Discovering Meaning

Who determines the meaning of something? Where/how is meaning attached?
We discussed this in great length in Communication Theory classes. Is the meaning attached by the person who sends the message or the person who receives it?

 

“I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.” Robert McCloskey

So, in the above quote - Whose fault is it?

Much of understanding or misunderstanding one another revolves around context. It's not the words alone or the symbols alone that get confusing. It's the meaning we associate. When I convey a message - in words or symbols - I attach a meaning based on my context. The next person does the same. The context we share determines how closely we understand the message - hear the words - share meaning for the symbol.

When people feel oppressed with "political correctness", it's a sign of the lack of shared context with someone who may be offended. The person who is offended does not understand or trust the context in which the person speaks. It's painful on both sides.

It is painful to the person who is offensive. Perhaps they sincerely do not mean to offend and don't see the negative context. Perhaps they don't like being called out for actually embracing the negative context.

It is pain for the person who is offended. Perhaps they have become overly sensitive and assume offense. Perhaps they have grown attuned to underlying motives that all too often surface in subtle ways.

So, what is the solution? If you want to be understood, build context. To build context, you need to be a better listener. Build trust. The more open and aware we become, the greater the ease of building understanding. It's not a troubling thing. It's a journey of understanding and exploration to be embraced. Awareness of you and your context as well as awareness of others and their context brings peace.

Freedom can be Ugly...

It's impossible (at least for me) to avoid seeing the stories about Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who needs her religious freedom specially protected because doing her job now interferes with her religious beliefs. And it appears the Pope has said people have the right to take this kind of stance in the name of religion.
In reality, people in the United States have the right to say a lot of things and to do a lot of things - in the name of freedom - generally. That's what makes our country unique. Sometimes the exercise of freedom doesn't look so pretty. In fact, sometimes it's down right ugly.
To my knowledge, there are no laws that prevent the Westboro Baptist church from protesting at funerals of fallen soldiers. The Klu Klux Klan has a right to hold rallies and march - even the ACLU has defended that right. We can think of dozens of instances of people protesting - exercising their rights - and it did not look so pretty to many others. We have lots of rights in this country. We protect those rights but there are consequences.
It is the consequences that need the closest scrutiny. In each circumstance, we need to put a different face on the issue at hand. If we protect - or fail to protect - the individual right (no matter what that "right" is) how does that apply to other similar situations? That seems to be the work of the judicial system - weighing the law - the constitution - and providing some balance.
Kim Davis' job changed after she was elected. She doesn't like that change and doesn't want to accept it. I get that. It's kind of like getting a new boss who does things differently - maybe outside of your perceived ethical boundaries. You raise an alarm and say "hey, I'm not liking this" and expect something to fix your problem. Kim has gotten the answer. Most of us understand that it's not going to be fixed for her. Why not? Because there can be a thousand other similar issues from a thousand other directions that would then require special exemptions/protections. Yes, she has the right to raise the objection. Objection noted. Now about your job...Are you doing it or not? If not, step aside. The job is different now but it must be done. If it is too painful, you can quit. We all have the right to walk away from a job that has become too painful to endure.
You do have a right to keep protesting. You have a right to hold rallies and march about it. Many of us will think it looks pretty ugly. Tax payers shouldn't have to pay for ugly. I'd be fired if I refused to do my job, though I do have the right to protest if I want to do so. The consequences will likely be rather ugly.

"We the People"!!!!

