Francis Berger
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Live and Let Learn; Or, There's No Point in Trying to Convince Anyone of Anything Anymore

12/3/2021

8 Comments

 
As I see it, 2020 marked a sort peak of things coming to a point. The distinctions between good and evil became incredibly sharp, clear, and direct, which entails that our decisions and life choices also became sharper, clearer, and more direct.

Though our natures and circumstances on earth hinder us from knowing good and evil absolutely, the events of 2020  - and everything that we have experienced since then - have provided us all with ample experiences and opportunities to clear the confusion, focus the blurring, and dispel the fog in order attain a deeper, fuller comprehension of good and evil.

Since the primary purpose of our mortal lives is spiritual learning, I imagine this increased awareness of good and evil has constructively accelerated and/or intensified the spiritual learning curves of some.

In this sense, the 2020 global coup and everything it has unleashed upon the world can be considered a blessing for the simple reason that it is one those rare times in history in which spiritual learning becomes undeniably plain and accessible to practically everyone.

Though we all have our unique spiritual learning journeys - replete with all the individual and personal lessons we are meant to learn during our mortal lives - our journeys invariably intersect and intertwine with the learning journeys of others, creating crucial opportunities and vital possibilities for us to teach and learn from each other.

Nevertheless, the ultimate responsibility for spiritual learning remains firmly at the level of the individual. In this time and place, we are free to accept or reject anything we experience or encounter. This includes coherent communications from other beings - and it even includes lucid communications from the Divine.  

When I envision spiritual learning from a historical perspective, I come the tentative conclusion that cooperative, relational learning between individuals or - on a larger scale - between individuals and the greater culture/civilization played a fundamental role in spiritual learning at both the individual and societal level.

Put another way, an individual could access practically all he or she needed to individually learn from his or her culture and society. Conversely, the spiritual learning of individual members of society could advance the spiritual knowledge of culture and society as a whole.

In simple terms, throughout the greater part of history, individuals could derive the majority of their spiritual learning from external, collective sources. Though personal choices still ultimately needed to be made, much of the heavy lifting concerning the distinctions between good and evil was firmly embedded within culture and society. Granted, this leaves out swathes of exceptions to the rule, but all-in-all the alignment of individual consciousness with external, general consciousness tended to make the distinctions between good and evil fairly clear and comprehensible.

The opposite is true now. The distinctions between good and evil only become clear and comprehensible when the individual becomes unaligned with the external, collective consciousness of culture and society. 

The point of 2020 has made spiritual learning an exclusively individual matter. Any individual who remains aligned with prevailing social consciousness will find it extremely difficult if not impossible to learn anything spiritually. Practically all "official" external sources of spiritual guidance - be it in the form of churches, governments, or institutions - have been corrupted. The only external sources of real spiritual guidance that remain open to the individual are some forms of recorded knowledge and other individuals. Though both can provide benefit, the ultimate responsibility for the actual spiritual learning remains solely with the individual. 

Those who are helplessly wedded to the System are literally incapable of acknowledging the point of 2020. As a result, they are proving themselves to be literally incapable of any kind of learning, let alone spiritual learning. Most attempts to engage these sorts of people to acknowledge the obvious end in failure. Yet those who recognize the spiritual ramifications of things coming to a point in 2020 are not immune to spiritual blind spots, faulty discernment,  or lack of learning.

Things coming to a point in 2020 brought good and evil sharply into focus, thereby eliminating the need or desire to "debate" grey area issues. Those who continue to push concepts like neutrality, non-alignment, relativity, and moderation have pretty much missed "the point" entirely; so, there is not much use in debating these concepts with them.

By the same token, there is not much use in trying convince those who see the reality of things having come to a point, but remain trapped in unresolved entanglements of worldly self-enslavement. This is particularly relevant when it pertains to Christians. 

The point of "things coming to a point" is not limited to the undeniable clarification of good and evil in this world - it extends into eternity. Hence, the decisions and choices we have made and continue to make in our mortal lives after the point must not be hemmed in by purely temporal considerations - they must encompass the spiritual; that is, the totality of the cosmos.

Worldly considerations will undoubtedly influence our decisions and choices, but they must not drive them. The decisions and choices we make in this world must be spiritual, cosmic decisions. They must at once both encompass and transcend our current earthly circumstances. And these choices will have to made by us alone, individually - bearing full responsibility. 

In many ways, this encapsulates the ethos of Christianity. At its core, Christianity requires conviction, but this conviction must emerge freely and willingly from within us as individuals. During His time on earth, Jesus spoke and lived truth - and He continues to speak and live truth today - but during His time on earth He invested very little effort in trying to convince others of the truth.

He based His mission in freedom and in love. Hence, He respected the authority, sovereignty, freedom, and agency of every individual He encountered. He did not encroach upon this individual sovereignty, freedom, and agency by trying to convince anyone of the truth He revealed. All the individuals Jesus encountered were free to embrace or reject the truth He offered.

And this remains the case today.

