Are You Just Living to be Laughed and Clapped for a While Displaying Your Skills and Talents ?

Yesterday I have brought to your notice a list of twenty eight philosophical statements which the authors of my favorite book want us to give some special attention. Today, I want to discuss about the first statement from this list.

This statement in full is like this : A display of specialized skill does not signify possession of spiritual capacity; cleverness is not a substitute for true character !

It is not very difficult to digest the universal truth that this philosophical declaration contains. But just as there are people who can understand truths fully, there are people who do not get it so easily. Forget those people who do not try to understand or those who are with bloated egos and self pride that do not allow them to listen and tune to any other truths other than what they feel like agreeing. Forget also those who do not have any mind capacity or basic intellect to understand philosophical truths.

Now coming to the statement as above. It is not so difficult to understand that we humans exist in this world with varying levels of skills and abilities. We all have varying levels of abilities or talents. It could be physical, intellectual or philosophical. 

Some are extremely good in some sports and games. Some have much greater physical strength than many others. Some have much superior and beautiful bodies. Some are with high intellectual abilities in mathematics, physics and such other sciences. Some are very good inventors and may be owners of many patents. Some have acute business knacks and might have amassed money and wealth even they cannot measure or know.

During my school days, I used to wonder about the mathematical ability of a lady hailing from my neighboring state, Karnataka, in India. She is no more now, and her name is Shakuntala Devi. She never had any formal education, but she possessed a brain that was even faster than modern computers in arithmetical calculations. Indeed her ability even made our renowned physiologists wondering!

I watch those Karate black-belts break tiles and bricks with their bare hands, in awe. How is it that their hands become harder than rocks in a fraction of a second? How do their soft tissues change their softness to such awesome strengths? 

I had a lovely pet dog named, Sonu. She was a pure white Pomeranian  , though not as pure in her breed. She was our faithful companion and ferocious protector of our home for more than a decade! While her body and paws used to feel like soft cotton to us always, I used to marvel at her extra ordinary steel like strength her soft body acquired when need arose. She used to kill rats, house lizards and also some clever crows in just one blow with her otherwise soft paws. Is it not something exciting our curiosities? 

No doubt,  these abilities could be some extra ordinary gifts from the various agencies of God for enabling humans (and animals) not only to facilitate their material living, but also to make a few of us to think, explore and wonder about the supreme designs in the Nature that are presented to us by the agencies of God.  

But a mere possession of some of these extra ordinary gifts does not make any human being any special one for God. Because, such special gifts and abilities are abundantly provided in varying degrees to animals and humans. In the case of animals, the special abilities are for their natural survival and existence. But for human beings these abilities are not only for their own survival, but for them to care for others and also for realizing the existence of God from whom these talents come, with utmost humility.  

If the individual who possesses the special gift, instead of using it for his own selfish satisfaction, tries to find out what God wants him or her to do with that gift, he or she is making an effort towards enhancing his or her spiritual capacity. The person is aspiring to find out the unseen spiritual existence and desire of God!

Such persons would recognize the need for living according to the desire of God. The most essential feature of this recognition is the desire to love and serve other human beings, without the desire for gaining some personal benefits.

But a good majority of people forget this. Their special gifts soon transform and get augmented with cleverness. Cleverness is that special ability to cheat or hoodwink others. In that process they lose their spiritual capacity to love and serve others.

If our world appear as a world of partiality, injustice, envy, hatred and exploitation, it is because of the clever acts of such people. 

A mere possession of some special talent does not automatically ensure possession of a desirable and good nature that is known as character. Remember, most animals have some special abilities that are not found in humans. Many of these animals may pose a threat to our lives if we are not careful. They need not have a character that is too good for us! But humans are not to be like the unthinking animals. That is the reason why we are different. Character is what make us different from animals. But yet we find many human beings who are similar to animals. They are the characterless people. They just live like animals without using their superior abilities of mind which are not in animals. They refuse to recognize the existence of God and give reverence to Him, just as the animals. Many of them take undue pride in their abilities and the pride ultimately becomes the cause for their fall and destruction. How sad!

