every morning when i come into the kitchen to get some breakfast, my cat miaows at me repeatedly. it's not unusual to wonder what the feline actually has to say. it's normal to imagine what she is saying:
miaow 1 = "food!"
miaow 2 = "love me"
miaow 3 = "let me out"
miaow 4 = "good morning, (sir)"
miaow 5 = "whatsup?"
etc.
she is only allowed to stay in the downstairs area of the house and today, i was certain that all she wanted was for me to open the door which leads to the stairs....ahhhh!!! the stairs!!! Gigi LOVES the stairs. well, she loves the banister on which she can rub her body, almost like a bear scratching its back on the bark of a tree. who can blame her? cats are explorers and naturally like to familiarize themselves with the entire terrain they inhabit.
my other cat Petit, for example, tends to run to the very top of the house and simply just play 'hide and seek'. he's not very good at it, because he always hides in the same place.
but such is the difference in their characters. the one thing they both have in common is that they don't quite grasp the rule of: "do not go up the stairs!"
human beings have plenty of rules to follow. and one may wonder, when looking at the state of the world, whether there are just too many laws for the average person to get a handle on. there are rules passed down to us when we were children growing up, e.g. don't eat with your mouth open; don't leave your clothes lying around etc.
our parents are the first ones to teach us how to react to a set of rules.
next, we spend many years in a classroom obeying many different figures of authority. at the same time, we are influenced by friends, who themselves received another set of rules from their parents. by this time, we are already determined to challenge the rule-makers in every way possible. there appears to be an inherent need to know what can and what can't be done.
sadly, school leaves us in a traumatized state, because we weren't only bombarded with information, facts, different disciplines, subjects, experiences, and are then expected to have formed a comprehensive understanding of ourselves, the people around us and the laws we ought to abide.
there are biological, mathematical, physical, chemical, literary, and many more laws that we take in for many, many years and then...we get spit out into the 'real' world. but before that, we are encouraged to visit another institution, where we are given the impression of absolute freedom.
the first point at which we notice the falsity of that freedom is our first deadline. thereafter, our lives become more like a race with neverending deadline hurdles. Something always has to be done by some point, specific or vague. only some people attempt to break loose from the chains of such a life. death itself ought to be the only deadline we ever have to face. thank God none of us ever know that exact date.
there are many people who long for a greater law, which was not set by people. however, if one doesn't abide the man-made law of a nation, one will face the consequences. that's how rules are enforced in a causal manner: "if you do this, then this will happen". and we are all subjected to that causality, whether we want it or not.
freedom can be a state of mind. it can also be a physical condition. when you are stuck in a room, and the door is locked, you are far from being free. however, it does not prevent you from feeling free. it all depends on what each person requires to feel truly free.
we are not free to do as we please. that way, the whole world would collapse in chaos and anarchy. unfortunately, there are people who require more rules than others. after all, everybody's upbringing is different. human beings develop their understanding of the world in an infinite number of ways. therefore it is no surprise that this infinity was to cause huge problems for humanity and possibly become its greatest threat.
so...God, the being of infinite power that shaped our infinitely unique presence on this earth, would have to be the one to bring about a structure in which the world can safely operate, without destroying each other. the creator would have to write his own user manual.
God created a perfect software with access to infinite happiness. Within the system, a glitch came about and never left the software. but like a glitch, a human being is able to correct itself...to make itself right...to become useful to God, its infinite creator.
yet, one is asked to follow the manual. it is designed to get the best results out of the software. and one has to trust the one who created it.
this is the most problematic aspect of following the divine laws. throughout our lives we have so many horrible experiences with authoritarian figures, people who enforce their rules (which often make no sense whatsoever), that we end up distrusting the world and all it has to offer. this cynicism is worse than cancer, because it corrupts our positive approach to life...and kills our sense of trust.
trust is the most basic element of healthy living. one person must be able to trust another person. this is why the love for your neighbour is such a big deal. trust is a manifest of love. you don't have to kiss him or be his best friend. but you must be able to trust him.
for instance, i trust that my neighbour, when i give him a set of spare keys to my house, will not go steal all my belongings when i am away. trust is knowing that when i drive in the right lane, nobody is going to drive towards me on the same lane to decimate both our cars. there are many more examples for how basic trust governs our daily lives.
in the same way, all of us (no matter if you believe in God or not) believe that trust is the building block for a strong societal structure. but with God on your team, you get to know the architect. through Him, you can experience true freedom, because his system is infinitely better than an Apple, Microsoft etc. all put together. God's system requires every software, no matter how bad your glitch.
