Thinking about spiritual practice

Over the past few weeks, I noticed a theme coming to my awareness. Whether in my own observations of my practice, or talking with friends and collaborators, the theme of 'the quick fix' or 'positive change by osmosis' kept coming up. Even in a cafe, enjoying some solo reflection time, the theme arose out of the loud conversation nearby.

The gist is that many hope for positive shifts that create more wellness, balance, harmony, joy, prosperity, and meaning (among other things), but for many, it never moves out of the intellectualizing of the shift and potential pathways, or worse, simply talking about it in a noncommital way -- and allotting much more airspace to all that is wrong (and hence why the 'shift' is desired!). We see it individually, and because organizations are groups of individuals, we see it in many of our organizations.

For some, this might manifest in the 'just give me a pill' or 'cut it out' mentality that frustrates truly caring healthcare professionals (brought to you by the thriving pharmaceutical industry). For others it might manifest in a hopping from coach to coach and seminar to seminar or church to church, wanting the 'change by osmosis' -- thinking one can just buy it or soak it up in a session or workshop or Sunday service, without having to actually do the harder, more time-consuming work of changing old habits, beliefs, thought patterns, and choices.

Yes, that all adds up to the 'R' word -- responsibility, and personal responsibility, not the kind that one delegates to someone else or another time, class, culture, or generation. The subject of 'personal responsibility' has never been a popular one, nor has it been joyfully received by the masses, who prefer a quick-fix-it pill to having to wake up and do something.

This dissociation between desire, thought, personal responsibility, and action rarely leads to place we want to be. Just read the news headlines and you'll quickly see some of dissociation's prime destinations: fear, scarcity thinking, environmental degradation, greed, wounded relationships, disconnectedness, chronic and acute unwellness. But there is a choice, though perhaps not a quickie magic pill.

As many of us know -- and all of us know deep within our core -- the joy, meaning, and real change stem from the 'narrow path' of Sophia that Jesus spoke of (as did many others). The virtues or 'noble paths' of patience, compassion, loving-kindness, faith, right thinking, right livelihood, and so on come from a minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day, choice by choice commitment to show up and make them real.

Wishing you very well.

Until next time,
Jamie

Comments

[law of attraction community]

Hmmm, great stuff.I am really looking forward to your next post.

Thanks!
Best of Luck...