Chapter Three
A letter from "one of us" to all of us
Addendum to the New Testament
Dear sisters and brothers, I come to you not as one separate from you but as one of you. I am here because I am a product of great love, first from our Almighty Father in Heaven, second from my mother and father and brothers and sisters here on earth and, thirdly, because of the love from my own family - my wife, children, and all of those around me. I have indeed been very privileged all my life to be surrounded by so much love, although it is only recently that I have come to the full realization of this truth.
Just as our Heavenly Father loves me beyond all earthly comprehension, so, too, does He love each and every one of you. The proof of that love is manifested in each one of us. For each and every one of us is endowed with the same magnificent gift, the gift of Divine Grace made manifest in our free will. If you stop a moment to think, you will realize that there can be no greater proof of our Heavenly Father's unbounded love for us than the gift of free will. It means that He trusts us completely and wants us to participate actively and fully in the creation of our own future.
But the gift of free will carries with it a great deal of responsibility. Although we have a conscience telling us what is right and what is wrong to guide us every moment of our life on this earth, we are always free to ignore our conscience and choose wrongly. When we go against our conscience and choose wrongly, we are inevitably confronted sooner or later with the consequences of our wrong decision. And thus, we hurt not only ourself but also everyone else around us, just as pain in one part of our human body causes discomfort to the body as a whole.
While there are many ways in which we can consciously act against God's Plan, none is more devastating in its effect than the pain caused by glorifying the ego and striving for power and control. This is the same as one cell in the body deciding that it is more important than all the rest of the cells, and so it reproduces itself endlessly - like cancer - until the body itself dies. What are the signs of striving for power and control? First and foremost by not being truthful to ourself and those around us. Almost all of us are guilty of this trespass occasionally to some small degree and some of us to a very great degree. Those who are the most hungry for power invariably strive to control and manipulate the Word, because, as we know from the beginning of John's wise Gospel,
"In the beginning was the Word (Logos), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
I realize this may be difficult to understand, so I will give you several examples throughout this letter that you may come to understand.
In fact, let me begin by now giving you an example of how the Word has worked in me and my family.
* * *
My given name is the same as that of my father, which means "worker of the earth". When my father was a young child, he dreamt one day of having a farm, and, true to his name, he did, in time, become a farmer. But his farm was never meant to be a for-profit venture. Instead, the farm was used to nourish and sustain his family of ten children, of which I am the eldest. By the sweat of my father's brow, the hard clay earth was worked and tilled to produce the fodder and grain to support the small herd of cattle which provided us children with milk, butter and cottage cheese. Like all farmers, my father had some animals butchered for meat, but he was never happy about this. In fact, over the years he found it harder and harder to even part with his animals, let alone have them butchered. The reason why is because his vocation was never meant to take life, but rather to give and nurture it. And so, when he returns in the evening after a long day of manual labor, no matter how tired he may be, he goes to see and talk to his animals, to water and feed them and give them a loving pat on the back. And they return his kindness with trust, often walking up to him when he is in the pasture so they can be patted and stroked. In the same way, my father tends his crops and can often be seen working in the garden late into a summer night caring for the plants he loves so much. And so my father is true to his name "worker of the earth" and loves life.
By now it must have occurred to you that, since I bear the name of my father, I am also a farmer. But I am not, because when I was very young, my father, who was so very proud of his first-born son, would often cry out in joy to my mother: "There he is, Ma, the Hope of the World!" Faithfully heeding the Message my father gave me, I am now working to change the World. So you see how powerful the Word is, indeed, because we invariably tend to fulfill the vocation to which we are called.