In my mind, this reflects the very essence of spiritual learning as revealed scornfully by the Grand Inquisitor in Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov:


Thou didst desire man's free love, that he should follow Thee freely, enticed and taken captive by Thee. In place of the rigid, ancient law, man must hereafter with free heart decide for himself what is good and what is evil, having only Thy image before him as his guide.  

Like Jesus, I don't think Christians should expend great effort in trying to convince anyone of anything, particularly not after the events 2020. This includes fellow Christians.

Yes, we should certainly share our insights, ideas, and views, but we must refrain from attempting to convince fellow Christians of the truth of these insights, ideas, and views knowing full well that such attempts at convincing work against the nature of spiritual learning.

We can and must communicate, but we must accept that the "convincing part" must be left to the individual alone. 

And if the individual remains unconvinced by an obvious truth - even against the backdrop of the 2020 point and the ever-increasing distinctions between cosmic good and cosmic evil - then we must allow that individual to "live and let learn" and continue his spiritual learning and (hopefully) find his own way to conviction, provided he or she ever finds that conviction at all.

The overarching goal of spiritual learning is the alignment of the individual with God, but the manifestation of this alignment is completely in the hands of the individual alone.

Other beings can offer inspiration, motivation, guidance, and support, but no one, not even God, can "convince" any individual to align themselves with the Divine. All individuals must make that choice on their own. And that is exactly as it should be - especially now. 

Such is the scope and depth of our individual spiritual power and responsibility.   
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8 Comments
bruce charlton
12/3/2021 11:27:16

"I don't think Christians should expend great effort in trying to convince anyone of anything, particularly not after the events 2020" - You are correct, absolutely - but I wish I could Live by it more consistently.

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Francis Berger
12/3/2021 12:32:37

@ Bruce - In your defense, I have noticed that you rarely wade into prolonged "back-and-forth" sorts of arguments with the aim of convincing. More often than not, you state your beliefs, support them if necessary, and then draw a line when the discussion enters "convince me" territory.

Personally, it's still important to communicate and discuss and, if necessary, counter-argue, but I have found nothing spiritually valuable in adopting a "I'm going to convince you if it's the last thing I do" mindset. Whenever I have adopted such a mindset, it never led to anything spiritually good. I suppose that sheds light on the spiritual harm caused by most modern debates and the "discussions" held on social media platforms.

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William Wildblood
12/3/2021 19:22:30

I've also had to learn that you cannot convince anyone of anything that they don't already know. All you can do is help them clarify their understanding and often clarify your own in the process. That's more or less what we're all doing, isn't it?

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lea
12/4/2021 09:13:27

To be fair, the materialist reductionionist worldview itself is scary. It is what is whipping people into submission; a mixed message of hope and despair that will not relent. 'better be on board with this, or you will be left behind in the annals of biological history'. "Better get on board, or be deemed redundant in the machine". If life is presented with only one 'outlet' this is the reaction we get. Everyone is now primed for survival residing within the pecks, and that being the most important objective of life. It's as if no one realized they could ever die before 2020 and now there is global OCD. There are limited counter-thesises available. As you mentioned before Francis, discussing truth, and trying to 'win' an argument feels like a waste of time, it probably is. The despiritualization of the world leads to this. No consideration of how things work and interact. Brings me back to 17 years ago with a highschool friend at a local eatery, he wanted to know why me and my dad didnt order any animal foods; 'it tastes so good, whats your problem'? - It took me over a decade to realize thats not what food is ever about, and i still sin against my own principles, but at least they exist now. For the longest time i have questioned how these energy interactions work. Why is our world based on predatory systems? Feels wrong. That is just another test as it turns out. Current times are a lure, we are always better off in self-defence.

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Craig Anderson
12/4/2021 20:53:43

"Why is our world based on predatory systems? Feels wrong." To me also, I have worked at radical acceptance and gotten relief.

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Jeffrey Cantrell
12/5/2021 14:59:02

Well, God did command:

“ And God blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and all living creatures that move upon the earth.” Gen 1:28.

Hope this helps, it does me.

Jeffrey Cantrell
12/4/2021 17:37:50

I have always heard that there are generally two types of teachers, those who actively “teach,” and those who teach by example. I have learned that “teaching” truth is frustrating and rarely successful. (By contrast, teaching skills or trades is much more rewarding.) My experience is more that by being a good example is much more effective. For example, if I find that writing about “truths” is beneficial for me and someone sees those writings and benefits thereby, I have benefitted myself through clarifying for myself what truth is and through that example others have also benefitted by observing my example.

Personally, that is what I derive by reading your blog and Dr. Charleston’s and thank you for your examples.

Reply
lea
12/6/2021 12:55:31

Appreciate the feedback Jeff and Craig. I feel myself craving some sanity and positivity lately but thats falls within the same cracks of presuming things can be fixed and/ or worked to be functional. It is all down to things like this now 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InFbBlpDTfQ' . As DJ Shadow said on this same album 'the music is coming through me'. We don't create anything on our own, we align ourselves with the forces of life, or not/ the opposite. That has been a rough realization so far though.

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