Today: CT Step 69 - I will not take my freedom for
granted.
 |
| I will not take my freedom for granted. CT Step 69 |
What freedom you enjoy is a privilege in the
universe. Perhaps you live in a place where freedom is taken for granted, where
everyone assumes that it is everyone’s right. But freedom has been hard won,
and defending freedom has been difficult throughout time. Perhaps you have not
been through these trials, but you know of people who have.
Freedom is precious, particularly the freedom to
experience and to express Knowledge. This is an even greater freedom than the
freedom to move about, to choose your occupation, or to marry who you wish to
many or to say what you wish to say without fear of severe retribution. Yet
even these lesser freedoms are important.
Yet, if it is genuine, freedom brings with it
responsibility, a commitment to give, accountability to others and a dedication
to service. Freedom without these things is not freedom. It is avoidance. It is
true freedom that must be protected and preserved. You lose your freedom every
day when you lose contact with Knowledge, when you are lost to yourself, when
you act in such a way that betrays your true understanding, when you say things
you don't mean to say and do things you don't really intend to do and when you
follow others mindlessly out of fear and concern.
In the study of Steps
to Knowledge, you are in the process of regaining a real freedom and all
the power and grace that accompany it. In the Greater Community, such freedom
is rare, for advanced societies do not exercise this kind of freedom as a rule.
Only in rare cases does this happen. In the universe, there are greater forces
and greater powers, worldly powers. Their dominion is built upon conformity and
control. You will encounter them. Some of them are in the world today. What a
contrast this will be. It will show you how valuable your freedom is, why it
must be honored and preserved and why your understanding of it must be correct
and not corrupted.
Consider this today. In addition to your practice
in stillness and your hourly practices, consider the value of your freedom.
Practice 69: One
30-minute stillness practice.
Contemplation practice.
Hourly practice.
Picture: Luggage pickup area - Denver International
Airport. Travel freedom is common now, our use of it only restrained by lack of
funds and/or vacation time, as opposed to being held back by external
restrictions. It is something not to be taken for granted.
Plan B - If the MP3 doesn’t work, here’s the link
to the folder: New Message - Student Spoken Steps CT Recordings -
Steps to Knowledge Continuation Training - Working file
From the journal:
CT
Step 68 - The world needs freedom.
7:40
a.m. Thursday, November 1, 2001 –
God
visited me briefly this morning. He said, "Get over it". I've been
depressed for a long time about my results in the world. They are due, in part,
to my ineptitude in relationships, primarily a misperception of others. The
world has changed – its economics in particular – and so we live and act
differently. I'm part of that – confused by it is much is anyone.
We
are all trying to have the world work on our behalf. Every day I live in peace,
that must be true. People want more and this culture offers a path to get more,
in economic terms.
Yet
I am a soul, a hungry soul. I live inside out and outside in. I see a world
divided that can be regionalized for benefit. Trade patterns have changed. We
exchange one isolation for another. The towns used to be centers of everything
– Friday & Saturday – all in to town. Now it's more decentralized – people
go to the bigger markets or it comes to them with and UPS/FedEx.
8:27
a.m.
Attract
talented people.
Regions based on geographic neighbors –
centered on settlements
Communities within geographies based on
peers –
→ the reach of
the geography is a function of critical mass for action
6:39
p.m. Contemplation – Step 68 – "The world needs freedom". Humanity
needs to be free. I need to get over my little pains so that I can move forward
on the bigger picture. I want to shift to SU and focus on the regional center @
Winchester.
Take
time to think about – your freedom, the freedom of those you love, freedom in
the world and freedom in the GC.
It
seemed that growing up in Two Rivers there was security and freedom. The only limit
to freedom was the smallness of the town. The only threat was the Soviet
nuclear missiles. I had dreams of reforming Russia/Communism – as a child on School
St. and believed in the military. I was against segregation – and explored
ideas of the world in novels. It was a surprise to me that I had the interest
profile of an entertainer. I wanted my folks to be safe and want that now.
Religion didn't seem to have much to do with freedom – though I was free to be
in or out. That was significant, but I didn't have the perspective to know
why. Cars were important – they gave freedom. The quality of my education
gave me freedom and allowed me to escape/avoid some problems. I never sought
financial freedom – it wasn't part of the family knowledge.
I
wanted David and Sarah to have education that would free them to go higher.
They rejected what they had and had little capacity. They've acted free, but
did not have what it takes. Their errors have cut into my freedom. It has
limited my resources. It also limits their freedom. I could not communicate how
they are irresponsibility would hurt them. By bailing them out, they didn't
learn. I'm not sure pain would have taught them.
What
kind of Freedom will Lane, Emily and Susan have? It will depend on their growth
and that has become challenging because of their parents.
Life
in the USA has become less free because of terrorism in the name of Islam. That
is sad for the US and the rest of the world. Religion – its fundamental – ideal
holders – restrict us all. <11/3/01 – Yet it is a force for world
community.>
I am
free to articulate new perspectives on community, but who will use them? I'm
free to continue and I shall.
Amen
& Amen
Nasi
Novare Coram
Neale
Donald Walsh has written the “Conversations with God” series of books. Back in
the 1990’s when I was reading those books, I tried it myself. I’d already been
getting spirit communication and I got and recorded reasonable answers, all
helping me along. To get this far I’ve needed quite a bit of help in fact.
The
journal records: God visited me briefly this morning. He said,
"Get over it". I've been depressed for a long time about my results
in the world. Very practical. That is something we
are learning here via Steps. We all have things to put behind us and some
things require repeated efforts. We continue.
NNC
Note: If you’ve some interest, but this is the
first time you’ve seen Steps, you should go to the beginning blog post. From here you will learn about Steps to Knowledge
and can begin it on the day that makes sense; then progress as needed. Begin at
the beginning.
If you do know about Steps, but have not done Steps
twice completely, read the related materials, and have a sense of the direction
of this study, you won’t get the experience. The Introduction begins:
“This is the Steps
to Knowledge Continuation Training. It is designed to build upon the Steps
that were learned in Steps to Knowledge to
enable you to experience the grace, the power and the direction of Knowledge in
your life and to become an expression of Knowledge in everything that you do.
If you have completed the book, Steps to
Knowledge, twice through and have followed the instructions as they were
given without altering the curriculum in any way, then you are now ready to
begin this more advanced study”.
If you are an independent student, that is certainly
an option. Posts here provide a trail that may let you have a virtual companion
when and if you want one. One may have to study alone, as I did in the
beginning. There are other Steps students blogging their experience and you
might find a person more like you as a companion, or use a number of such Steps
journeys. There are options as well through the Free School of the New Message.
No comments:
Post a Comment