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
(www.constitutionus.com)
This preamble to our constitution very clearly states the purpose of our government. Most notably, it begins with "We the People".  Often it seems there is a growing sense of dis-connect from our government as though it is it's own entity apart from us. It was intended, designed from the beginning to be US - united - centered on justice and tranquility, a focus on general welfare, security and a national prosperity for all.
The cause for which our founders sacrificed and fought was noble. They sought to form a perfect union - a new democracy which would secure the "Blessings of Liberty" for all its citizens. It was to be a government "for the people and by the people". They established no monarchy. They established no national religion. And in the beginning, General Washington - President Washington - was reluctant to create a standing army.
We revere those servants who created our democracy. They are our beloved heroes. But we hate the very thing they created - our government. I believe if any one of them could speak today, they would tell us "If you are unhappy with what your elected officials are doing - do something about it!" I think they would be saying "We designed the constitution in a way that gives you power! YOU are the people we were talking about!"
They didn't sit on the sideline and complain. They did something. That something went far beyond saying "you're wrong". They created something that they believed was a better way. And they fought for it. They created a new form of government. They created it in a way that "We the People" can have a great deal of influence if we don't stand on the sidelines and give our power away.
As we enter this upcoming election cycle, many of us are going to grow weary of the political ads, the news soundbites, the calls, emails and knocks at the door. Now is the time to express yourself. Now is the time to get engaged. Now is the time to insist on solutions. Now is the time to offer solutions.
If there is an issue that bothers you, seek a representative that is actually talking about and is actually committed to a solution you believe will work. If they are not talking about the solution you believe is available - tell them what you believe will work! It's not enough to be against what someone else is willing to do. Be willing to commit to something better! Be ready to offer a better solution. That's what our founders did. That's what they sacrificed to create for us. 
At the very least do this:
1) VOTE - and take time to learn about the candidates
2) Engage - tell your local candidates, state candidates, national candidates what you think.
3) We need to encourage an understanding of government at all levels.
Beyond that, we all need to see service to our community, our state and our country as an honorable thing to be respected.We need to stop talking politics and start insisting on service. Every representative of our government needs to be held to the highest standards of public service and gain our highest regard. It's what our founders did! It's what they intended and it is up to "We the People" to uphold.

"Seek and ye shall find..."

All philosophy fascinates me. I'm currently reading Elaine Pagels "The Gnostic Gospels" in which she describes the Gnostic texts discovered at Nag Hammandi, early orthodox Christianity and the great divide that developed. She carefully explains those first and second century times and tries to help us understand the cultural and political climate including the horrific persecution of Christians that prevailed.
As I place this book in context with other information I've studied, the reasoning for developing THE "Bible" was quite sound - politically and culturally. If Christianity did not unite under one Orthodoxy, it would not have survived. The orthodoxy required a centralized authority - a patriarchy - in much the same way an army is formed. Gnostic teachings did not follow this way of thinking. And so, the catholic church - the one confirmed (even by Protestants) in the apostolic creed, was established and mightily fought to survive the ages. Gnostic teachings - gnostic texts - were intended to be completely destroyed. Gnosticism did not conform with Orthodoxy and was an internal threat to survival.
Two thousand years later came the discoveries of Gnostic Texts at Nag Hammandi and in other places. These texts, hoped to be destroyed by the orthodox Christians of the time, offer broadly differing perspectives on Christianity, Christ's life and how to follow.  Of course, I find most interesting the Gnostic teachings that treated women as equals and promoted a communal spiritual understanding that did not focus on hierarchy. These communities believed that connection with the spirit was universally available and should be universally valued. Not all Gnostic teachings followed this but I am most convinced that these are what Jesus taught and meant for us to understand.
Christianity has survived quite possibly due to the Orthodox approach. But it has not prevailed in the world. It has not been enough to change the world. Something has been missing. Something has not been quite right. It has not been quite right because something was missing. What was missing is now being re-discovered and confirmed in other ways. (notably Quantum Physics)
The times described in Elaine Pagels book, I believe and was stated by a great Egyptian Guru, began a time of spiritual darkness. I believe we have now entered a time of great spiritual enlightenment. Orthodox Christianity - as prescribed in the apostolic creed - is milk. It can give life and sustain. Spiritual growth is found beyond.
Do not fear. Spirit will lead you. There is more. Seek and ye shall find.

