Vernon gave a talk on 2-15-92 in which he stated that Intelligence and Goodness are one in the same. He continued to describe them as the two oars needed when rowing a row boat. Both are needed to direct the boat back to the safe harbor. With only one of these the boat will go in circles. Then there is also under ground currents which take the boat in any direction they please. This analogy describes the condition of almost every human being on the face of the earth. Almost everyone is drifting in the current and explaining to themselves and to others this is the direction that they wanted to go. Did you catch your reaction to that last sentence? “Well yes, I do know people who are drifting, but clearly I am not one of them.” I wonder how those people view you and themselves. A thought like, “I am not drifting,” seems to express self-command, but if we truly seek to become spiritual we must be strictly self-honest with ourselves, and take a serious look at our daily living to see we do not have this self-command. An unexpected event or a spilled cup of coffee can turn our lives upside down. The seeing of the absence or lack of self-command is the very insight that invites real self-command. Isn’t being self-honest -goodness? Isn’t being self-honest -intelligent? Wow, by looking at it, we have made a crack in the solid concrete structure we call ourselves. Both intelligence and goodness must be active as we go through our daily life or we soon find ourselves wallowing in problems and difficulties. Break this bad habit of feeling bad by catching wrong destructive thoughts and emotions that arise. Keep your inner light on, this is what keeps you safe.
The most common thing in this world we live in is explaining away our lives. Serious self-honesty is one of the most intelligent things a person can do because it leads to a kind of goodness that can’t be reached without it. It’s not easy to admit I am more dishonest and sneaky than I’d like to admit, but how am I to actually improve without being ruthlessly self-honest?
As Steve said above, it feels bad to lack self-command and react negatively to anything and everything. It’s intelligent to realize that a lack of self-command can’t feel good. Thus, it only makes sense that understanding ourselves, seeing what’s really going on, not only is intelligent, but leads a person upward since they can see where the real problem is, inside and that any bad feeling can be traced back to unconscious reactions we have.
How nice that all I have to do to access the intelligence and goodness Vernon mentions is be self-honest. Where does self-honesty lie? Maybe behind the things that I don’t want to do, such as walking away from ‘the opinioner’ inside that really just wants to fight!
I realised yesterday I had done something at work that was deliberately provocative, so I could burn from a negative reaction to the other person’s response. All this time I would have sworn to you I was a gentle and helpful human being. Don’t believe the act!
To experience a nicer existence is the ultimate goal. If we want to move to a better home, because we discovered a better place to live, we must pack up our things. And, actually move out of the house we presently live in, and move over to the new home. This is the only way to find out if this is indeed a better place to live. Imaging one way or another does nothing. To bare the uncertainty of not knowing. Most people never take this chance and stay in the same home their whole lives. In other words, they never leave their present mindset. They settle for the way things are. They never realize that daring, even while fearing the daring, is a must to find something totally new. Vow, for your own peace of mind, not to be one of these sheepish individuals. You don’t need strength, for if you continue to walk away from yourself, you will discover the strength is provided to you. Your heart of hearts yearns for personal self-command. It exists, and is waiting for your discovery. Go into action and find it.