© 2013 Meredith J. Sprunger
© 2013 Association Francophone des Lecteurs du Livre d'Urantia
| Quiz Maxien n°15 The questions | Le Lien Urantien — Issue 64 — Autumn 2013 | The Reality of Personality II |
Human will is the key determinant of mortal destiny. Although finite volition is limited, our will has sufficient freedom to identify with values and form the direction of our mind and growth. Because of God’s self-limitation, His Indwelling Spirit is always subject to our will. We have the opportunity to identify with reality and survive our mortal experience or to disassociate ourselves from truth, beauty, and goodness and end our existence. When we dedicate ourselves to following God’s will, we are launched on the road to salvation.
Such a choice is not a surrender of the will, but a recognition of reality. It is an edification, an expansion and a glorification of the will by our highest perception of truth. It is a consecration of the will to identify with the Indwelling Spirit of God. Spiritual growth involves a progressive identification with God. The goal of mortal destiny is the complete and final harmonization of our will with the will of God. At that moment of perfect harmony there is a fusion, a commitment and a permanent union of the bonds between the human and the divine.
Our will decides the motivations of the specific conditions of our being and these repeated ideals shape our growth and achievements. Each decision opens new possibilities in human experience and a new capacity for growth. Character is not only founded by critical decisions, but by the number, frequency and persistence of decisions resulting from constructive and consistent attitudes and behavior. Our lives are not so much directed by our theoretical or theological beliefs but rather by our judgmental resolutions, decisions and unwavering faith.
Our half-hearted decisions are not really decisions; they are only wishful thinking. Such a partial attitude toward truth, justice, or virtue is ineffective in actualizing personal spiritual growth. Only sincere decisions and decisive dedication can serve as a catalyst for mastering the limitations of human nature and developing the potentials of the personality into the reality of spiritual power.
Life is a process of self-realization. Currently, the important thing is not where we are now, but the direction we are taking and where our efforts are pushing us. We cannot escape the responsibility of self-determination. To follow the line of least resistance or to fail to make life-changing decisions is itself a latent decision, an abrogation of responsibility. We all have a framework within which we can exercise our free choice. The Inner Spirit and the spiritual forces of the universe will lead us and show us the way when we heed their guidance but they never force us to make a decision. We are allowed to follow the direction of our inclinations or choice.
The direction of personality growth and human achievement is squarely placed in the potential powers of the individual will. The great adventure of mortal existence is the transition from experience centered in the animal heritage of the material mind to living through the spiritual dynamics of superconscious clairvoyance and the inner peace and joy of soul consciousness. This transformation is brought about by the creative force and the unwavering constancy of the decisions of our personality which essentially states, “It is my will, thy will be done.” Our mind has the capacity to transmute the values of the spirit into meanings of intelligence; and our will has the power to realize, to concretize these value-meanings into the realities of life. The direction and control of our mind is rooted in self-discipline and spiritual growth. Mastery of the mind is one of the most important of human achievements. By the will of our decisions we accept or reject and redirect the thoughts that come to us and thus influence the consciousness and the ultimate quality of our mind. The nature of our consciousness and our thoughts, determines what we become, our quality of being.
By bringing our thoughts into constant and repeated discipline, harmonizing them with our highest concepts of truth, beauty, and goodness, we ultimately condition and shape our feelings through gradual change or instantaneous transformation of spiritual insight. Emotional maturity is a condition of agreement or prerequisite for spiritual growth. Therefore, significant changes cannot be brought about by sheer force of will. Growth always requires a foundation of time and reality. Before we can dominate and redirect the instincts and motivations of our lower animal nature we must, through the techniques of will and mental direction, build a solid appreciation and interest in loving those spiritual values which support the higher and more idealistic behavior we desire.
Pleasure is a good and legitimate human experience, but it is not an end in itself. It is meant to accompany and reinforce reality-oriented activities. But self-satisfaction can easily be distorted into egocentric goals. Undisciplined pleasure-seeking destroys both the individual and society. We must direct our energies and control our sensuality. The deepest desire of our authentic self cannot be satisfied by physical pleasures. Determined and intelligent self-control is the master activator of human virtue, it is achieved through the directives of the will and the mastery of the mind.
Will is the aspect of the mind that enables our subjective consciousness to aspire to be like God. When we strive to harmonize our will with the will of the Universal Father, we are psychologically in the heavenly realm. Most important is motivation. When our motivation is not pure, subtle rationalizations surreptitiously guide us down the path of lies and evil. The morality of any decision or action is determined by its motivation. Our behavior is ethical when our intention is to be loyal to the highest truth we know, the will of God as we understand it. The mistakes we make are then errors of the mind, not of the heart.
As we grow spiritually, the pleasures of truth, beauty, and service become preponderant in our lives. Spiritual reality guides and shapes our total personality through the mediation of the mind. Mastery of the mind is a slow but sure process as we dedicate ourselves to following the leadings of the Indwelling Spirit. Through cognitive spiritual dominance our mind is integrated and balanced. As we experience the inner healing power of faith, all our activities become more effective. Our relationships are characterized by loyalty and responsibility. Consecration of our will and transformation of the mind evolve the soul. Those thus born of the spirit are indomitable; they are challenged by difficulty, stimulated by the unknown, and invigorated by opposition.
