Post 4
“The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.”, said the Reverend Doctor. This is so not only in the grand affairs of humanity, but as far as I can tell it holds in the lives of individuals as well. Often it does not appear so from the outside, objective perspective, where good people suffer and fools seem to win, but I believe it becomes much more clear in the secret life of the soul.
Justice from the soul perspective is summed up in Jesus’ words, “If you cling to your life, you will lose it: but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.” In Buddhism the roots of suffering are seen to be attachment, aversion and ignorance. Both these teachings point in the same direction.
As I see it, the moral arc of the soul bends towards teaching lessons about what is best prioritized. There is much to be learned from the suffering we endure in clinging to ideas driven by our notions of “me”. There are many “mes” in each of us. In psychosynthesis we work to integrate the less conscious “mes” or parts into the “I” that is not attached to stories. The “I” of pure consciousness and will. The “I” that can make free choices. This I is aware and not ignorant of its innate, integral connection to others. This I is the access to all the qualities of the soul; peace, love, wisdom, value, nourishment, radiance, abundance, power, compassion, inspiration, and many more. What Christ means about losing life by clinging to it is that we lose our access to the pure nature of these qualities when we strive only to serve the “mes”. It is then that we become greedy and angry in defense of “me and mine”. It is then that we are ignorant of our True Nature. Whether we realize it or not, it is then that we suffer and cause suffering. At times by turning awakening into an identity, I’ve contracted the flow of Being into a story about “me”. Most of us lose sight of ourTrue Nature and its living connection to all else. We make everything about ourselves. It’s the standard if you want to become a politician. I’ve justified all kinds of moods and behavior this way. There are many examples in history of teachers who’ve done the same. Do we want to keep living on the planet this way? How long do we think we can? It seems nature is asking us to realize we’re all connected.