They have been privileged persons. But they refuse to realize the existence of the spiritual force that maintains every thing material and physical in this world. 

They refuse to enhance their spiritual capacities of coming near to God, a pre-requisite to progress in life even after their material existence in this world for some years. 

They become too pre-occupied with their special skills during their material existence that they forget to board the ship that could have taken them to the other shores of abundant life and everlasting adventure!

Character development while living a material life is essential for enhancing spiritual capacity. 

Spiritual capacity means the degree of nearness to God. Nearness to God provides the much desired potential for overcoming the dangers of personality destruction after material death. 

Material abilities and skills, though good while living in this world, do not ensure spiritual capacity or possession of a good character. Physical and mental abilities and skills do not make a person special for God. But spiritual nature makes a person special for God; a special feature that enhances the bond of love between man and God. The higher the spiritual ability, the more the person becomes humble! Because, with spiritual nature developing, the person begins to develop character and recognizes his or her insignificance before the Supreme existence of God. Selfishness and ego begin to vanish in such persons. In other words, animal nature begins to fade and the human becomes more like real humans instead of being like animals. 

More and more people with good character make this world transformed to a world with divine presence. Just as the heavenly worlds !

If you have some special material skills or abilities, you also have some additional responsibilities to use those in the manner in which they should be utilized. 

Mere possession of those special skills and abilities does not make you a desirable person for God. It has no significance in the long run !

So, if you think that you are a very clever person, beware of the dangers. Your cleverness for you would earn you only short term gains in this world. After all, your life span of a few decades is not at all a long term!

It would be preferable to discard that cleverness for character. But building a good character together with the possession of those skills and special abilities would make you not only desirable for the people of this world but also for God.

But when you are not very sure of the afterlife, you are bound to become anxious of getting the maximum and enjoying the maximum during the short span of life in this world. 

Let us drink and enjoy, you might think! Let me take advantage of my skills and my cleverness to the full, you might reason with your soul!

But when you are in your clever act, what could be the feeling of others who watch you from all around ?  

No doubt, the spectators might laugh and clap just as they do while watching those skillful circus clowns.

But are you living just to be laughed and clapped for a while ?

Are we living to show off our skills and talents for getting clapping from our fellows?

Do you want to be like a circus clown during the entire life span?

Is it not worth to think seriously?

The Twenty Eight Supreme Philosophical Statements Over Which You May Think Over for Acceptance !

Some time ago, in one of my blogs I shared with my readers about some concepts of human progress that I learnt from my favorite book. In that blog I had reproduced the twenty eight highest concepts of human philosophy that advanced human minds could appreciate well. Let me reproduce it once again:

1. A display of specialized skill does not signify possession of spiritual capacity. Cleverness is not a substitute for true character.

2. Few persons live up to the faith which they really have. Unreasoned fear is a master intellectual fraud practiced upon the evolving mortal soul. 

3. Inherent capacities cannot be exceeded; a pint can never hold a quart. The spirit concept cannot be mechanically forced into the material memory mold.

4. Few mortals ever dare to draw anything like the sum of personality credits established by the combined ministries of nature and grace. The majority of impoverished souls are truly rich, but they refuse to believe it.

5. Difficulties may challenge mediocrity and defeat the fearful, but they only stimulate the true children of the Most Highs.

6. To enjoy privilege without abuse, to have liberty without license, to possess power and steadfastly refuse to use it for self-aggrandizement—these are the marks of high civilization.

7. Blind and unforeseen accidents do not occur in the cosmos. Neither do the celestial beings assist the lower being who refuses to act upon his light of truth.

8. Effort does not always produce joy, but there is no happiness without intelligent effort.

9. Action achieves strength; moderation eventuates in charm.

10. Righteousness strikes the harmony chords of truth, and the melody vibrates throughout the cosmos, even to the recognition of the Infinite.

11. The weak indulge in resolutions, but the strong act. Life is but a day’s work—do it well. The act is ours; the consequences God's.

12. The greatest affliction of the cosmos is never to have been afflicted. Mortals only learn wisdom by experiencing tribulation.