And powerful the Word may be, in its effect and control, long after it has been uttered and set down. For the Message I received from my father was greatly reinforced by a younger brother whose name means "God has been gracious". In a moment of despair, he took his own life long ago. But before he left this world, he left an important Message in my dictionary. Encircling the word prodigal, my brother underlined the second definition: "profuse in giving; exceedingly abundant", and wrote in the left margin: "GIVE YOURSELF TO THE LORD, HUH?.!", accompanied by "God loves you so much!" and, in smaller letters, indicating how little he thought of himself, "me, too!". Though my mother thought I would be greatly upset by this marking in my dictionary, I have cherished it carefully all these years and still use it almost every day, turning every once in a while to read again the Message left by my brother. And so I have heeded his Message and the power of the love therein has sustained me to this very day.
In my professional life I am a manager of communication, and so I have been called forth to communicate this Message to you.
My mother's name means "man" or "strong" and so has she been all these many years, raising a family of ten children and taking care of a demanding husband.
My wife, who is strong and firm in character, and thus a good deal like my mother, bears the name "holy", the same as her mother.
Finally, through God's love my wife and I have been blessed with four wonderful children, whose names, in turn, mean: "warlike", "peace", "lily" and "name of a Roman clan".
So now you have an idea of the great power of the Word, for we tend to become or do that which we are named or called to do.
Although we may be careless and give little thought to our names, now that
we know this truth, we can become baptized in the name of our Saviour, Jesus
Christ. For, though we may retain our given names, we can become like him in
whose name we are baptized and strive from this day forth to love purely and
completely, just as Christ did when he shed his precious blood for all mankind.
Now that I have introduced myself, I am no longer known only to me but now to
all of us. So I am no longer I, but simply "one of us". Although each
of us is biologically unique in this physical life on earth, we are all, in
fact, descended from the same body long ago, so we are, indeed,
"one", as medical science tells us we are.
* * *
Now that I have identified myself, here are some important rules for all of us:
- No reference shall henceforth be made, in any public written information, to anyone's name, either first, middle or last, nor to any initials. Everyone shall be referred to at all times as "one of us". "one of us" shall be written at all times with small letters and set off, optionally, with quotation marks. Furthermore, no descriptive or evaluative epithet shall ever be applied to any "one of us".
- When describing what any "one of us" has done, is doing, or will do, no reference or indication shall ever be made that anything new is being created. The proper term shall be "re-discover", "re-know", or similar.
- No "one of us" shall ever accept to be interviewed for a personal "story" about, or for questioning about, public information. There is neither money to be earned, nor reputation to be made, by public information from any "one of us". What has been written or will be written, for public information, belongs without condition to all of us. And since what is known belongs to all of us, there is no need to know or remember what public information came from any "one of us". If any "one of us" disagrees with the information as stated and known by all of us, let her or him come forward with a recommendation how the information should be restated. And, if everyone agrees, it shall be adopted and made known to all of us.
- No objects of public or private works shall ever be named after, nor monuments erected in honor of, any "one of us".
The Sign of Three
A universal feature in language - language in this sense synonymous with the "Verb" (the Word/Logos) and, hence, "God" - is that the Verb acting in and through its human subject, has 3 persons. For example, if I am speaking, I am the first person, if being spoken to, the second person, if being spoken of, the third person. Thus, the doctrine of the Trinity in Christianity - "God" being one in substance, but 3 in "person", Father, Son and Holy Spirit - is a guise for the Verb (the Word/Logos) and its human subject.
In like manner, a basic sentence describing a (creative) act consists of 3 elements: subject, verb, and direct object.
Further, the "formula" describing the essence of any culture also contains 3 elements: core cultural value (direct object), modus operandi (verb) and cultural person (subject). "Core cultural value" is the supreme or most important value which unites the culture, "modus operandi" describes the idea that a culture functions or operates in the natural and subconscious way that it does, and "cultural person" is the "sum" personality of the culture which it forms, when viewed as a whole.
Given that the number 3 symbolises, among other things, creation, completion, and entirety, it can be understood why 3 is considered by ancient wise men the number concerned with basic principles. Following are a few examples:
1) 3 dimensions in space
2) 3 periods in linear time: past, present, future
3) 3-sided closed plane figure (triangle) as the basic structural element in any supporting structure, such as a bridge or beam.