The chief determinants, the rudders of spiritual psychology, are the decisions of the will and the mastery of the mind. We cannot escape the responsibility of self-determination. The decisions of our will determine our goals and intentions; the control and mastery of our mind shape the resources and power available for the realization of our aims. Spiritual foundations must be built before our urges, instincts, and emotions can be directed and specific achievements made possible. Half-hearted efforts are of no avail; only wholeheartedly practiced decisions and decisive consecration can mobilize spiritual resources for the growth of the soul. Such a character born of the spirit is master of the material scene.
Thinking and emotion are closely related. Emotions can dominate thinking, and thinking can control emotions. Through the process of mastering the mind we also determine the primary emotions that color and stimulate our consciousness. Negative emotions such as fear, anxiety, and doubt are usually associated with deficient needs, and positive emotions such as optimism, joy, and love tend to accompany creative as well as fulfilling needs. All of our emotions have a place in our struggles to survive and grow, but the most constructive aspects of life are promoted by positive emotions. The Inner Spirit promotes the dominance of self-fulfilling emotions, the most important of which are faith, courage, and love.
Faith
Faith is the basis of cognitive-affective activity that achieves spiritual growth. It goes beyond empirical knowledge, yet it is rooted in personal experiential reality. Faith is spiritual, creative and dynamic. It is the essence of spiritualized and intentional creative imagination. The nature of belief is intellectual, static, exclusive and confined. Faith evolves and liberates; belief tends to fix and enslave. Belief can be contained in words, statements and dogmas. Faith transcends concepts and definitions; it is experienced and lived. Faith must be personal, it originates from within. Belief is only an intellectual acceptance of certain cultural theological concepts that are usually retained as collective possessions.
Belief is transmuted to the spiritual level of faith when it becomes the basic motivation of our life and determines the way we live. Faith does not abandon intelligence and reason, nor does it fear critical examination. It is based on our most certain facts, our highest meanings, and our ultimate values. Nevertheless, faith does not depend on worldly knowledge, human wisdom, or the sophistication of social culture; it can guide and sustain the humblest and most ignorant of human beings.
Faith has the quality of spiritual assurance. It delivers us from fear, anxiety, and paralyzing conflict. Those who feel sure of the ultimates are not intimidated by contemporary times. If we have a living faith, we are not overwhelmed by disappointment, defeat, injustice, or suffering. We discern beyond limitations and circumstances and know that not only does the Indwelling Spirit of God sustain us in whatever situation befalls us, but the creative direction of the Father will bring us creative and constructive reactions and experiences arising from the tragic and terrible events of mortal existence. Those who know that they are sons and daughters of God do not allow material difficulties to bar the way to soul growth and spiritual development.
Courage
Courage is the bold, open and sociable attitude of those who are ready to call upon the potentials of their resources to meet the problems and challenges of life. It is a natural gift of the creature’s mind. Since all growth involves pain and suffering, courage is an element and a basic condition for development and learning. New perceptions and meanings become clear only in the midst of stress and conflict. Those who lack the courage to realize themselves, to realize their potentials, will remain emotional, intellectual and spiritual dwarves. Spiritual help does not come to those who refuse to activate the potentials of their own abilities. We grow only when we overcome indolence, evasion, half-hearted effort and the tendency to follow the path of least resistance. Our capacities and abilities are magnified when we have the courage to go to the limit of our limits. Nothing of value and real achievement comes easy. Some of our greatest failures occasionally become the source of our greatest experiential blessings. Frustration, stress, and tribulation are the fires of well-tempered experience that forge robust character.
However, courage can be distorted into pride and egotism when it is not based on faith, wisdom, and love. Caution is often the mother of safety. Development is an evolutionary process that requires that solid experiential foundations be established before new and greater responsibilities are undertaken. A strong sense of humor is one of the best antidotes to defuse our illusions of self-importance and pride.
The highest form of courage is spiritual. Such determination is born with our identification with Ultimate Reality. The confidence and self-esteem of God’s children are birthrights. When we see ourselves as sons or daughters of the Creator, we realize that the forces of the universe are on our side. As we identify with the ultimate values of the universe, we are assured that actions inspired by these spiritual realities will ultimately prevail.
Courage is the personal-spiritual attitude that affirms and proclaims the facts and values by which we live. In practice, it establishes the guarantee and pace of our spiritual growth and the acquisition of our character. Courage enables us to continue in the presence of frustration and failure, to live with hope and confidence in the face of what seem to be insoluble human problems, and to realize that even when the structures of civilization crumble there exists an unassailable inner citadel of the soul. When pushed beyond the limits of our own resources and abilities, spiritually enlightened courage tells us that even if we are not able to get out of it, there dwells within us someone who can and will come to our rescue. Courage is the essence of a victorious spiritual life.
(to be continued)
Meredith J. Sprunger
| Quiz Maxien n°15 The questions | Le Lien Urantien — Issue 64 — Autumn 2013 | The Reality of Personality II |