Something Greater to the Good
It’s an inside job!
Writing these essays and stories, I assume readers are interested in exploring Something Greater that is life-affirming; beneficent; working towards our individual and collective good; and in some way, loving. In my e-book, Your Afterlife Review: How Will You Report Out?, I am very clear on this:
“Bottom line, if you are reading this little book, then it is assumed that you are seeking ways in which to become a better human being and stronger spirit. It is assumed you are seeking clarity to understand the most important lessons for you to learn and how to live a useful, rewarding life that will make for great telling in your afterlife review. It is assumed you are based in living with good and love to the best of your ability in each moment.
“If you are not one of these people, then the teachings herein are not for you. Please close the book and walk away. We wish you well in meeting your lessons.”
However, a friend recently shared her learnings from a Brené Brown audio book, Braving the Wilderness. He said that Brown believes human beings have a primal need to be connected to something greater than themselves. Needless to say, that caught my attention. I thought, “Right on! More confirmation of my efforts to explore.”
However, a primal need is very strong. If people yearn in their deepest souls to be connected to Something Greater, they might be susceptible to outside influences and manipulation. The search might lead them to consider something greater that is not ultimately to the good. I realized that I needed to be very clear that we are exploring Something Greater to the Good.
It is naïve to deny that throughout history, human beings have attached themselves to beliefs, causes, communities, and leaders, which have caused harm to others outside the group. Today, some people are attached to money and power as larger forces that will lift them up. They may group together for support, but their connection is to control and the reduction in status and well-being of others.
There are many groups and beliefs with which people can connect and feel some satisfaction. We can speak to larger concepts, ideologies and movements that are misguided and detrimental, which some may call evil. That might lead to conversations anchored in division, a separateness that weakens us all. Perhaps, this is one way to judge the quality of the Something Greater being discussed.
Would a Something Greater aligned with good – true good; not rigid rightness – create division? Wouldn’t a Something Greater than Ourselves be above these hate-filled, self-righteous differences? Couldn’t Something Greater than Ourselves that is based in goodness – something beneficent to all life - accept another’s limited thinking, rise above it and move forward.
It is not easy for me personally to be with people as they fight for their point-of view. Most people with whom I speak are intelligent and basically well-meaning. They just believe in something greater that allows them to be right and others to be wrong. Or they don’t believe in anything but this place and time which makes the need to be right and safe so much more desperate. The driving thought is that this thing I believe must be right, because it defines my life.
Forget the deluded billionaires, criminal syndicates and corporate hucksters that seek to control everything, to own more and more, and pretty much suck the life out of this Earth. They may find their common goals to be a connection to something greater than their individual selves which feeds their needs. I don’t know and I don’t care.
I’m interested in human beings who want to be connected to Something Greater that is ethereal, energetic, powerful beyond understanding, and promotes the highest good for all life everywhere. A deep connection and partnership with this force raises one’s awareness. It allows a person to see the good in those committed to one narrow perspective; share what can be shared; wish them well; and move forward to work with others who are confident in the partnership they have with Something Greater, which doesn’t have to be defined the same way for everyone.
In an interview in an online Forbes article, Brené Brown talks of “maintaining our belief in inextricable human connection. That connection — the spirit that flows between us and every other human in the world – is not something that can be broken.” It is a beautiful concept of an energetic force that is greater than one person and gives us a sense of belonging. Brown also states that true belonging requires you to be who you are and describes it as “believing in and belonging to yourself so deeply that you can share your most authentic self with the world and find sacredness in both being a part of something and standing alone in the wilderness.”
It starts with one person. We have to find our own connections and choose from the knowing deep within our being that guides us. Brown tells us to accept our authentic self. We have to trust ourselves. I once read that you cannot trust God if you do not trust yourself and vice versa. We are connected to Something Greater, “something rooted in love and compassion” as Brown defines it.
It is always an inside job. You can make choices for the highest good for yourself and others. This connection comes from a feeling, an intuition, an instinct. We act from it. It helps us avoid the external manipulations, old indoctrination, useless habits, and limiting beliefs, because we sense they are out of alignment with who we really are. They just feel wrong.
This is not a movie. This is a messy life. We try, we err, and we correct. By choosing to live from our connection to Something Greater to the Good we have a way forward. It may not follow someone else’s external process or even the plans we make for ourselves. However, it will create more positive results and feel right. Yes, it will feel right – inside.
May you all know a warm and joyful 2023 holiday season and enjoy a new year in 2024 connected to that which is wonderful and loving so that you shine your light brightly.