4) 3 stages of human life: birth, life, death
5) 3 aspects of human life: material, rational, spiritual
6) 3 stages to eternal life: birth, death, afterlife
Freedom versus power and control
Freedom is the opposite of control (where knowledge and power in one form or another are needed in order to exercise control). A striving for power and control is always directly linked to a magnification of the ego, a striving, in turn, which is always detrimental to the interests of the body as a whole. When we work together cooperatively as one body we move in the common direction of greater knowledge, greater freedom and, thus, greater truth. If, however, one or more members of the body insist on magnifying the ego by striving for power and control, the function and operation of the body, as a whole, is hindered. If one stops to reflect, it makes no sense at any time for any one of us to magnify the ego at the expense of the body. For we are all on the same path toward greater knowledge, greater freedom, and greater truth - even those who pursue their own selfish desires. Thus, if the body is slowed in its progress due to even one ego-magnifying member, all members of the body suffer. Therefore, it should be readily clear that no one ever has any interest in slowing progress. And optimal progress toward creating a better future for all of us can only be achieved when all members of the body complement each other and work in unison and harmony toward a common goal.
If, despite the logic of this truth, one or more members of the body persist in magnifying the ego, the body has no choice but to exclude them altogether from participation. And those excluded shall surely perish, because, while the body, as a uniform whole, has eternal life, no member or part separated from the body can long survive. As an example, a limb attached to the human body receives oxygen and nourishment from the body's common respiratory and digestive systems. However, once severed from the body, the limb quickly dies. Such is a universal, self-evident truth. All human beings, regardless of the color of their skin, cultural or geographical background, are members of the one same body. The body will always make faster and better progress and, thus, likewise all members of the body, when everyone is working together in harmony.
It is important for each member of the body to be able to recognize quickly and easily whether other members are cooperating or hindering the body in its progress. Here are some outward signs of those who strive to magnify the ego:
1) They typically withhold, manipulate, distort, or otherwise seek to control information.
2) They jealously use their situation and level of knowledge to seek a position of power and control.
3) They typically confront or come into conflict with the body rather than seek to cooperate and integrate.
4) They typically use the pronoun "I" rather than "We".
5) They place more interest on copyrighting or otherwise protecting what they have produced, rather than concentrating on producing more.
6) They seek public recognition, manifestations of which include, but are not limited to, public display of larger than life pictures and posters.
7) They seek to satisfy their ego's striving for identity, rather than accept the fact that that for which they so greatly strive is something with which they are endowed by nature.
In search of identity
A universal human striving is the search for identity, typically manifested in a striving for recognition. But this is, in truth, not only a vain pursuit, but also a futile one, for once having been recognized, they see that they fall short of the recognition given someone else, so they continually strive for even further recognition. Thus, they can never be content as they are because their happiness is linked with recognition and recognition always falls short of expectation.
The search for identity can, in any case, be shown to be utterly futile. For that which we seek so desperately is already conferred on us naturally. The truth is that we already have our unique identity from life itself. There was never anyone exactly like "one of us" in the past, nor will there ever be in the future. Indeed, no two living cells are ever identical, so every living thing and every cell of that living thing is absolutely and completely unique. That for which we so earnestly strive is now, always has been, and always will be, inherent in us.