13. Stars are best discerned from the lonely isolation of experiential depths, not from the illuminated and ecstatic mountain tops.

14. Whet the appetites of your associates for truth; give advice only when it is asked for.

15. Affectation is the ridiculous effort of the ignorant to appear wise, the attempt of the barren soul to appear rich.

16. You cannot perceive spiritual truth until you feelingly experience it, and many truths are not really felt except in adversity.

17. Ambition is dangerous until it is fully socialized. You have not truly acquired any virtue until your acts make you worthy of it.

18. Impatience is a spirit poison; anger is like a stone hurled into a hornet’s nest.

19. Anxiety must be abandoned. The disappointments hardest to bear are those which never come.

20. Only a poet can discern poetry in the commonplace prose of routine existence.

21. The high mission of any art is, by its illusions, to foreshadow a higher universe reality, to crystallize the emotions of time into the thought of eternity.

22. The evolving soul is not made divine by what it does, but by what it strives to do.

23.  Death added nothing to the intellectual possession or to the spiritual endowment, but it did add to the experiential status the consciousness of survival.

24. The destiny of eternity is determined moment by moment by the achievements of the day by day living. The acts of today are the destiny of tomorrow.

25. Greatness lies not so much in possessing strength as in making a wise and divine use of such strength.

26. Knowledge is possessed only by sharing; it is safeguarded by wisdom and socialized by love.

27. Progress demands development of individuality; mediocrity seeks perpetuation in standardization.

28. The argumentative defense of any proposition is inversely proportional to the truth contained.

In the coming days, I propose to write a few explanatory blogs on a few of the above philosophical statements that I consider very important for everyone.[Please click the statement above if it is hyper-linked! Else you may use the blog search facility on the left column top to find blogs that contain an idea or key word, instantly.]

By the way, think it over. If you find success in finding its deeper meanings it would be nice.

If those meanings are fully acceptable to your mind, then it would be nicer.

Read and try yourself !

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

INTERPRETATION OF THE MATURITY SELF TEST SCORE
[CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE TEST PAGE!]

1. YOUR TOTAL SCORE IS EITHER 0 OR 100 : 

YOU ARE A CONFUSED PERSON. YOU HAVE DIFFICULTY TO REALIZE TRUTHS FROM UNTRUTHS OR FALSE HOODS.

2. YOUR BLUE SCORE IS BETWEEN 32 AND 60 :

YOU HAVE ACHIEVED CONSIDERABLE PHYSICAL MATURITY IS PERHAPS STILL DEVELOPING PHYSICALLY. 

3. YOUR GREEN SCORE IS BETWEEN 32 AND 40:

YOU HAVE ACHIEVED SOME SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT AND THERE IS STILL MUCH SCOPE FOR IMPROVEMENT.

4. YOUR GREEN SCORE AND BLUE SCORE BOTH LESS THAN 32:

YOUR ARE IN THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPMENT AND HAVE NOT YET ACHIEVED WORTHWHILE PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL MATURITY LEVELS.

5. YOUR BLUE SCORE IS 60 AND TOTAL SCORE IS ABOVE 60 :

YOU ARE PHYSICALLY MATURE BUT SPIRITUALLY NOT. 

6. YOUR BLUE SCORE IS 0 OR NEGATIVE: 

YOU HAVE ACHIEVED SOME MATURITY ONLY TO BE NEGATED BY SOME IMMATURITY FACTORS.

7. YOUR BLUE SCORE IS 60 AND TOTAL SCORE IS ALSO 60. 

CONGRATULATIONS! YOU SEEM TO HAVE ACHIEVED ALMOST FULL MATURITY, BOTH PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL.

The Why and How of Jesus Bringing Dead Lazarus to Life: What is not Written in the Bible !

Very late on Sunday night, February 26, [ AD 30 ] a runner from Bethany arrived at Philadelphia,bringing a message from Martha and Mary which said, 

“Lord, he whom you love is very sick.” 

This message reached Jesus at the close of the evening conference and just as he was taking leave of the apostles for the night. 

