Sending Out Beacons

(originally posted at Oprah dot com blogs)

I've learned something interesting at the Oprah/A New Earth message board, as well as from my experiences on the Conversations with God - Messenger's Circle board last summer and fall. It's about "those who accept" and "those who reject" - the lovers and the fighters, to assign a pair of words.

When we visit these sort of places and speak our mind on something near and dear to our hearts, such as our philosophy, religion, beliefs, or what have you, we are sending out a beacon of very bright light - a signal beacon. The messages I mostly refer to here are the ones that state that "I Know the Way to Peace, let me share some thoughts" - or some variant of that.

Each of us has our own "peace story", and strong convictions about it's correctness, so we know that in the end, for us, it will all be good. For Now, as far as we are each concerned, it's all good. Because it is all good in the end, it makes not a lick of difference what the message is or whether or not everyone agrees. (This applies of course to those whose message is that Life is mostly, or all, bad too, for they are coming from a place of being all good with the fact that it is bad. Weird, I know.)

When we send out such a beacon fellow travelers are drawn to it, and the gathering crowd consists partly of those in support of the beacon's message - fellow Lover Beacons- as well as naysayers - Beacons with Their Own Message. Since their beacons point a different way, we could call them the "Dim Beacons" - no offense here, just working the analogy. Generally these Dim Beacons are perceived as the enemy, and hence the term "the fighters". The Message Beacon sees them as fighters of the Proper Message, in other words.

A third, usually smaller portion of the crowd consists of little flickers of light - the Leaning Toward Lovers, I call them. Imagine little Bic lighter sized beacons way in the back of the crowd of Dim Beacons, standing on tiptoe, trying to get close enough to bask in the glow of this attractive bright Message Beacon, and the Fellow Lover Beacons. Trying to hear the Message Beacon's message...

Here's the funny thing, to me. The original beacon of light, the person with the message of salvation for Others, tends to engage the darkness! Generally fellow beacons come to their aid, and generally the darkness swells in response and pretty soon it's gettting pretty ugly. The original message - I know the way to peace, or some variation - is immediately lost.
And here is the sad thing to me - the Leaning Toward Lover Beacons are completely overlooked by the big Message Beacon and the Lover Beacons. They're too busy fighting and arguing with those who may never hear them, many of whom love to fight too. It's why they came when the Message Beacon lit up.

Why do the Message Beacons totally ignore those that are receptive to their Truth? Odd, from where I stand.

And, ironically, they have demonstrated for the Leaning Toward Lover Beacons that their Loving Way of salvation through peace is the long way 'round - LifeTime engagement in a chosen fight with legions of naysayers. Not only that, but when one legion has dissembled, they will call new legions to them, that they may carry on the fight.

Interesting, to me. Good for a chuckle, and a shake of the head...

I told this to a poet at an open mic last night - he was a poet of doom and gloom - a really nice, laughing guy, pre-occupied with Gloomy Rain people. I commended him for that, but said it is the long way round. You complain of the people that cannot stand the rain, and how they darken a potentially bright world. You say they need to fix their outlook on the rain and become happy, so that you too can then be happy, with them.

I said, "Dude, you're totally ignoring those of us who love the rain already, and choosing to walk alongside the gloomy-rain people and try to beat them into loving the rain. It's okay to do that, but what about someone who is beginning to think that loving the rain is a good thing. Will they learn that rain-lovers beat on gloomy-rain people when it rains? Is that the way in which you celebrate this rain that you Love? Just a question. IYou are a beacon, you know." He nodded. He knew.

I smiled, and bowed, and thanked him for his poetry. I had an umbrella, but never opened it. I walked out into the pouring rain, whistling.

**

You can see this at play on this board. Eckhart has sent out an intensely bright Message Beacon. A huge crowd has gathered, and the fight has ensued in many corners of it.

The stunningly bright exception is that Eckhart has engaged no one in battle, for that was His Stupidly Simple Message of the Way to Peace.

Eckhart knew all along he was not the Beacon, allowing him to walk away from it, for it has a Life of its own. Indeed it is Life ItSelf.

Dance In the Moment - Rain or Shine...

Peace,

Greg Allen

Is There Absolute Right?

The question was asked on A New Earth message board at Oprah dot com "Do you believe in right and wrong?"


In other words: can we judge other people's behavior from some absolute standard of right and wrong that people really oughtta live up to and quit being "wrong" so much of the time, and living their lives "wrong"?


I believe this question can be better asked. I believe the question is an irresolvable linguistic decoy, a lure of sorts that somehow keep us distracted from the true matter at hand, and arguing amongst ourselves.


Everyone who has asked this question through history, and argued for and against a mental position to identify with, seems to be asking: Is there Right that applies to everyone, and Wrong that applies to everyone?

Restated, the question's not so obvious flaw becomes glaringly clear:


Is there Absolute Right and Absolute Wrong?


This is clearly, upon inspection, a Relative Question seeking an Absolute Answer. Linguistically, it is beyond resolution. Historically, we can see that.


Conceptually it is not however.


The concept of Absolute is at the same time inclusive and exclusive, and it first and foremost requires an agreement. It includes everything, since it is Absolute. It's all there is or ever can be, ultimately. Thus, by definition, it excludes everything, that is it allows nothing else. It even precludes coneptualizing anything else. Once we agree to conceptualize something as Absolute, we agree to not conceive of it possibly having a polar opposite. It can have aspects, like it is both inclusive and exclusive - but it cannot itself be opposed. That's the linguistic agreement. (It may be the one alluded to in the mythological story of Babel and the confounding of languages. I'm not sure - just a thought.)


In other words, If there IS Absolute Right, there cannot, by definition of Absolute, be Wrong.


Is There Absolute Right and Wrong? is a silly question, linguistically. We've agreed linguistically that Absolute is One Thing, Unity. It would seem a trifle dopey to get into a big discussion of what it's two aspects might be.


(Especially two thousand years of discussion, sometimes agreement, lots of disagreement, fighting, and so on... I was just noticing this. Perhaps you've noticed too.)


You see, Absolute Right would be All Right, Just Right, Only Right, Nothing But Right - that is, Right with No Other Side.


Thus, you have to choose one word of the two. You get to ask "Is there Absolute _____", and you can only choose one word.


Remember, we only get one question...


So there I am, it's my turn to ask my one question. Personally, I am not going to ask if there is absolute wrong. It seems a not so grand way to ask, given the grand and glorious moment of Grand Presence.


Nope, I would ask:


Is there Absolute Right?
Is there Right, and nothing but Right? Is there Right, with No Other Side?


And actually, I would substitute a word.


I would ask:


Is there Absolute Love?


Is there Love, with No Other Side?


Having finally figured this out, I've asked. I've had the answer confirmed countless times now. I see it confirmed everywhere I turn. This, for sure, is my question. It's the question I live, for as we are reminded in the song Grasshopper "When you live the question the answer is today."


CAUTION: This may not be the question you want to ask. Be careful. You see, if the answer comes back "YES!" - if there is Absolute Right - then it means that the Absolute Idea of Right applies to everything going on here and now, everything you can imagine or have ever witnessed. Everything you ever felt guilty about. Everything you ever condemned too.

Ev. Ree. Thing.


It means that you can go ahead and see Creation as perfect. Right now. NOW.


It means it is all good. Including you. You have nothing to attain. Nothing to add. Not even anything to understand.


It means, in other words, that you are looking at, and standing smack dab in the middle of your little piece of.... drum roll, please....


A NEW EARTH!!!!


Smile. A.N.E. is looking back at you, at every turn.


It's Time That Time Was Overthrown,


Greg, with Alice...