God's kingdom becomes stronger with every tiny bit of trust given towards it. Its might depends on you and your interaction with the world...because your life is significant to the one who created you.
last but not least, in a new year that is stepping out of the shadows of continuous evil (the shooting at at the Sandy Hook school, the rape of a young Indian woman, to mention only two of thousand recurring cases), i reckon one shouldn't have a set of resolutions. instead, one ought to be resolute to becoming a better person, faithful and trusting that together, we can all see this world through to a better place before our final deadline.
in essence, there is nothing wrong with my cats going up the stairs. they don't understand that we human beings don't like having cat hair everywhere, or them scratching on furniture, because they care about other things. on the other hand, how do i know what they truly want?
we are fortunate that our creator understands us and our struggle for true freedom. and our voices can never be silenced. our miaows will be heard...
miaow 1 = "food!"
miaow 2 = "love me"
miaow 3 = "let me out"
miaow 4 = "good morning, (sir)"
miaow 5 = "whatsup?"
etc.
she is only allowed to stay in the downstairs area of the house and today, i was certain that all she wanted was for me to open the door which leads to the stairs....ahhhh!!! the stairs!!! Gigi LOVES the stairs. well, she loves the banister on which she can rub her body, almost like a bear scratching its back on the bark of a tree. who can blame her? cats are explorers and naturally like to familiarize themselves with the entire terrain they inhabit.
my other cat Petit, for example, tends to run to the very top of the house and simply just play 'hide and seek'. he's not very good at it, because he always hides in the same place.
but such is the difference in their characters. the one thing they both have in common is that they don't quite grasp the rule of: "do not go up the stairs!"
human beings have plenty of rules to follow. and one may wonder, when looking at the state of the world, whether there are just too many laws for the average person to get a handle on. there are rules passed down to us when we were children growing up, e.g. don't eat with your mouth open; don't leave your clothes lying around etc.
our parents are the first ones to teach us how to react to a set of rules.
next, we spend many years in a classroom obeying many different figures of authority. at the same time, we are influenced by friends, who themselves received another set of rules from their parents. by this time, we are already determined to challenge the rule-makers in every way possible. there appears to be an inherent need to know what can and what can't be done.
sadly, school leaves us in a traumatized state, because we weren't only bombarded with information, facts, different disciplines, subjects, experiences, and are then expected to have formed a comprehensive understanding of ourselves, the people around us and the laws we ought to abide.
there are biological, mathematical, physical, chemical, literary, and many more laws that we take in for many, many years and then...we get spit out into the 'real' world. but before that, we are encouraged to visit another institution, where we are given the impression of absolute freedom.
the first point at which we notice the falsity of that freedom is our first deadline. thereafter, our lives become more like a race with neverending deadline hurdles. Something always has to be done by some point, specific or vague. only some people attempt to break loose from the chains of such a life. death itself ought to be the only deadline we ever have to face. thank God none of us ever know that exact date.
there are many people who long for a greater law, which was not set by people. however, if one doesn't abide the man-made law of a nation, one will face the consequences. that's how rules are enforced in a causal manner: "if you do this, then this will happen". and we are all subjected to that causality, whether we want it or not.
freedom can be a state of mind. it can also be a physical condition. when you are stuck in a room, and the door is locked, you are far from being free. however, it does not prevent you from feeling free. it all depends on what each person requires to feel truly free.
we are not free to do as we please. that way, the whole world would collapse in chaos and anarchy. unfortunately, there are people who require more rules than others. after all, everybody's upbringing is different. human beings develop their understanding of the world in an infinite number of ways. therefore it is no surprise that this infinity was to cause huge problems for humanity and possibly become its greatest threat.
so...God, the being of infinite power that shaped our infinitely unique presence on this earth, would have to be the one to bring about a structure in which the world can safely operate, without destroying each other. the creator would have to write his own user manual.
God created a perfect software with access to infinite happiness. Within the system, a glitch came about and never left the software. but like a glitch, a human being is able to correct itself...to make itself right...to become useful to God, its infinite creator.
yet, one is asked to follow the manual. it is designed to get the best results out of the software. and one has to trust the one who created it.
this is the most problematic aspect of following the divine laws. throughout our lives we have so many horrible experiences with authoritarian figures, people who enforce their rules (which often make no sense whatsoever), that we end up distrusting the world and all it has to offer. this cynicism is worse than cancer, because it corrupts our positive approach to life...and kills our sense of trust.
trust is the most basic element of healthy living. one person must be able to trust another person. this is why the love for your neighbour is such a big deal. trust is a manifest of love. you don't have to kiss him or be his best friend. but you must be able to trust him.
for instance, i trust that my neighbour, when i give him a set of spare keys to my house, will not go steal all my belongings when i am away. trust is knowing that when i drive in the right lane, nobody is going to drive towards me on the same lane to decimate both our cars. there are many more examples for how basic trust governs our daily lives.
in the same way, all of us (no matter if you believe in God or not) believe that trust is the building block for a strong societal structure. but with God on your team, you get to know the architect. through Him, you can experience true freedom, because his system is infinitely better than an Apple, Microsoft etc. all put together. God's system requires every software, no matter how bad your glitch.
God's kingdom becomes stronger with every tiny bit of trust given towards it. Its might depends on you and your interaction with the world...because your life is significant to the one who created you.
last but not least, in a new year that is stepping out of the shadows of continuous evil (the shooting at at the Sandy Hook school, the rape of a young Indian woman, to mention only two of thousand recurring cases), i reckon one shouldn't have a set of resolutions. instead, one ought to be resolute to becoming a better person, faithful and trusting that together, we can all see this world through to a better place before our final deadline.
in essence, there is nothing wrong with my cats going up the stairs. they don't understand that we human beings don't like having cat hair everywhere, or them scratching on furniture, because they care about other things. on the other hand, how do i know what they truly want?
we are fortunate that our creator understands us and our struggle for true freedom. and our voices can never be silenced. our miaows will be heard...