At first Jesus made no reply. There occurred one of those strange interludes, a time when he appeared to be in communication with something outside of, and beyond, himself. 

And then, looking up, he addressed the messenger in the hearing of the apostles, saying: 

“This sickness is really not to the death. Doubt not that it may be used to glorify God and exalt the Son.”

Jesus was very fond of Martha, Mary, and their brother, Lazarus; he loved them with a fervent affection. 

His first and human thought was to go to their assistance at once, but another idea came into his combined mind. He had almost given up hope that the Jewish leaders at Jerusalem would ever accept the kingdom, but he still loved his people, and there now occurred to him a plan whereby the scribes and Pharisees of Jerusalem might have one more chance to accept his teachings; and he decided, his Father willing, to make this last appeal to Jerusalem the most profound and stupendous outward working of his entire earth career. The Jews clung to the idea of a wonder-working deliverer. And though he refused to stoop to the performance of material wonders or to the enactment of temporal exhibitions of political power, he did now ask the Father’s consent for the manifestation of his hitherto unexhibited power over life and death.

Accordingly, early on Wednesday morning he said to his apostles: 

“Let us prepare at once to go into Judea again.” 

And when the apostles heard their Master say this, they drew off by themselves for a time to take counsel of one another. James assumed the direction of the conference, and they all agreed that it was only folly to allow Jesus to go again into Judea, and they came back as one man and so informed him. 

Said James: 

“Master, you were in Jerusalem a few weeks back, and the leaders sought your death, while the people were minded to stone you. At that time you gave these men their chance to receive the truth, and we will not permit you to go again into Judea.”

When they could not persuade him to refrain from going into Judea, and when some of the apostles were loath even to accompany him,Thomas addressed his fellows, saying: 

“We have told the Master our fears, but he is determined to go to Bethany. I am satisfied it means the end; they will surely kill him, but if that is the Master’s choice, then let us acquit ourselves like men of courage; let us go also that we may die with him.” 

And it was ever so; in matters requiring deliberate and sustained courage, Thomas was always the mainstay of the twelve apostles.

On the way to Judea Jesus was followed by a company of almost fifty of his friends and enemies.

It was shortly after noon when Martha started out to meet Jesus as he came over the brow of the hill near Bethany. 

Her brother, Lazarus, had been dead four days and had been laid away in their private tomb at the far end of the garden late on Sunday afternoon. The stone at the entrance of the tomb had been rolled in place on the morning of this day, Thursday.

When Martha and Mary sent word to Jesus concerning Lazarus’s illness, they were confident the Master would do something about it. They knew that their brother was desperately sick, and though they hardly dared hope that Jesus would leave his work of teaching and preaching to come to their assistance, they had such confidence in his power to heal disease that they thought he would just speak the curative words, and Lazarus would immediately be made whole. And when Lazarus died a few hours after the messenger left Bethany for Philadelphia, they reasoned that it was because the Master did not learn of their brother’s illness until it was too late, until he had already been dead for several hours.

But they, with all of their believing friends, were greatly puzzled by the message which the runner brought back Tuesday forenoon when he reached Bethany. The messenger insisted that he heard Jesus say,“...this sickness is really not to the death.” 

Neither could they understand why he sent no word to them nor otherwise proffered assistance.

Many friends from near-by hamlets and others from Jerusalem came over to comfort the sorrow-stricken sisters. Lazarus and his sisters were the children of a well-to-do and honorable Jew, one who had been the leading resident of the little village of Bethany. 

And notwithstanding that all three had long been ardent followers of Jesus, they were highly respected by all who knew them. They had inherited extensive vineyards and olive orchards in this vicinity, and that they were wealthy was further attested by the fact that they could afford a private burial tomb on their own premises. Both of their parents had already been laid away in this tomb.

Mary had given up the thought of Jesus’ coming and was abandoned to her grief, but Martha clung to the hope that Jesus would come, even up to the time on that very morning when they rolled the stone in front of the tomb and sealed the entrance. Even then she instructed a neighbor lad to keep watch down the Jericho road from the brow of the hill to the east of Bethany; and it was this lad who brought tidings to Martha that Jesus and his friends were approaching.

