Plateaus

 

As a troubled child I learned to love Jesus. I prayed to him frequently and furvently to answer all my questions and solve all of my many problems and two bestow upon me his salvation and eternal life where I would have everything forever. At age 15 I was baptized in a creek. I eagerly surrendered my identity in exchange for the hope of the heavenly hereafter.  Later in high school my friend's mother was at a Christian science practitioner who gladly introduced me to Mary Baker Eddy and metaphysics.  Once again I changed my identity in the hope of being cured of all my woes. Then in college I met a wonderful woman who taught me Hinduism and Vedanta meditation. And I began to discover how to leave primary reality for a secondary reality -- at least temporarily.  After that I found weekly radio show by a man named Jack Gariss. From him I learned about Buddhism, Zen, Taoism, Krishnamurty, Baba Ram Dass, Alan Watts, and others. Alan Watts book Beyond Theology, takes a look at Christianity from the context of Hinduism.  His thinking over the years evolved from the Anglican view of Christianity to the Eastern philosophies.  For me this was a radical reinterpretation of Christianity by one of the twentieth century's leading philosophers. Watts is remembered fondly as an eloquent interpreter of Eastern philosophies such as Taoism and Zen Buddhism. Next I found Gregg Braden, Bruce Lipton, Dr. Joe Dispenza. To each of these I surrendered a part of my identity, believing I was trading up. I struggled with the tension between freedom and morality for many years, believing they were opposites, and that a literal interpretation one would win out absolutely and reveal my true identity. More recently I discovered, or rather re-discovered Theosophy which is a non-dogmatic religious philosophy with mystical concerns that can be traced to the ancient world. It holds that God (whose essence pervades the universe as an absolute reality) can be known only through mystical experience. It is characterized by esoteric doctrine and an interest in occult phenomena. Theosophy also teaches that the purpose of human life is spiritual emancipation, and claims that the human soul undergoes reincarnation upon bodily death according to a process of karma. It also promotes values of universal brotherhood and social improvement, although it does not stipulate particular ethical codes. By age 80 I began to realize that  human truth is a series of levels where we pause before reaching the next plateau.  Our mortal consciousness doesn't provide absolutes.  When we think we have reached the summit it's invariably another plateau. A matrix is a situation or surrounding substance within which something else originates, develops, or is contained.  Although this world is indeed a simulated intelligent reality, it need not be a dystopian trap. In mathematics, a matrix is an array or table of numbers, symbols, or expressions, arranged in rows and columns, which is a mathematical object that is is  a useful way to represent, subsequent and study a subsequent idea or understanding. A life purpose and meaning in life are not the same thing.There are many reasons why you may not know your life purpose. Sometimes it's because the world's problems seem too big. Or we seem too small. Or maybe we are just exhausted from life and don't know where we'll find the energy to fight for what really matters to us. Uncertainty is scary, but finding and living our purpose is key to having a meaningful, fulfilling life. It is more of a journey than a destination. Always persue your soul's higher calling. - Aron Honea, Hilo, Hawaii 2023