Rod Sterling, Alfred Hitchock, Jesus and Quantum Physics

One of my favorite shows growing up was the Twilight Zone. Far beyond simple entertainment value, it prompted me to imagine the unseen and unfathomable possibilities. It set the stage for my favorite pastime of exploring endless possibilities for "reality" and consciousness. When I discovered that these and Alfred Hitchcock Presents episodes were readily available for viewing on line, I spent endless winter nights watching one after another. It was pure Nirvana!!!
Rod Sterling and Alfred Hitchcock were more than great story tellers. They knew something. And if you watched, you know it too. There really is something more. If, since then, you have dismissed their "something more" as just good story telling - come back. Watch the episodes again. There is something more!
Now science is beginning to scratch the surface in explaining exactly why the kinds of stories they told are more than just entertaining stories. It is science and scientifically proven - that we - our thoughts and observations - create! We create the reality around us. We create.
Jesus knew this. Jesus taught this. It is quantum physics. Jesus understood it and used it.
You need wine. Turn water into wine. He did it.
You want to see. Listen to me. You see.
We have forty loaves and fishes. Feed them all. They are filled to overflowing.
Of course I can walk on water. You can too. Follow.
Be healed. Rise from the dead... It is all here and possible.
Jesus was a quantum physicist! He demonstrated it all.
So, why did his true work not continue?
His genius, like the genius of many, was not truly understood at the time. It is not understood now.
He was teaching us to feed, to heal and to transcend even death. That is powerful stuff. And powerful people don't want to loose power.
But it's still powerful stuff and if we can stop being overpowered by the fright of the mysticism of it. We can get to it. It's quantum physics. It's not lost. Rod Sterling and Alfred Hitchcock kind of ushered the way for us to try to understand it. I think Jesus is smiling about that.

The Bully Appeal

How do loud, obnoxious, mean spirited people gain a following? I've wondered about this since watching the playground bully in elementary school. There is a certain level of appeal and it transcends the playground into adulthood. The best evidence is how well Donald Trump is doing in his run for president and the successes of people like Rush Limbaugh and Howard Stern.
These three are not what I would consider good neighbor material. Most people would be very upset if their child's teacher talked and acted like any of these 3, and yet, they have a following that is significant. While we may wish to dismiss the phenomenon as crazy, most of us have friends and family that are enamored with these guys. And we live on the same planet.
So, I find myself looking back at the playground bully days. The bully always had a loyal pack of followers who wanted to appear as big and bad. Then there were the "neutrals" who tried to stay distant and uninvolved. The neutrals sometimes snickered with the bully and pack hoping they were not going to become targets. And then there were the targets that the bully and pack attacked while the neutrals stood back. The power of the bully depends upon neutrals. They are the largest number.
Inevitably, the bully and pack stepped on someone the neutrals could not avoid defending and the tables turned. Loud, obnoxious and mean spirited is not so funny when someone you care about is the target. Why is it EVER appealing?
It's appealing when we think it is a sign of strength. It seems a very basic caveman thing. If you fear a lion is about to attack, you want the strongest person to intervene. The best way to scare off a lion is to be loud, obnoxious and downright mean!
That explains the pack loyal to the bully. They really believe there is a lion about to attack. But what about the snickering neutrals? And the non-snickering neutrals at the other end of the spectrum closer to the targets? The snickering neutrals are probably a bit convinced of the lion threat. The non-snickering neutrals are probably a little more afraid of becoming the bully target.
One day - some day - on some planet - we will finally understand that bullies are not needed. Lions have no threat. Targets are not needed. And neutral is not possible.

Let Spirit Lead You

There are signs of a spiritual awakening. We see it as more people are growing sensitive to and aware of social injustices. But we also see it as oppressors grow more extreme and outrageous in attempts to stifle spiritual awakening.
Spiritual awakening is threatening to those who love power and institutional religious ritualized dogma. The spirit has no need of physical or emotional power. In spirit, we are free and at peace. Spirit is not tied to or separate from anything. As children, full of wonder, we know that. Then the world sets out to tell us otherwise.
We're taught to fear. We're taught to seek power and become conquerors and then to seek salvation from the savagery that we were carefully taught to revere. Inner woven are odd threads of blood and sacrifice, timed rituals, robotic chants, strangely tied to hope of spiritual enlightenment and salvation.
Salvation is not given to us, it is given through us. To be born again is to be spiritually wakened. It does not matter what order the candles are lit. No blood is required. What matters is for you to become a light. You are the candle. The light is passed to you and through you.
All the great spiritual teachers had the same message. Do no harm. And one great harm is to ignore social injustice. Their heart bled for those who were oppressed. They saw it. They spoke about it. They acted. Salvation flowed through them. Spirit flowed through them. The light flowed through them. It did not flow through them so that they must be sacrificed. That is not from the spirit. The world devours, not spirit. Spirit has no need for destruction. There in lies the deception.
It's no so complicated. No book is going to to unlock it. No ritual is going to unlock it. Just stop and listen. Hear and do. Let salvation flow to you and through you. It's not a physical thing that happens. It's a spiritual thing that takes over. Be reborn. Let spirit lead you. Nothing is lost or sacrificed. All is freely given.