Evil
Evil is the deliberate turning away from God's Plan to gain power and control to magnify the ego. As we have already seen above, ultimately it is in the interest of no one to magnify the ego because, by hindering the body's progress, it likewise hinders the progress of the "one" who would magnify the ego. With the perspective of history, we now know that one of the worst forms of magnifying the ego is the abuse by one or a few of knowledge which, in fact, belongs to every one of us. Such, for example, was the abuse of knowledge about the German language, culture, and symbols by Hitler and the Nazis, because Hitler used this knowledge to manipulate the German people to obtain his own designs and ends. On the other hand, it is apparent that he was largely provoked to such evil behavior by Paul's abuse, in turn, of his knowledge of the Word and its power and the even greater abuse of the Word by Paul's distant forefathers in arrogating for the Hebrew people the epithet "God's Chosen People". From the experience of our recent past, we now know that misuse of any knowledge in this way will only ultimately lead to a painful self-correction in the body. Thus, we are only playing a cruel game with ourself when we allow any abuse of the Word. There are no winners, only a loser - all of us.
Let all know of the Word and its great power, lest the Word ever again be misused. For those who abuse the Word abuse our God and make themselves like unto God. But no one among us has the right to play God, for none among us is all-knowing and perfectly wise. Beware of those who would use the Word against us, for they seek to control the body out of their own selfish interests.
Let us all research deeply and thoroughly into our past, for such is the knowledge of our origins. And, becoming aware of what we uncover, agree to discard those names which magnify the ego and greatly hinder our progress - names such as "Ruler of the People", "Ruler of the Land" or "Ruler of the World". For now that we know that the Word is our God, we must be vigilant against any abuse of the Word in our names.
Put not faith in those who ask for it, for they are surely in search of power and control. For why should we accept that on faith which we logically can know? Therefore, beware of those who say they tell the truth but insist you accept their Word on faith. For those that do are surely seeking power and control, manipulating the Word for their own selfish ends.
Likewise, put not your faith in those who claim alone to know the truth, for such are not like any one among us. For, human as we are, no one among us knows all the truth, only part of the truth, though we strive to know ever more.
It can likewise be seen that evil is a turning away from the opportunity to cooperate, integrate and, thus, grow in love. Because love can only grow when shared freely and openly with all those around us. Ever greater love is directly proportional to ever greater cooperation and integration, all of which are manifestations of the same universal striving for complete and perfect Oneness with our Heavenly Father and the universe.
Money
As with all the other things for which we strive so vainly, so also is the unchecked striving for more money. For it can easily be seen that having more money only makes sense if we have an opportunity to use it. When we leave this physical world, we leave all material things behind, including our money and our physical body. The only things we take into the afterlife are the love we have learned and the knowledge we have gained. But, neither love nor knowledge can be bought with money. Instead, they can only be gained with experience in this physical body. Perfect love and perfect knowledge, in turn, can only be gained, however imperfectly, through experience in the eternal body because experience in a less than whole body is, logically, proportionately less complete. So all activities and strivings of whatever nature to magnify the ego are, logically, ultimately useless.
Justice and truth
How can one speak of justice without also speaking of truth? For there can never be justice without a rigorous abidance to the truth. And yet, more often than not, truth is sacrificed to special interests, again another manifestation of magnification of the ego and striving for control. Many there are who invoke the name of justice while at the same time deliberately distorting or hiding from the truth. Indeed, let us not think on justice as this is usually a guise for revenge. And revenge serves no good purpose but is, rather, an expression of hate. And hate leads not back to the heart, but rather away from the heart. Therefore, rather than thinking of hate and revenge, let us turn our attention to healing, so that the body may again be whole. Such is the wisdom contained in the Bible.
Eternal life
The striving to prolong this physical life is a vain striving. For why should we strive to prolong that which, in any case, is meant to end? Were one to live forever in this physical life, then it would no longer be life. Because life in this physical world implies a natural beginning and a natural end. To strive for more than that which we are meant to receive naturally is, again, another form of magnifying the ego. And, as we have already seen magnifying the ego only works against that for which we, as one body, are all striving: greater knowledge, greater freedom, and more complete truth. So, if the objective is this latter, why should we want to prolong a physical life which only slows progress to this truth?
The truth is that not in this physical life shall we have eternal life, but rather in the next. So, if we look forward to eternal life, why should we struggle to prolong this physical life and, hence, delay God's natural Plan for eternal life?
