Tuesday, December 4, 2007 at 2:02am
Follow your conscience, the only authentic guide
Column: PERFECTBALANCELIFE
Unless you realize and practice a right relationship with your conscience you will always be in conflict with yourself and others. When tempted to believe that your inner, spiritual resources are not adequate to guide and lead you to see things clearly, you move further away from your conscience and come to rely more and more on external authority to help you. It's similar to the process that occurs when you poke a small hole into a fully blown up balloon; gradually the air leaks out and eventually the balloon deflates until it completely loses its shape and form. Similarly, every time you allow your conscience to be violated by not trusting and relying on it, you are poking a small hole into it and a slow, gradual loss of inner power and strength occurs. It is imperative that you establish and maintain an authentic relationship with your conscience.
Your conscience is the highest authority for you to listen to and have give and take with. Conscience can be likened to Earth's closest star, our sun. The sun's light and heat allow life to exist on Earth. All plant and animal life relies on the sun's presence to live. If you suddenly turned off the light and heat of the sun, all life on Earth would cease to exist. The sun's gravitational pull also holds Earth and the other planets in the solar system in their particular orbits. Likewise, your conscience allows you to connect with God's truth and love. In turn, God's truth and love will keep your spiritual essence alive. If you cut the relationship with your conscience, you automatically cut yourself off from the central source of spiritual life and love — God. How do you make sure that you are always properly connected with your conscience?
John Kabat-Zin, scientist, writer and meditation teacher, in his book "Coming to Our Senses," talks to us about the folly of business. Zin speaks to the need for us to make room in our lives to connect with our inner callings and life rhythms. To not do so, according to Zin, equals a betrayal to what is most important to us. By keeping ourselves busy with more and more projects and things to do, we block our way to " ... meet anybody or any situation from ease and the fullness of our own being, and that includes, most importantly, even an authentic meeting of ourselves and those we most care about." I think the Bible speaks to this issue with an admonishment in Psalms: "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalms 46:10). This verse speaks to me, telling me to take intentional time to experience my inner world, the world where things can be heard without physical ears and things can be seen without the aid of physical eyes. Here external circumstances are put into proper perspective — never to be regarded as more important than my inner states of mind.
You need to take intentional time to be alone and at peace with your inner self. This is not just a good idea but is also essential if you intend to make a better connection with your conscience. A proper balance between contemplation and action is one key to being in touch with your conscience. Being busy is simply not an acceptable reason to justify your inclination of not making yourself available to visit with your inner world. It is a false doctrine to accept the idea that through incessant activity and anxiously striving for results that you are living your life to the fullest. Wrong! If you find yourself harried and running around like crazy, with never enough time to contemplate eternity, then you, my friend, are likely to not be communicating well with your conscience.
Be still, and know that I am God.
— — —
Jack LaValley is a practitioner of the martial arts, physical cultivation exercises, and sitting meditation. Although currently working in the hospitality industry, he spends much of his free time helping and working together with those who are pursuing the spiritual path. Jack and his wife, Wha-ja Oh-LaValley, a native of South Korea, reside in Westchester County, New York, and are the proud parents of three beautiful children. Jack is completing his book manuscript, "A Perfectly Balanced Life: Living Each Day with Wisdom and Strength," and expects publication to be in October 2008. You can reach Jack at: perfectbalance1@optimum.net. © Copyright 2007 by Jack LaValley.
Your conscience is the highest authority for you to listen to and have give and take with. Conscience can be likened to Earth's closest star, our sun. The sun's light and heat allow life to exist on Earth. All plant and animal life relies on the sun's presence to live. If you suddenly turned off the light and heat of the sun, all life on Earth would cease to exist. The sun's gravitational pull also holds Earth and the other planets in the solar system in their particular orbits. Likewise, your conscience allows you to connect with God's truth and love. In turn, God's truth and love will keep your spiritual essence alive. If you cut the relationship with your conscience, you automatically cut yourself off from the central source of spiritual life and love — God. How do you make sure that you are always properly connected with your conscience?
John Kabat-Zin, scientist, writer and meditation teacher, in his book "Coming to Our Senses," talks to us about the folly of business. Zin speaks to the need for us to make room in our lives to connect with our inner callings and life rhythms. To not do so, according to Zin, equals a betrayal to what is most important to us. By keeping ourselves busy with more and more projects and things to do, we block our way to " ... meet anybody or any situation from ease and the fullness of our own being, and that includes, most importantly, even an authentic meeting of ourselves and those we most care about." I think the Bible speaks to this issue with an admonishment in Psalms: "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalms 46:10). This verse speaks to me, telling me to take intentional time to experience my inner world, the world where things can be heard without physical ears and things can be seen without the aid of physical eyes. Here external circumstances are put into proper perspective — never to be regarded as more important than my inner states of mind.
You need to take intentional time to be alone and at peace with your inner self. This is not just a good idea but is also essential if you intend to make a better connection with your conscience. A proper balance between contemplation and action is one key to being in touch with your conscience. Being busy is simply not an acceptable reason to justify your inclination of not making yourself available to visit with your inner world. It is a false doctrine to accept the idea that through incessant activity and anxiously striving for results that you are living your life to the fullest. Wrong! If you find yourself harried and running around like crazy, with never enough time to contemplate eternity, then you, my friend, are likely to not be communicating well with your conscience.
Be still, and know that I am God.
— — —
Jack LaValley is a practitioner of the martial arts, physical cultivation exercises, and sitting meditation. Although currently working in the hospitality industry, he spends much of his free time helping and working together with those who are pursuing the spiritual path. Jack and his wife, Wha-ja Oh-LaValley, a native of South Korea, reside in Westchester County, New York, and are the proud parents of three beautiful children. Jack is completing his book manuscript, "A Perfectly Balanced Life: Living Each Day with Wisdom and Strength," and expects publication to be in October 2008. You can reach Jack at: perfectbalance1@optimum.net. © Copyright 2007 by Jack LaValley.