Knowing what to do is only half the battle. We still have to do it. And perhaps especially for most of us on the spiritual path, the issue is not that we don't know enough to act appropriately and make the best choices we are able to but that we aren't taking responsibility for what we already know and making those choices consistently.
And if those of us on the spiritual path are not taking responsibility for ourselves and what we know and choosing to live out our beliefs with consistency and integrity, what do we have to offer the world? What is our great message? What is our 'Good News' if it's not being lived out? Of course, higher values matter and are inherently better than 'lower' values but if they're not being manifest in the world in significant ways then what good are they?
The question of determining which values are higher and lower is an excellent and important one but for those of us who claim to be privy to what we believe to be higher values, the onus is on us to prove it through the way that we live. The real issue for many of us is not that our values are deficient (though they may be) but that we're not consistently living them out through the choices we make.
So why do we act according to our highest values at some times and not others?
I cannot emphasize enough the significance of this question for those of us aware of and interested in higher development and/or spiritual formation, and how ultimately foundational our answer is to the way we relate to life itself. Why don't we always do what we believe to be best???
It's easy to make glib comments about how we're 'only human' or similar notions but as I've pointed out, other animals don't seem to have this integrity issue, that honey bees - as far as I know - never stop making honey because they've had a rough day and the queen is riding their bee-hinds (ah, come one, I couldn't resist that one). And maybe being the most advanced life on earth makes us inherently incapable of the kind of perfect integrity reflected by other creatures but I don't think that's a given. We need some reasons to back it up, if that is our understanding.
In seeking out an explanation, perhaps the best place to start is with another question: is it even possible to live out our highest ideals at all times, in all places, under all circumstances or are we completely incapable of such things? How we answer this question will likely take us in potentially divergent directions. If we ARE capable of living with this kind of flawless integrity, then the next question becomes, why don't we? However, if we're NOT capable of such absolute integrity, we might then ask if we can become capable or, if the answer is no, we might try to discern how to simply live with as much integrity as possible and attempt to increase that over time.
It's a question of human nature, about who we really are as a species and what we're capable of. This greatly colours the lens through which we see ourselves, others and humanity as a whole.
I will leave it here for now, open-ended yet very interested in you sharing with me your answer to this question of whether or not you believe any of us are capable of a life of perfect integrity. You can also explain your rationale, if you wish, or any other thoughts you deem pertinent and I'll try to incorporate them into my next post.
I invite you to explore this with me, like I'm Willy Wonka and this blog is my chocolate factory...just don't have any of those fizzy lifting drinks...
And if those of us on the spiritual path are not taking responsibility for ourselves and what we know and choosing to live out our beliefs with consistency and integrity, what do we have to offer the world? What is our great message? What is our 'Good News' if it's not being lived out? Of course, higher values matter and are inherently better than 'lower' values but if they're not being manifest in the world in significant ways then what good are they?
The question of determining which values are higher and lower is an excellent and important one but for those of us who claim to be privy to what we believe to be higher values, the onus is on us to prove it through the way that we live. The real issue for many of us is not that our values are deficient (though they may be) but that we're not consistently living them out through the choices we make.
So why do we act according to our highest values at some times and not others?
I cannot emphasize enough the significance of this question for those of us aware of and interested in higher development and/or spiritual formation, and how ultimately foundational our answer is to the way we relate to life itself. Why don't we always do what we believe to be best???
It's easy to make glib comments about how we're 'only human' or similar notions but as I've pointed out, other animals don't seem to have this integrity issue, that honey bees - as far as I know - never stop making honey because they've had a rough day and the queen is riding their bee-hinds (ah, come one, I couldn't resist that one). And maybe being the most advanced life on earth makes us inherently incapable of the kind of perfect integrity reflected by other creatures but I don't think that's a given. We need some reasons to back it up, if that is our understanding.
In seeking out an explanation, perhaps the best place to start is with another question: is it even possible to live out our highest ideals at all times, in all places, under all circumstances or are we completely incapable of such things? How we answer this question will likely take us in potentially divergent directions. If we ARE capable of living with this kind of flawless integrity, then the next question becomes, why don't we? However, if we're NOT capable of such absolute integrity, we might then ask if we can become capable or, if the answer is no, we might try to discern how to simply live with as much integrity as possible and attempt to increase that over time.
It's a question of human nature, about who we really are as a species and what we're capable of. This greatly colours the lens through which we see ourselves, others and humanity as a whole.
I will leave it here for now, open-ended yet very interested in you sharing with me your answer to this question of whether or not you believe any of us are capable of a life of perfect integrity. You can also explain your rationale, if you wish, or any other thoughts you deem pertinent and I'll try to incorporate them into my next post.
I invite you to explore this with me, like I'm Willy Wonka and this blog is my chocolate factory...just don't have any of those fizzy lifting drinks...
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