Learning one from the other
Let all the nations and all the peoples learn one from the other. For the wisdom of man's experience resides not just in one people, or one language, nor, indeed, even in several, but rather in every people and every language on this earth. Moreover, there is wisdom and truth to be found in languages yet unborn, for we are always on a continual path of self-discovery since the time our Creator put us on this earth.
From the Russians we can learn how to say "Thank you!" as "Spasibo" means "Save (you), God!" What better expression for "Thank you!" could there come from one to another than this!
From the Japanese we can learn the art of "shuyo", or mental training, as such is the path to perfection in self-control.
From the French we can learn the art of politeness, for they say, when asking for something, "s'il vous plaît" - "if it pleases you".
From Czech we can learn the spontaneity of expression in a young girl's cry for joy, for they say "To je pohádka!" - "It's (like) a fairytale!"
From the Dutch we can learn how to think from the customer's point of view, for they say "te koop" - "to be bought", rather than "for sale".
From the British we can learn how to ask to be taught, for this is what they ask when they introduce themselves: "How do you do?"
Such is just a small sampling of the wisdom in the world's languages.
In like manner comes a wealth of wisdom in proverbs and ways of expression:
From the Chinese we can learn the art of positive thinking, for they say: "It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness."
From the Russians we can learn the art of economy and patience, for they say: "S miru po nitke - golomu rubakha." "Threads (taken) from the world around will make a shirt for a naked man."
From the French we can learn the art of guidance, for they say: "mener un projet ŕ bon port" - "to lead a project to the right port".
Such, again, is a sampling of the wisdom of mankind.
Let us learn, too, from the wisdom of different ages:
The expression of pure joy in a baby's smile,
The art of curiosity from a young child's questions,
The art of maturing from a young teenager,
The richness of life's experience from those who are aged.
From our children we can learn what true joy and love are, for they express these sentiments naturally when allowed to be their natural selves.
Let us learn, too, from them the art of racial integration, for such is their behavior naturally before enculturation.
"Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me." (Matthew 18:3-5)
Let us learn to be patient and kind with one another, for such is the behavior of one willing to learn.
For the best learners are those who learn with an open heart and an open mind.
Let us never be afraid to question when we do not understand, for it is from such questions that we are directed to the answers.
Let us learn to love, support, and openly encourage one another, for a word of encouraging support is worth a thousandfold more than threatening criticism.
Let us learn also from those less fortunate than we, for they have learned the art of being content in whatsoever state they may be.
Let us remember that teachers are never greater than, nor less than, their students, but rather like them, only out in front as guides and mentors. For the greatest joy to any teacher is to know that his or her students will build upon the teacher's knowledge and take up, in turn, the front ranks, as mankind progresses to ever greater self-discovery and self-knowledge.
Let us remember always that we were not put on this earth to satisfy the desires of the ego, but rather as explorers of Truth. Let us also always remember that never the Man, but rather the Message, is what is important. For from the Man have we nothing to learn, but from the Message much. For the Message is yet another important discovery on the way to perfect knowledge and perfect Truth.
Know, too, that what we discover is not new but always was and always will be so. We are all on a collective journey toward making the unconscious conscious, the unknown, known.
We should never be afraid to leave the past, but rather to learn from it, so we might evolve more efficiently into one people, one race, one body overall. For, separated, we know not ourself, but together we are whole again.
Let us not speak about or concern ourself with justice, for insufficient is our knowledge to judge one the other. Rather, let us look beyond our iniquities and our past to a far better future of universal cooperation, integration and harmony. For what good does it do the body to sever a limb in pain? Far better to treat the wound so the body may be whole again.
