Developing a Personal Philosophy for Life

You'd have to be deaf, dumb and blind these days to miss the messages that nature is sending us. My question is, given that everything is in such turmoil, what can we really do about it? Everything I think about doing seems like 'too little, too late' and doing nothing seems equally disagreeable. I want to be socially and morally responsible, but I feel somewhat helpless. Please point me in the right direction?

Please begin by becoming aware that the world is not in as much turmoil as is being painted for you, 'in living color' as a previous generation once pointed out. Also notice, that in every landscape painting one color seems to stand out more than the rest. In your current landscape/timescape green is the most outstanding color. Green, as in the color of your currency and Green, as in the color of your environment. Sometimes, even a trained eye can be fooled into believing that it is seeing the outstanding color when it is absent altogether! How? Because the absence of something is felt more strongly by the emotional body than the same item's presence. That is why a loved one is missed more dearly once they have departed than while they were present. It is also why hindsight seems clearer than the light of the present moment. With this primer, that things are not always what, why or how they appear, we will explore your question more deeply.

To be specific, nature is not sending you messages that the world is in turmoil, those messages are being broadcast by those who do not see nature as natural, as well as by those who would further their interests in commanding nature as they see fit. It might seem that their interests and yours are similar, but that is not true. Nature is sending a message, but the message is not a new one, it is still the same. Basically, the message is this: "We are what you are, without exception. Why be without when you can be within? Why stand outside the circle of life as if you were apart from it when you have always been a part of it, without exception."

Nature's message has never wavered and it has never been louder or softer. Humanity's perception of the message, on the other hand, has wavered. The volume at which Nature speaks, as well as the language (gentle or harsh) that Nature employs has varied over time, depending for the most part on how humanity perceives itself in relationship to everything else, including Nature. Then as now, humanity has not looked favorably upon itself, judging all too quickly that which it has barely begun to understand. What is the hurry? Why castigate and condemn? In attempting to cut away a cancer another grows before the first has healed.

Since Nature is incapable of judging (itself or you) it is also incapable of thinking thoughts of scarcity. The 'too little, too late' schema does not apply to Nature. It is too busy being what it is and doing what it does within the greater context of things. And here, as we arrive at the main difference between Humanity and Nature, it becomes more obvious. Humanity does not regard itself as creators of its world or its experience. At best, it believes it has inherited its world, At worst, it believes it has been marooned upon this world by another race, by a less than compassionate God, or a variation of both.

Humanity is a species, a kaleidoscopic vehicle of light, a spiritual organism, and much more. Humanity as whole can best be described as a conservatorship. A conservatorship is an entity that is responsible for the preservation and protection of something of great value and consequence to many, a guardianship and trust to ensure a future for the competent and the less than competent alike. While being fascinated by its individual nature, humanity has forgotten the cardinal laws that providence has imbued it with. Cardinal Laws, or those that lesser things hinge upon, are pivotal and to overlook them is folly. In ignorance, humanity (as less than whole, or a fractionalized version of itself) has set itself apart from its true nature, as part of Nature. The answer then, or its beginning, is the restoration of that which is natural as and within Nature, beginning with Humanity itself and extending to all that is native to Humanity as a whole.

Is it possible to restore the earth and its relationship with humanity or is it too late? Let's explore the 'too late' schema first: Using this mental pattern humanity would judge itself destined to endure misfortune, disaster and finally failure. But what then? What happens after that? Imagine the worst-case scenario as many do and make it as real for yourself as you can. What happens next? And after that? And a thousand years hence? Now explore the 'too little' schema: In this mental construct there are too few left among you who care enough or are able to effect any kind of change in any measurable way. Apathy, cynicism, and misanthropy reign. What happens next? And after that? And a little later on? And a thousand years after that? The point that we are making is that any scenario you envision or imagine has a context worth exploring, as well as a possible end, as well as a next beginning within a different contextual expression. There is always the next moment even when that moment is nothing like the last.

This moment that humanity calls now is nothing like the last. It is not like the last time humanity went in search of itself, it is nothing like the last New Age, and it is nothing like the last period of global warming (of which this is the seventh). If it cannot be compared to its predecessor than perhaps it is an original moment, the first of its kind. Perhaps it is a beginning. Perhaps many millennia ago, in someone else's schema, someone just like you imagined this is what the next beginning would look like. And perhaps they projected themselves forward in time and painted themselves into a landscape that was missing a shade of green so they would remember what was missing in time to do something about it?

