Loving Your Neighbour

[rideforever]

"You shall love your neighbour as you do yourself."

 

What does this actually mean ?   That we kiss and hug everyone, hand out chocolate cake to everyone ?   Is that how you love yourself ?
 

I think not.   To love yourself you have to tell yourself off sometimes.   Kick yourself up the backside.   Reflect on thing and realise they are wrong.   Yes you hug yourself and treat yourself some times.   But mostly you organise yourself, you uplift and so on.   You divide night from day.  You are real, because that is the only thing that works.   Giving yourself chocolate cake all day every day just leads to illness and degeneration.

 

So, do that with your neighbours, just the same as you do to yourself.  Hide nothing.

 

Oh ... cold feet ?   It's easy to turn up with kissie kissie isn't - that's just too easy.

 

But in society people only wish to give chocolate cake to their neighbours.   Why ?   Is it because they are really really compassionate ?   Like when a student brings mountains of gifts to the teacher ?   Is that really true ?

Or is it simply a way of continuing being a coward.   
Of not saying that which needs to be said.
And of not doing that which needs to be done.

 

The more chocolate cake they bring, the more false they are.

"Have a really nice day".

 

[rideforever]

In ACIM "Forgiveness" is completely redefined as "seeing clearly". 

No longer is it some sort of emotional thing you do to "forgive" somebody else, like you are better than them and you give them something.

It is simply wiping your eyes and seeing that you inflicted expectations on them, that they did not meet, and then you want to pat them on the head because they did not met your expectations.

 

It just creates dependency relationships, always with the idea that you are better and know better.

And it is corrupt.

Like the religions where people whip themselves for the benefit of others and martyr themselves.

And in this picture nobody is reaching to understand the truth of what is happening.

 

Hence selfishness meaning a return to the truth of your own reality, is correct.

 

And selflessness meaning creating childish emotional dramas from one side of the Titanic to the other, is not correct.

[rideforever]

Expectations are useful in other ways however. 

 

If the Sun does not shine one day, you notice there is a problem ... it is not sufficient to say "oh I shouldn't have had that expectation".

But if the Sun does not shine, we need to :

a. not cling to our expectation
b. get what we need elsewhere 
c. if interested find out what went wrong in the Sun

d. create new expectations ?

 

... that is the order of priority.

[ilumairen]

@rideforever Your posts are sometimes reminiscent of Diogenes and his lantern..

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diogenes

 

Quote

He became notorious for his philosophical stunts, such as carrying a lamp during the day, claiming to be looking for an honest man.

 

May your day be just as dour as you wish it to be. 

[rideforever]

On Diogenese
Thereupon many statesmen and philosophers came to Alexander with their congratulations, and he expected that Diogenes of Sinope also, who was tarrying in Corinth, would do likewise. But since that philosopher took not the slightest notice of Alexander, and continued to enjoy his leisure in the suburb Craneion, Alexander went in person to see him; and he found him lying in the sun. Diogenes raised himself up a little when he saw so many people coming towards him, and fixed his eyes upon Alexander. And when that monarch addressed him with greetings, and asked if he wanted anything, "Yes," said Diogenes, "stand a little out of my sun."^[7] It is said that Alexander was so struck by this, and admired so much the haughtiness and grandeur of the man who had nothing but scorn for him, that he said to his followers, who were laughing and jesting about the philosopher as they went away, "But truly, if I were not Alexander, I would be Diogenes."

Those people that clung to great happy imaginings of this world, they are crestfallen if something disturbs the dream.
Like Buddha was.
But he allowed himself to be crestfallen, and then he began the long walk home.

[Aetherous]

The pastor's wife at my church growing up was one of the most kind people I had ever met. She always warmly greeted me (and everyone), had deep concern for us on an individual level, made the day fun and bright, was genuine. If you needed anything, I'm sure she would've given it without a second thought. Just a true friend.

When I think about "love your neighbor", I think about her example, which is something I truly don't live up to...I tend to be more brutally honest with myself and others, rather than warm. She was never harsh like I am. While she knew right from wrong, I don't think she viewed anyone she came into contact with as irredeemable, as I often do.