When Martha met Jesus, she fell at his feet, exclaiming, 

“Master, if you had been here, my brother would not have died!” 

Many fears were passing through Martha’s mind, but she gave expression to no doubt, nor did she venture to criticize or question the Master’s conduct as related to Lazarus’s death. When she had spoken, Jesus reached down and, lifting her upon her feet, said,

“Only have faith, Martha, and your brother shall rise again.” 

Then answered Martha: 

“I know that he will rise again in the resurrection of the last day; and even now I believe that whatever you shall ask of God, our Father will give you.”

Then said Jesus, looking straight into the eyes of Martha: 

“I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live. In truth, whosoever lives and believes in me shall never really die. Martha, do you believe this?” 

And Martha answered the Master: 

“Yes, I have long believed that you are the Deliverer, the Son of the living God, even he who should come to this world.”

Many of those present were Jesus’ bitter enemies. That is why Martha had come out to meet him alone, and also why she went in secretly to inform Mary that he had asked for her. Martha, while craving to see Jesus, desired to avoid any possible unpleasantness which might be caused by his coming suddenly into the midst of a large group of his Jerusalem enemies. It had been Martha’s intention to remain in the house with their friends while Mary went to greet Jesus, but in this she failed, for they all followed Mary and so found themselves unexpectedly in the presence of the Master.

Martha led Mary to Jesus, and when she saw him, she fell at his feet, exclaiming, 

“If you had only been here, my brother would not have died!” 

And when Jesus saw how they all grieved over the death of Lazarus, his soul was moved with compassion.

The human mind of Jesus was mightily moved by the contention between his love for Lazarus and the bereaved sisters and his disdain and contempt for the outward show of affection manifested by some of these unbelieving and murderously intentioned Jews. Jesus indignantly resented the show of forced and outward mourning for Lazarus by some of these professed friends inasmuch as such false sorrow was associated in their hearts with so much bitter enmity toward himself. 

Some of these Jews, however, were sincere in their mourning, for they were real friends of the family.

After Jesus had spent a few moments in comforting Martha and Mary, apart from the mourners, he asked them, 

“Where have you laid him?” 

Then Martha said, 

“Come and see.” 

And as the Master followed on in silence with the two sorrowing sisters, he wept. When the friendly Jews who followed after them saw his tears, one of them said: 

“Behold how he loved him. Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind have kept this man from dying?” 

By this time they were standing before the family tomb, a small natural cave, or declivity, in the ledge of rock which rose up some thirty feet at the far end of the garden plot.

It is difficult to explain to human minds just why Jesus wept. While we have access to the registration of the combined human emotions and divine thoughts, we are not altogether certain about the real cause of these emotional manifestations. We are inclined to believe that Jesus wept because of a number of thoughts and feelings which were going through his mind at this time.

Did the divine mind of Jesus know, even before Lazarus died, that he would raise him from the dead? We do not know. We know only what we are herewith placing on record.

And so, on this Thursday afternoon at about half past two o’clock, was the stage all set in this little hamlet of Bethany for the enactment of the greatest of all works connected with the earth ministry of Michael of Nebadon, the greatest manifestation of divine power during his incarnation in the flesh, since his own resurrection occurred after he had been liberated from the bonds of mortal habitation.

The small group assembled before Lazarus’s tomb little realized the presence near at hand of a vast concourse of all orders of celestial beings assembled under the leadership of Gabriel and now in waiting, vibrating with expectancy and ready to execute the bidding of their beloved Sovereign.

When Jesus spoke those words of command, 

“Take away the stone,” the assembled celestial hosts made ready to enact the drama of the resurrection of Lazarus in the likeness of his mortal flesh. 

Such a form of resurrection involves difficulties of execution which far transcend the usual technique of the resurrection of mortal creatures in morontia form and requires far more celestial personalities and a far greater organization of universe facilities.