It is not too late and no amount of caring is too little. And whether or not others believe this has no measurable impact on what you decide to think, believe or do. You are the only one who matters in this regard. You are the one who has imagined the next beginning. And because you have already imagined it, you are standing upon its threshold . . . or at least where the threshold will be as soon as you imagine (image) it into place. Again, it does not matter that others may be standing upon the brink of despair or the threshold to nowhere; that may be where they want to go or feel they must go.

So are you alone in this? If your imagination is not grand enough will the world slip away between your fingers or your thoughts? No, because there is enough will and force in the world to sustain and even revitalize life as you know it. But if there wasn't enough will, would the world be dissolved or destroyed? Yes and no. An honest and practical answer is that as long as there is purpose there is also presence; there is also now. Depending upon how you choose to see things, you can either place yourself near the end, or sunset, in which case you would be around to see the next beginning or the dawn. Or you can place yourself at the beginning, in which case you may as well beginning creating until others join you, contextually speaking. The end and the beginning are both places where realities collide.

Many are looking for 'reality checks' now, but whose reality is the reality? Will you surrender your vision of reality simply because there is less agreement for your version? Is the consensus of your media, governors, scientists or those who dwell with the ordained more substantial than your own? Soldiers have ever gone to battle to test their mettle. Yet even without a battle, a banner or a belief to defend, every life is one of spirited determination and every life is an exploration of both tempest and temperament. Personal hates all too quickly become personal Hades (hells); devils and deliverers are neighbors and friends when no one is looking.

Personal morality (a more pure distillation of social morality) is a characteristic of pure conscious awareness. It is developed within and then tested without. Personal morality is based upon higher law and not upon the right and good opinion of men. A moral victory is a personal one that guides and encourages grace, goodness and honor. Whether or not others conform, convict or condemn is irrelevant since you exist independently of their superior or poor opinions. You are still developing your moral responsibility, it is not mature enough yet, but it is ripening quickly! Do not give up on it nor chastise yourself for not exercising it often enough. Vigor and valor dwell within you, but you have not yet been properly introduced, these twins are still relatively unknown to you, but not for long.

As you begin to develop your own personal morality you will also explore several different moral philosophies. Eventually you will arrive at one that is perfect for you and through the experiences that you choose for yourself in this life you will continue to make your philosophy more perfect. This life is, after all, an extension of your soul's philosophy and your journey (also called the Heroic Path) an expression of that. A personal philosophy is an important tool, and longer ago than history allows you could not graduate from an academy or university without first demonstrating that you had developed an enterprise toward inner knowledge.

In the long ago that I now relate, Ethics and Morality were a branch of philosophy, a science in the tradition of Mathematics and Logic. The former were called normative sciences and the latter formal sciences. Chemistry and Mathematics were then associated with the empirical sciences, and Psychology (the design and designation of the soul) an empirical social science. Much later on, a less substantive study of the human mind within a social and cultural context emerged and was also called Psychology.

In these ancient schools of philosophy, whose teachings are still relevant today, Philosophers (scientists) learned to determine and express goodness in content and goodness as conduct, as both of these were deemed indispensable companions. The lesson always involved the ability to discern that which was good or desirable in itself, as opposed to that which was desirable as a means to an end. The former implied an ultimate or higher value, a living example of the highest good. Most ethical doctrines were divided into categories such as prudence, pleasure or power, and unique tests of discernment governing each of these categories were presented to candidates for graduation at almost every turn. Invisible tests were administered by graduates; thinkers of the time who wore blue cloaks and indigo colored rings. Because the tests were subtle in nature, the undergraduates rarely saw the trap they were about to stumble upon. They were given to say that the tests had been influenced by the blue cult, or "out of the blue" as is said today.

The ultimate value of a doctrine or principle is not easily revealed. You are also a candidate who is being presented with several different challenges. Your lessons may be less formal than those described here, but their importance is of equal measure. Are you certain where you stand on the issues of the day? Could you make a formal decision that affected the lives of many for better or worse and be at peace with your decision? The ultimate value of a moment, a thing or even a relationship is sometimes impossible to determine until in hindsight wisdom is born, which is why the development of a personal philosophy can be both useful and practical. Presence, fortitude and satisfaction are but a few of the benefits associated with a personal philosophy. These, along with the doctrine of natural human fulfillment lead to the expansion of ultimate good.