Who among us, having the flock fenced off, has not remarked how the sheep
stray ever away from the center toward the fence and, once near the fence,
invariably transgress it? Such is our wrong thinking when we stray from the
ideal into troubled waters. Let us not, then, entertain thoughts that will lead
us astray, but rather focus on those that lead us back to our Shepherd. Such is
the way to ever more perfection and greater love, one for the other. Such is
the Wisdom of our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Let all who have transgressed have the opportunity to come back into the
fold, for our Shepherd shall not be content until the furthest astray have come
back again to the family.
Convocation of the nations
And now, let's imagine for a minute that Jesus Christ himself is with us, all the people of the earth, asking for our attention in order to give us a sermon of vital importance:
"People of the earth! I ask you to stop what you are doing and kindly give me your attention for a few minutes. Whatever your present activities and concerns may be, whether you realize it or not, when you were born into the world you set out on a lifelong journey in quest of Truth. Regardless of who you are, where you come from, how old you are, and what you may have done in the past, I invite each and every one of you from this moment forth to participate actively and enthusiastically in the most rewarding activity there ever was or ever will be: the quest for
TRUTH
There are only two basic rules I ask you to follow. One pertains to your relationship with one another and the other is a guideline to your way of thinking.
The first rule is:
Love your neighbour as yourself.
The second rule is:
Do not let the past stand in the way of the future.
Keep in mind that, in your quest for Truth, you will create words and symbols for thinking and models to organize and give meaning to the information you have gathered. These words, symbols, and models are only useful so long as they help you in your search. Never be afraid to abandon them when they do not. Knowing, however, that it is human nature to be reluctant to let go of the past to make way for the future, our Heavenly Father, in His infinite Wisdom and Love, has given you the perfect and only tool you will ever need to break the bonds with the past in order to create the future:
FREE WILL
Unfortunately, some of you got into a debate using cause-effect logic trying to prove that you have a free will, a logical impossibility as cause-effect analysis can only be used to study the past, never a future which has yet to be created. Because you began to doubt that you have a free will, I accepted to suffer an agonizing crucifixion nearly 2,000 years ago, an act of my own free will in order to show you by my example that each and every one of you also has a free will. Although my Message was at first clear, unfortunately, some individuals, acting out of their own selfish interests, obscured the meaning of my Message to such a degree that it no longer was readily understandable. Now I will explain to you what should have been clear all along. No one, not even our Heavenly Father Himself, can make you exercise your free will because were He or anyone else to do this, it would no longer be your own free will! Therefore, that choice is for each one of you, individually and alone, to make. With this explanation now, I hope that you will finally understand and accept without further doubt that indeed each and every one of you without exception has a free will.
Use your free will wisely to create your future. Learn to be happy, and live and work together in peace on your journey through life in quest of Truth.
Remember, whosoever seeks the Truth shall surely find it, for there is but one universal Truth which everyone can behold."
End of Jesus' sermon.
Using from above the "formula" to understand culture, this time the nature of a seeker of Truth:
Core cultural value: Truth
Modus operandi: Free Will
Cultural person: Christian
And with that, at long last, the irrefutable proof that
JESUS CHRIST,
Son of man, the Light of the World, is, without a doubt, the greatest
CULTURAL COMMUNICATOR
in all the history of mankind!
If you, too, now believe, go out and spread the Good Word, for the true meaning of the life, 'death' and 'resurrection' of our Saviour Jesus Christ is finally clear!
Invitation to baptize yourself in the name of Jesus Christ, our Saviour
And now, I invite each one of you to baptize yourself in our Saviour's name by dipping the fingertips of your right hand in clean water and making the sign of the cross (*), saying:
"I baptize myself in the first person, the second person, and the third person in the name of our Saviour, Jesus Christ."
Now, let us all go forth in peace and love, knowing that the World will shortly be One again!
__________________________
To make the sign of the cross, bring your right hand, with the five fingers outstretched first to your forehead, secondly to your breast, thirdly to your left shoulder then across to the right shoulder, and finally to rest in a prayer-like position against your left hand.