“God gave you a heart to love with, not to hate with, God gave you the ability to create Heaven on earth, not Hell.” — Leon Brown
Then We Shall Know
“When we see social relationships controlled everywhere by the principles which Jesus illustrated in life — trust, love, mercy, and altruism — then we shall know that the kingdom of God is here.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Friday Affirmation
“The perfect moment is this one.” — Jon Kabat-Zinn
The Promised City
By Robert O. Robbins
We’ve all heard of the promise of a future city, appearing from beyond the Earth, beyond the sky, beyond our solar system, yes, and beyond even our galaxy.
Some call this place Heaven, some say it’s Nirvana, Arcadia, Shangri-La, Zion, paradise, The New Jerusalem, or even our eternal home.
It is said to be a place of perfection, of peace, of beauty and of joy.
A place where everyone is able to work together in harmony.
A place where we’re all creators, created in our Creator’s image. We’re all co-creators with this one of whom the Universe is created.
This is a place where —- well, what is this place?
We human species describes this place as:
Well, for instance, how do you describe it?
That is an excellent question, now isn’t it? And, interestingly enough, once a person decides to describe something, anything, they then become co-creators of that thing. In this case our future home: Here we’ll call it “The New Jerusalem” as it is called in the Christian Bible.
The world’s religious scriptures declare that there will be a future city come out of the sky, or elsewhere, which will be that “heaven” which has historically been longed for by our ancestors. But time still progresses and the promises of this city continue.
Is it possible for us to ever see this city of peace on this planet? Is it possible for this to be more than a city? Perhaps a whole country, or even the planet itself could take on the social personality of being a part of heaven. But how? Is it just a dream?
Yes. It is. It’s just a dream. But one worth dreaming.
When a person dreams it sets forth a wonderful power called hope which can duplicate and multiply between people to the point that it can develop its own life and begin to appear it reality for us all to see, hear and experience.
Novelists, especially science fiction writers, are an excellent example of this. Through their creative words these dreamers of the possible have caused the thoughts of their readers to drift into what most of their generation believed to be impossible. Yet, just a few years later, history shows that the society which read these words starting developing into looking, sounding and being like those described by writers like Jules Verne, Gene Roddenberry, and others.
This is wonderful evidence of our ability to create, even our own social surroundings, and indicates how we are to do so.
While it is possible for The New Jerusalem to appear in our sky, from somewhere in space, the fact that thousands of years have been spent waiting for such an occurrence has caused the multitudes of watchers to become wary of the search. Is it possible that while we await this physical city to appear, that we could, and possibly should attempt to create our own heavenly city?
But, you might say, people have been trying to do this for thousands of years. But because people have such diverse backgrounds and ideas it never works. It even often ends up in conflict up to and including war.
But do we let this diversion defeat us? We still have the fact that the various religious groups like Christians, Buddhists, Jewish believers or many other faiths seek a better form of life other than that which is presented on this planet currently. Or, perhaps, do we set forth that part of us which the Judaeo-Christian scriptures proclaim is our true heritage from our “God” as being created in his image: that is that we are created to be creators.
Nice statement, as far as it goes. But so would also a professor telling his students that the solution to getting a plant to grow is to water the soil in which it is planted. Yet no one had ever taught the student how to plant the seed in the soil.
So, let’s take a couple of steps back and determine what we mean by saying we will create a heavenly society. What do we mean by that? We need a working definition.
This is where you come in. Oh, yes, I am expected here to give a well worded explanation of what is generally accepted as our goal; possibly from one of Webster’s books or someone else’s. But thus is where many of the problems come from which causes the conflict between people. One person, or group of people, uses a different book than another and the arguments begin.
In this instance, let’s leave the standard books closed. Let’s each of us give everyone else our definition of what is the perfect society, The New Jerusalem looks like, if you could create it your self. For those of you who write or are prone to give speeches this should be a rather fun and challenging request. But it does not leave out the others of you who do not feel you have such skills.
Anyone and everyone has the ability to tell others what they dream of as the perfect society. The perfect place to live. The first key to this is to allow yourself to dream of such a possibility.
Once you’ve had sufficient time to dream, you will naturally find the need, the urge to communicate that dream experience to others. How you do this will, of course, be according to your own skills and personality. The most important thing is NOT to do nothing, for that gives a message also: that your dream of peace and a Utopian society is unimportant. If you tell your dream, then others will listen and become part of that dream who hopefully will tell others and eventually the whole of the planet becomes part of the dream.
So get out there and tell your dream. Write your story. Write your songs, or sing them. Be the co-creator you were meant to be. Paint those pictures, draw those scenes, carve those statues and figurines. Tell the stories of peace and joy you see in your mind’s eyes in your dreams. Don’t be shy. The things you hope for in the future, when it comes to a peaceful world, is shared by people all over the world.
God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. You can be one of the many creators who proclaim, “Let there be world peace,” and when the proclamation grows to the masses, there will be world peace.
Do whatever you can think to help serve your fellow mankind, to make life better. Create your message. Invent your message. Cook your message. Drive your message. Act your message. Sell your message. Teach your message. Manage your message.
Whatever you do, keep your message in mind. If you live it, others will notice.
You are, according to world scriptures, a creation of an almighty, creative God, who created you in his image. Act that way. Be creative and tell the world of your dream of the coming “New Jerusalem.” Be part of the process.
—Namaste’
May Wrap up
As the month of May comes to a close, I hope we have given you some ideas and encouragement for your own spirtual practice. We end with a favorite of mine, Breathing from Joe Reilly.
Come and See
“Qualities like love and compassion are not just abstract virtues that are the property of saints and adepts. Anyone can develop these qualities in themselves by doing spiritual practices. As the Buddha said, Come and see.” ~ Joanna Macy
Spiritual Practice When Times are Good
“If you don’t have a spiritual practice in place when times are good, you can’t expect to suddenly develop one during a moment of crisis.” ~ Douglas Coupland
The Beginner’s Mind
In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities,
but in the expert’s mind there are few.
~ Shunryu Suzuki
A True Learner of the Way
“If one is a true learner of the Way, one does not search for the faults of the world, but rather speedily applies oneself to attain genuine insight. If one only can see with perfect clarity, then all is completed.” ~ Rinzai
The Friday Affirmation
I abide in the perfect wholeness of creation.