s salvation. Never mind that Jesus told us our only obligation was to love God and neighbor—after all, what Jesus said and did (died for us) really doesn’t count—it was just a ‘down-payment’. We must pay the balance to the Church.
The ‘why’ is almost always answered with ‘those people are all wrong about God. We are the only ones with the truth’. Likely, most constituents are left with that ‘prejudicial’ understanding—I’m right, you are wrong. So, immediately, we as individuals and societies are ‘set against each other’. We have inbuilt, ingrained conflict and enmity which, historically, has boiled over into external hostility and war—look at the world today. We have some Muslim ideologies professing it to be their God-given mandate to exterminate all infidels—and they are making determined efforts continually to do just that. Then we have other major powers (USA, Russia, China) constantly growling at each other like three big fighting dogs ready for the attack. Also we have the facilitators and agitators—North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela etc. attempting to ‘make hay’ with one or another of the ‘big dogs. So to put it mildly, we have an earth in total turmoil—it always has been. Why?
The obvious question then is why do we each have a different God? The answer is very simple—no one has ever defined the essence of that God, and certainly without an essential definition, no one has a realistic clue about who or what that God entails.
What does Christmas mean to you and why? I would vouch to say that for anyone even remotely indoctrinated in ‘Christianity’ of any type, it means a myth. And you, understandably shriek in horror at such blasphemy. And I say, “not so fast”. My intention is not to offend anyone—rather it is to plead to your sense of understanding.
So ,why did we have a universe in the first place? I’m certain Jesus pondered that question incessantly—when he discovered the answer, he was terrified. God, his father, your father, my father, must show and actually be ‘perfect love’. What greater ‘love object’ could the Father have than an entire universe of ‘evil’ which he, himself created. Why, then, was Jesus terrified? Because he realized that since he was the only likeness of God to know and understand that principle, he was the one who had to ‘pay the price’—and gloriously he did. God, in the likeness of Jesus, accepted all of the evil in the universe, in the grandest display of love possible—he gave his own life in atonement.
Now, back to the ‘horror story’. From a sound and irrefutable, scientific and philosophical standpoint, physical miracles are an absolute impossibility. Therefore the following pertains: (1) Jesus was/is real: (2)he was born of natural parents: (3) of necessity, he was a super-genius to see and recognize the nature of God and his creation: (4) once he concluded that he must die so the Father could be/exhibit his perfect love, he wanted desperately to tell the world the good news (gospel). So he set about his public ministry, working on the periphery attempting to educate twelve illiterates—it seems very doubtful to me that he succeeded: (5) in spite of his working and preaching in relative obscurity, his heretical teachings reached the ears of the Jewish authorities—he knew his days were numbered:(6) he went straight to the source—he made an onslaught on the temple—he turned over the moneychangers tables and called the some pretty nasty names while doing it: He then ate his last meal with his apostles, and while eating, he made one final desperate attempt to pierce their thick, prejudiced skulls—he told the that he and the Father are one just as they and the Father are one—he told them that the bread and wine they consumed were one with the Father, as was all of creation—it seems that most if not all of the didn’t understand–we have no certain way of knowing. Much of what was written was written by biased, superstitious people. Furthermore those writings have been altered extensively by other biased and superstitious people. (7) I believe without doubt that the ‘Jesus” story is basically true—its parameters are false.
CONTRADICTION: the word itself mean a saying or statement that seems contrary to the reality or truth of another statement. Contradictions are a ‘dime a dozen’ in our everyday lives—may are readily resolved and many go totally unresolved. I want to address what seems to me do be a direct contradiction between Christian prayer and a direct quote from Luke’s Gospel.
If we are ever to have peace on this earth, each of us must come out of our ‘badger like’ cocoons, humbly accept that the Spirit of God is in us all, and indeed in all of creation. Not one of us is worthy of God’s Kingdom—it is by his singular acceptance that he has made us, and every grain of sand in the universe worthy. With that understanding, we could finally have peace—not until.
referring to—it was a common practice.
Religion and Politics: It is a universal statement, ‘our constitution demands separation of church and state’. I doubt seriously if many people know what that means. I suspect that the framers of the constitution designed it so that no religion could take over our government and thereby become a Theocracy.
clearly see. That definition leaves nothing to the imagination. Similarly, it abolishes forever all of the mythology, superstition and deceit associated with religions of all kinds. It shows that physical miracles are an impossibility; likewise it proves that any concepts of purgatory or hell are irrational. It shows that the Perfect Love of God pervades all—nothing can be rejected. Only by the prejudiced minds of men are we rejected. It shows how unloving (unjust) our legal system has been from the beginning.
WILDERNESS CRY by Hilary L Hunt MD 