Lesson 24; A look at "Illusions" by Richard Bach

Okay, having finished the hard work mandated by the class, time for some mental floss and fluff.

So, grab your copies of Illusions, follow along if you will and we will take a quick look at this book and how it relates to AP.

A quick viewing of this book should show you that it's easy. I mean, if you can wade through my email missives, you should reasonably be able to read a 181-page book that has massive type in one sitting, right? I know the first time I was introduced to this book that is exactly what happened to me.

My wife was sneaky; she read the first chapter to me, out loud, and then quit reading. Said that if I wanted to learn more, I would have to read it myself.

And from that first reading, I was hooked.

I mean, it's such a beautiful sentiment, "I command you to be happy" and so on. It was an incredibly freeing experience when I understood what that passage was saying, and how it related to me.

The way I interpreted that particular section is that we are put on this Earth to learn, and in the process of learning, we are supposed to be happy. Truly happy in the depths of our soul, not the surface happiness of Valium. So, if that's the case, the lessons we are supposed to learn are going to be in the flow of what will make us happiest. But we also know ourselves, we know that there are times when we will be stubborn, so we salt that path with clues to remind ourselves that we should be happy.

The scene where Donald confronts the mob was one of those clues to me. In many ways I learned that I didn't have to please everyone, that I didn't have to live my father's dreams for me, nor my mother's expectations. All I had to do was what truly pleased myself, and from that all else would flow.

Now, it becomes really hard when your true happiness comes from making others happy, and sacrificing for their needs. Often you can't figure out what is you and what is them. Thus, you wind up loosing yourself in the needs of others. That's why a LOT of people who work in industries that take care of other's pain and needs (doctors, nurses, police, social workers, adoption agencies, foster care workers, and so on) really need someone around who can give them reality checks and keep them balanced. Because they get so caught up in the needs of others, they fail to see their needs, and even if they do they usually sacrifice those needs to the people they are helping. Taking a step back and going "is this what I REALLY want to be doing" is a critical step for these people.

See, I know this because I suffer from this myself, except my martyrdom comes from being a priest and preacher. My family's needs and my needs get sublimated in counseling and helping and preaching. I realized that even though I don't have a pulpit to preach from, my ministry is online through classes like this, through my website, through the email lists I'm a member of, and through the newsgroups. Each of them allow me a chance to share my experiences and feelings and thoughts on what I know is true, and if it helps someone else, well and good.

But I finally stopped begging for feedback because I realized, just putting the information out there is enough for my "need" to help, and if people read it and get something from it, good. If they don't like it, that's their opinion. I think that they would be happier if they listened to me, but I realize that they won't always, and that's okay too.

Yes, it is still good to hear that I did a good job, that people got meaning out of my words, but I no longer base all my satisfaction and self-worth on that feedback, which was something I did for quite some time and it was killing me when I didn't get it.

Anyhow, back to our Reluctant Messiah.

Each of us can see ourselves as the Richard character, and many can see themselves as the Donald character. We each have bursts of clarity in which we know a little more than we did before, and we each have our days of head-blindness. I know I do.

The point of the book is an obvious one, but it's one that not a whole hell of a lot of people get. This world is not all there is. Everything in this book points to that fact, but it still slips away. We can't imagine a world without rules, without guidelines, where we are cosmic otters who play and have fun with no one getting hurt.

We can't conceive of a universe where death is not something to fear, and where our gods are just as we want them to be, as forgiving as we wish, and as kind as we hope they are. The people who have a vested interest in keeping our minds and souls swaddled in fear and hate would loose too much power.

I mean, when death becomes something to look forward to, is there any point to war? When other nations become something to love, filled with people that are just like us, is there any point for a military? When the Government tells us that "So and so person is a bad person and we must kill him, in our own self interest", who would believe him? Who would elect a government that would make blanket statements like that, then stand aside and watch as millions are killed in a border skirmish we started to keep oil rights flowing?

Once that fear of a God is lost, once the fear of death is conquered, the entire universe opens up and it's secrets are revealed. We become free to do and be and have without guilt.

Then the true renaissance of the mind will occur, the one in which we can swim in the dirt and walk on water. We will understand the rules of the game and we will realize that the movie continues to play, but we will also be aware of the theater around us, instead of being so caught up in the film that we miss the true reality.

It's incredible when one's mind is opened. And I'm seeing this theme more and more lately, in which the world you THINK you are living in is not the world that really is. Illusions is only the tip of the iceberg, the movie "The Matrix" is also REALLY powerful in getting this message across. All "reality" is only the sum of your perception, once you know that, the universe opens up.

The aphorisms in the book, the sound bites, are good for you. I have several of them on my website, I have used them as screen savers, and I have read them over and over. They succinctly say what there is to say, and do so in a way that you can actually remember them.

"Here is a test to find whether or not your mission on Earth is finished; if you're alive, it isn't." "You are never given a wish without being given the power to make it true. You may have to work for it however." "Argue for your limitations, and sure enough, they're yours." "There is no such thing as a problem without a gift in it's hands. You seek problems because you need their gifts." And on and on and on and on....

I read this particular book about once a year, just to remind myself about what is contained in the pages. It's a good feeling to remind myself about all this, since it is what is really going on.

End of lesson, end of class.

Daven

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