Those who lack the motivation to exercise any preference resign themselves to accept the decisions of others, for better or worse. The life of these individuals would include a philosophy of prudence and they would live in conformity with the moral conduct of their culture and society. Those who follow a philosophy of prudence from ignorance rather than choice often look back upon their life with bitterness or angst.

Hedonism, a philosophy that promotes pleasure as the highest good is especially popular near timescapes where dimensional shifts are possible and likely. Even in a philosophy of pleasure challenges will greet the candidate along the way. A hedonist must decide between intense pleasure and enduring pleasure, as well as when to deny pleasure for the sake of comfort. A hedonist struggles in the preference between mental and physical pleasure. Their journey may lead them through halls of addiction where mirrored distortions offer an escape to a self-imposed prison.

Those who crave competition sometimes develop philosophies where the highest attainment is power, a form of control. Each victory, however sweet, raises the level of competition to the next level. Eventually, absolute power becomes a subjective rather than objective desire. In this philosophy one eventually defeats oneself of causes others to do the same. Those who seek power and control conform to the ethics of others as long as it supports their rise to power, but often deviate from the same ethics once they become successful enough to do so. Their pursuit of the ordinary rewards of an ethical life will mask their ulterior motives for power for a time, but these will be discovered as absolute power always begins to corrode and corrupt from within.

The development of a personal philosophy will strengthen you and deepen your purpose. Your purpose is not what you do or why you were born, but it does enhance and expand your awareness as well as your desire to grow. Your purpose is like the roots of a tree. It reaches deep into the earth so you can reach high into the heavens. You rarely need to take the time to check the condition of the roots as they are being nurtured from below and within. The roots maintain the tree in every season, weathering storms, draughts and more. The leaves and branches of a tree may grow far away from the roots and in a variety of different directions. Regardless the roots will continue to be and do anything and everything that is in he best interest of the tree. Even a tree that has been cut down continues to be useful.

Look beyond the shortcomings of others and you will rise above your own much faster. Begin anew just beyond where you think you are. You are always a little further along than you give yourself credit for, mostly because you spend so much time looking backward. Remember that in the beginning everything was chaos, but it was not in chaos. In the beginning everything also seemed to be in turmoil, but it since it was natural for it to be so, no one questioned it. It was understood that the all within the ALL was in process. No one doubted it then. The same is true today.

Now is the next beginning. Yes, there are endings as well, but the Law of Continuity encourages you to pause rather than to come to a complete stop now. Notice that others may stop where they are now and decide that they cannot or will not go forward. Honor their choice and appreciate them for the contributions they have already made. The Law of Continuity honors that something (or someone) must pass through several intermediate states or condition on its way to becoming to something (or someone) else. Those who pause or stop now may choose to rest or stay in one of these intermediate places. In that case, they are creating the bridge that you will soon walk across, upon their backs, as it were. The more grateful you are for what they have accomplished, the stronger the bridge that you cross will be.

Look beyond appearances and beneath the surface of things, literally so. Some time ago, an evolving humanity decided that they did not want things to continue as they were. A percentage of the population thought so, said so, and began to imagine a different future for the earth. Since thoughts become things, a variety of potentials or earths were 'born' and several of these are now being explored. The philosophies we have explored also apply to the earth. The earth serves at the pleasure of humanity, meaning that the earth recreates itself based upon a collective philosophy. Given this truth, much of what you see now is normal, one of the intermediate steps described earlier.

Comets, eclipses, and other 'star works' encourage you to see how different the sky looks. This is not a time for the faint of heart, and you may note an increase in the heart rate and rhythm of those who are accelerating or ascending to a new truth. Begin each day by being comfortable with yourself as you are, regardless of what you think of your contribution to the earth or to humanity. Acknowledge that you are an integral part of a changing world and that every thought, intention and action you take matters. Change the world as you see fit or not at all. Thoughtless problems and solutions are temporary; however, thoughtful solutions are permanent. This is because when you realize the cause of the problem consciously, you will not have a need to repeat it or be intimidated by it. Ask to be part of any solution that interests you and, as you become this, grant yourself the wisdom and compassion to share the knowledge with others. That is the gift of everlasting.