When Martha and Mary heard this command of Jesus directing that the stone in front of the tomb be rolled away, they were filled with conflicting emotions. Mary hoped that Lazarus was to be raised from the dead, but Martha, while to some extent sharing her sister’s faith, was more exercised by the fear that Lazarus would not be presentable, in his appearance, to Jesus, the apostles, and their friends. 

Said Martha: 

“Must we roll away the stone? My brother has now been dead four days, so that by this time decay of the body has begun.” 

Martha also said this because she was not certain as to why the Master had requested that the stone be removed; she thought maybe Jesus wanted only to take one last look at Lazarus. She was not settled and constant in her attitude. As they hesitated to roll away the stone, Jesus said: 

“Did I not tell you at the first that this sickness was not to the death? Have I not come to fulfill my promise? And after I came to you, did I not say that, if you would only believe, you should see the glory of God? Wherefore do you doubt? How long before you will believe and obey?”

When Jesus had finished speaking, his apostles, with the assistance of willing neighbors, laid hold upon the stone and rolled it away from the entrance to the tomb.

As this company of some forty-five mortals stood before the tomb, they could dimly see the form of Lazarus, wrapped in linen bandages, resting on the right lower niche of the burial cave. 

While these earth creatures stood there in almost breathless silence, a vast host of celestial beings had swung into their places preparatory to answering the signal for action when it should be given by Gabriel, their commander.

Jesus lifted up his eyes and said:

“Father, I am thankful that you heard and granted my request. I know that you always hear me, but because of those who stand here with me, I thus speak with you, that they may believe that you have sent me into the world, and that they may know that you are working with me in that which we are about to do.” 

And when he had prayed, he cried with a loud voice, 

“Lazarus, come forth!”

Though these human observers remained motionless, the vast celestial host was all astir in unified action in obedience to the Creator’s word. In just twelve seconds of earth time the hitherto lifeless form of Lazarus began to move and presently sat up on the edge of the stone shelf whereon it had rested. His body was bound about with grave cloths, and his face was covered with a napkin. 

And as he stood up before them—alive—Jesus said, 

“Loose him and let him go.”

All, save the apostles, with Martha and Mary, fled to the house. They were pale with fright and overcome with astonishment. While some tarried, many hastened to their homes.

Lazarus greeted Jesus and the apostles and asked the meaning of the grave cloths and why he had awakened in the garden. Jesus and the apostles drew to one side while Martha told Lazarus of his death, burial, and resurrection. She had to explain to him that he had died on Sunday and was now brought back to life on Thursday, inasmuch as he had had no consciousness of time since falling asleep in death.

As they walked toward the house, Gabriel dismissed the extra groups of the assembled heavenly host while he made record of the first instance on earth, and the last, where a mortal creature had been resurrected in the likeness of the physical body of death.

Lazarus could hardly comprehend what had occurred. He knew he had been very sick, but he could recall only that he had fallen asleep and been awakened. He was never able to tell anything about these four days in the tomb because he was wholly unconscious. Time is nonexistent to those who sleep the sleep of death.

Though many believed in Jesus as a result of this mighty work, others only hardened their hearts the more to reject him. By noon the next day this story had spread over all Jerusalem. Scores of men and women went to Bethany to look upon Lazarus and talk with him, and the alarmed and disconcerted Pharisees hastily called a meeting of the Sanhedrin that they might determine what should be done about these new developments.

Lazarus remained at the Bethany home, being the center of great interest to many sincere believers and to numerous curious individuals, until the week of the crucifixion of Jesus, when he received warning that the Sanhedrin had decreed his death. The rulers of the Jews were determined to put a stop to the further spread of the teachings of Jesus, and they well judged that it would be useless to put Jesus to death if they permitted Lazarus, who represented the very peak of his wonder-working, to live and bear testimony to the fact that Jesus had raised him from the dead. Already had Lazarus suffered bitter persecution from them.

Soon after this Martha and Mary disposed of their lands at Bethany and joined their brother in Perea.

He ultimately died, when 67 years old, of the same sickness that carried him off when he was a younger man at Bethany.

[Adapted from the Urantia Book]