In many spiritual beliefs and traditions, much emphasis is placed on being, not doing.
We are warned that constant action can prevent us from knowing ourselves. The individual cannot connect with their higher self, or make a connection with Spirit, while running around, always trying to do-do-do.
I do not deny that there is some truth in that. However, many people want a package of spiritual beliefs and practices that are all true. An undeniable truth gives us some illusions of security, or the illusion that it is an owner’s manual.
Religions can set goals that we strive for (like that grand illusion, perfection). They can provide standards by which we can judge ourselves and others. Too often, spirituality is misused to elevate ourselves and put others down. Or we can hit ourselves with it when we need to be martyrs.
We cling to the illusion that it is possible to be a perfect spiritual being. At the same time, we create a reality that perfection is an impossible goal within our human form. With that tangled set of beliefs, we don’t have to face the perfection of our individuality and uniqueness.
As individuals, our perfection cannot be judged externally. There are no rule books, doctrines, dogmas, dictates or creeds by which we can be judged. There are no earthly gurus, saviors, or saints to judge our individual pursuits.
If we are lucky we find guides. They help us recognize the unique and individual perfection of our being. But, a person’s answers may not always be your answers.
No true spiritual teacher will assess your worth as an individual; that goes far beyond being the perfect Christian, Jew, Buddhist, pagan, father, mother, lover, son, or friend. It goes beyond being the perfect straight, gay, or bisexual American person or human being, period.
Instead, this goes to that scary place of being the perfect self and seeing the shame, fear, and control of being different than your innately perfect self.
Stripping away illusions of who you were trained to be, told you were, or shaped to be can be a long and difficult journey. You must recognize the fears that drive you. See why you force yourself to be something other than yourself, looking for a safe place. That’s a place where you can get the gold star, whether you really want it or not, and receive the approval of a real or imagined authority figure.
Many of us have avoided the terrible, horrible, isolating possibility of being fully who we are. You have chosen to conform. Otherwise, you know that others will disapprove and withdraw their support and love. You have been afraid of those who lash out at you because you have betrayed them.
If you entered your own truth, you would not be a player in their games. You would rise up, and stand out, as a unique and individual human being. You would step into the light of your own perfection, being exactly who you are.
From there, you no longer need to win a game that is not yours, where you have no control over the rules. It is a place that others are afraid to enter and hate themselves for it. But, at some point in your life, you realize that, for better or worse, you have to be completely yourself.
How do you find your way to that place of truth and light?
It can be guided through teachers, friends or sacred texts. In a way, finding yourself can be like a puzzle. You can find some of his pieces through bubblegum romances, penny-store detective novels, watching Star Trek episodes, or Monty Python movies. Some of those places will have great pieces for you. Others contain just those little pieces that make everything fit together.
But you won’t find all your answers in any single sacred text or belief system. No guru or outside human perspective can tell you what your “right way of being” is. Their personal path leads to their version of enlightenment or spiritual nirvana, not necessarily yours.
With that in mind, let’s return to the concept of doing and being. Simply being or simply doing are equally bad choices. Of course, just by being or doing, you will not stand out. You will fit into the status quo and avoid your own truth. It may seem like a safe option, but that’s not the answer.
Balance is key. Learn to do as an extension of being who you are. I sometimes refer to this as “being active.”
As you get active, you’ll get guidance on what to do, based on who you are.
By doing this, you will bring into the world the greatest gift you can bring into the world: you. Everything you do or achieve for that makes the world a better place.