Practical spirituality for a complicated world.
Years ago, I read an excellent book called
The Stand
. It was written by Stephen King, best known for his horror and suspense books. Stephen King is, without doubt, a talented writer, and I can easily acknowledge that, despite the fact that I don't necessarily enjoy the horror genre.
The Stand
, however, is unlike anything else that he's ever ***image1***written. It was made into a TV movie, but it paled next to the book. If you haven't read
The Stand
, I highly recommend that you do so. I don't think you'll regret it. I'm recommending it for several reasons. One is that we're living in times where we're being called to take a stand for what we believe in. Another reason is that we're on the cusp of significant cultural, social and economic changes. Just in case you're wondering, I'm not talking about the Apocalypse, or the end of the world. I don't advocate that we live in fear, or set up armed compounds, or militia groups or any of those things that critics immediately throw at us when we mention changes or shifts. Besides, the federal government has shown no more hesitation to bomb and incinerate its own citizens, than it has to invade and firebomb foreigners. This holds true for Democrat and Republican regimes, alike. You don't have to be a prophet, or intuitive, or even particularly intelligent to see that we're living in times where we have to make a stand, whether we want to, or not. Some observers say that our society is 'polarised', or 'divided'. They write of Red States and Blue States. What they don't do, is explain to us what all that means. All they concentrate on is abortion rights, gay marriage, affirmative action, or born-again status, as if those issues alone can define who we are as a culture. Those people only wind up screaming at each other, creating ever more chaos and confusion. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Democrats and Republicans are merely different sides of the same (counterfeit) coin. If you put your faith and trust in them, you'll be disappointed. Granted, you might personally benefit in the short term, but in the long run, in the end, you will have bet on a losing horse. The old systems, the ones this society has staked everything on, are on their way out. They're falling all around us.
I'm not a prophet, nor do I want to become one. But, I can read a map. I can tell you that if you stay on I-25 north, you'll come to Pecos, then Las Vegas, Raton, and eventually Denver. You'll have dozens of options to exit before Denver. But, if you stay on the highway long enough, you'll get there, and even further. Arriving in Denver won't be a punishment. It will quite simply be the result of the actions you previously took. When a foolish person arrived in Denver, after traveling I-25 North from Santa Fe, he might say, "Oh man, I wanted to visit Tucson! Why did I wind up here? My goal was Arizona, not Colorado! Why am I being victimised?" Instead, he might wise up and say, "Alright, let me see how I can fix this. I've wound up in Denver because of choices I made in the past. If I want to be in Tucson, I need to change directions. I need to revisit my map and see where I went wrong. Then, I'll make a new plan, try different things, and adapt to changing conditions. So, I've learned that if I want to go to Tucson, I won't get there by taking I-25 North, at least not any time soon. I can scream at others and blame them until I'm blue in the face, but that won't help get me to Tucson." This could be an awakening to wisdom, if the foolish person decided to take advantage of it. Actually, each of us is presented, on a daily basis, with multiple opportunities to awaken. If we're willing to release the need to blame others, if we can accept responsibility for ourselves, and if we can release the illusion that someone will come save us, then we can make our own stands. You get to decide what that means. You don't have to depend upon someone else to tell you who you are, or define what should be important to you. Of course, you have the option of surrendering your freedom to politicians and religious leaders, but I'm telling you today that you don't have to. You are hereby fully authorised to make a stand for what you decide is important.
I recently got an email from a man who accused me of having Manichean tendencies. I'm not a Manichean, but I was impressed that someone with enough education to know what Manichaeism is, would be reading my column. In a nutshell, the Manicheans were an early Christian sect, characterised by the belief that material things were bad, spiritual things were good, and life was a battle between light and darkness. There is, I believe something to that, however the Manicheans took it to an extreme. That is seldom a good idea, for any system of thought. Although I see much beauty in this material world, and even though I know that history has periods of peaceful prosperity, I also see evidence of a struggle for, if not our souls, then for our allegiance. In our own culture, there is a war declared on servants of the Light. Presently, the war is focused on Christianity, mainly because they are the most numerous. Ironically, shadowy, genuinely creepy groups like the Christian Coalition, 700 Club, and Moral Majority, do more to discredit the teachings of Jesus, than any atheist Marxist could ever do. At the moment, this aversion to the Creator manifests in various ways, most significantly in the war on Christmas and Christian symbols. A mere ten years ago, who would have believed that it would soon be taboo to wish someone a Merry Christmas? We can scarcely imagine what changes the coming years will bring. Remember, this is only one small example of a dark political faction attempting to eradicate any allegiance to the things of Spirit. Here in Santa Fe, it is only a matter of time before they will call for the removal of the statue of St Francis at the corner of Marcy and Lincoln. You can take that to the bank, even though I wrote earlier that I'm not a prophet. I can still read a map and tell you where we're headed. There is already a national push to remove crosses from city and county seals. There is even a faction in Las Cruces that wish to rewrite history, denying that the city was named after Christian grave markers. But, make no mistake about it. When they finish with the Christians, they'll come after the Jews, Moslems, Hindus, Hopi, and anyone else who holds an allegiance which would conflict with those who see themselves as "illumined" and plan sit in power over us. Their goal is a global system of governance, controlling all economic and social activity. This is not a conspiracy theory. It is a conspiracy fact. Do with this information what you will. An old country song tells us that, "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything." How true that is.
It is time to decide what is really important to you. The day is coming when you will be required to make a stand. If you don't already stand for something, you might want to spend some time investigating spiritual paths. If you manage to attain wealth, fame and power, what will it count for in the end, if you lose yourself in the process? I will not commit myself to political or religious causes. For better or for worse, I take my stand on the side of the Creator, as a servant of the Light....not because I'm a saint, or holy, but because I've got enough sense to read the map and see where things are headed.
To ask Robert a question, visit his website at www.RobertOdom.com, email desertrj@msn.com or send mail to PO Box 33, Santa Fe, NM 87504.
Santa Fe Reporter