[rideforever]

1 minute ago, Aetherous said:

I don't think she viewed anyone she came into contact with as irredeemable, as I often do.

 

You saw irredeemable .... is that what you think I meant ?

Did I not say :
  To love yourself you have to tell yourself off sometimes.   Kick yourself up the backside.   Reflect on thing and realise they are wrong.   Yes you hug yourself and treat yourself some times.   But mostly you organise yourself, you uplift and so on.   You divide night from day.  You are real, because that is the only thing that works.   Giving yourself chocolate cake all day every day just leads to illness and degeneration.

 

Is that not simply a reality ?   And that to treat your neighbour like yourself is simply to do the same to him.  Why ?  Because that's what needs doing ?
Does that sound depressing ?   

[Aetherous]

1 minute ago, rideforever said:

is that what you think I meant ?

 

Nope, I was just speaking about how I tend to be, in relation to someone who was a great example of love.

[ilumairen]

7 minutes ago, Aetherous said:

The pastor's wife at my church growing up was one of the most kind people I had ever met. She always warmly greeted me (and everyone), had deep concern for us on an individual level, made the day fun and bright, was genuine. If you needed anything, I'm sure she would've given it without a second thought. Just a true friend.

When I think about "love your neighbor", I think about her example, which is something I truly don't live up to...I tend to be more brutally honest with myself and others, rather than warm. She was never harsh like I am. While she knew right from wrong, I don't think she viewed anyone she came into contact with as irredeemable, as I often do.

 

I think the bolded part is pointing in the general direction what @rideforever is looking for. 

[Jeff]

14 minutes ago, Aetherous said:

The pastor's wife at my church growing up was one of the most kind people I had ever met. She always warmly greeted me (and everyone), had deep concern for us on an individual level, made the day fun and bright, was genuine. If you needed anything, I'm sure she would've given it without a second thought. Just a true friend.

When I think about "love your neighbor", I think about her example, which is something I truly don't live up to...I tend to be more brutally honest with myself and others, rather than warm. She was never harsh like I am. While she knew right from wrong, I don't think she viewed anyone she came into contact with as irredeemable, as I often do.

 

Sounds like a great example for us all...

[ilumairen]

8 minutes ago, Aetherous said:

 

Nope, I was just speaking about how I tend to be, in relation to someone who was a great example of love.

 

In a recent post somewhere, you mentioned an individual's family members as a barometer for their personal spiritual attainment. 

 

Unasked, my stepmother told me I was love. And honestly, it took me a bit to shake that mantle off, and it isn't one I would suggest picking up. 

 

Being the honest you is a much better fit than any aspirations gained from someone else being an honest them. 

 

Lurve and all that jazz

[Aetherous]

1 minute ago, ilumairen said:

Unasked, my stepmother told me I was love.

 

Probably even a more accurate barometer than one's family, is one's stepmother.

[ilumairen]

5 minutes ago, Jeff said:

 

Sounds like a great example for us all...

 

Oi vey. You silly boys - just be yourselves in the most honest way possible.

 

And if that includes kicking names and taking butt - then do it.

[rideforever]

5 minutes ago, ilumairen said:

And if that includes kicking names and taking butt - then do it.

Jeez, I agree with you.
Especially these days most people just need a hug.

[ilumairen]

4 minutes ago, rideforever said:

Jeez, I agree with you.
Especially these days most people just need a hug.

 

I've watched you struggle and kick, and find your way to an expression of your own inner warmth. 

 

Quite lovely and fascinating honestly...

[rideforever]

13 minutes ago, ilumairen said:

Quite lovely and fascinating honestly...

 

Well for most people spirituality is a need to be received and hugged and so on, that's where they are at and that's important to know.
To prize apart various sayings and try to isolate their real intent, it's not what many people are interested in.
Many conflicts here for me are to do with these different intents, for instance when Buddha talks about the individual Tathagata and his arduous struggle, or Jesus talks about the wide gate .... it's simply not something that many want to discuss.