Greetings All –
YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE WORLD. You only entertain judgments
about it and then attempt to understand your judgments. The world will reveal
itself to you as you look without these restraints and limitations. In this,
you will find that your beliefs can become useful in allowing you to take each
next step in life. They need not limit your perception of the universe. You
cannot be in the world without beliefs or assumptions. Yet, your beliefs and assumptions are meant to be tools to serve your
mind, to give it a temporary structure and to allow it to engage its natural
abilities in a positive manner.
YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE WORLD TODAY. Be happy
that this is so, for your condemnation is unfounded. You do not understand the world
today. This gives you an opportunity to witness the world.
UPON THE HOUR REPEAT THIS IDEA as you look upon the
world. Remind yourself that you do not understand what you see, so you are free
to look again. If you are not free to look, it simply means that you are
attempting to justify your own judgments. This is not seeing. This is merely
entertaining your own fantasies. In your two deeper practice periods today,
allow your mind to enter stillness, for without the burden of attempting to
justify your fantasies, your mind will naturally seek its true place in service
to Knowledge. You do not understand the world today, and so you do not
understand yourself.
PRACTICE 213: Two 30-minute practice periods. Hourly
practice.
At the time I first did this Step, the year 2000,
there were not many students in the world. While world population has grown
from 6.1 billion in 2000 to 7.1 billion in 2014 – 14.3%, the active student population
has gone from, perhaps, hundreds to several thousand. As the challenges to life
increase, and the failure of substitutes for Knowledge are recognize, more may
find this. It is important to offer encouragement for those who try,
recognizing that “results may vary.” It is not a path of “Instant Karma.”
The Journal entry took some time to post, as you’ll
understand if you choose to read it. I’m putting the Steps page first this day,
to show the notations:
“This counteracts the ignorant forces of the world.”
Is my personal mind an ignorant force?
“…reclamation
of Knowledge…” – the spilled files of the universe [This is a
reference to an 11th grade philosophy writing, about 1963, that I’d written and saved, somehow – “God is all
knowledge. God has given man the task of discovering him. It is as though the
filing cabinet of the universe was suddenly dumped into infinity and a meager
employee was given the task of discovering and recording all the lost
information. …”
“…
your true purpose is to keep Knowledge alive in the world.” →
When
did society know how to raise children; when did it forget? 2/13/2000
“…
attempt to receive the influence of all who are attempting
to reclaim Knowledge.” Nothing new under
the Sun –
3/19/01
– Knowledge is the relationship.
“efficacy” –
effectiveness, power to produce the desired result [definition]
From the Journal:
8:10
a.m. Sunday, February 13, 2000 → Where am I? On
earth, in my home – located in the Town of Front Royal, in the County of
Warren, State of Virginia, United States of America, continent of North
America. I am in the physical within a human family – genetic and adoptive. All
my four pillars require work. Coming home last night – there was a phone
message from Sarah. It said, "Dad, get me out." And a computer voice
ended – Galveston jail. I called Floyd R. and learned she was in jail for
assaulting Lloyd. They were in Houston – doing business – stealing it seems is
what Loyd's occupation is [Network Engineering]. I called the sheriff – got
hooked to the jail – and confirmed she was there. M.E. is out of town. I called
David – he didn't know about it, but called a bondsman and got the story. How
can Sarah be reached? It was late – 11 p.m. I was inclined to drink some
wine/eat ice cream – but – I did my 2nd practice, then went to bed. Now I'm up
– preparing for the day’s practice and recording this for who knows what
posterity.
(All
I want to do is integrate a little geographic sense into the world – regional
visibility.)
---
2:30
p.m. Home – feeling tired and spaced. I moving toward reorganization of program
priorities and integrating office Outlook. It isn't easy. I've tried before –
the coding system is limited.
Everything
done has to fit a project category for costing. People who only work on project
have life simpler.
I'm
getting some positive emails on my regional community posts. By sticking my
claim as an expert on regions – and speaking for them – I followed be abilities
potential's information – busting insights of Ti–Mar and begun GC. The latter
two I encountered at the Denver Psychic Fair – that plus Barbie Edwards–the
harp and Doreen Virtue. Only the harp has had limited benefit – I’ve given that
to Kristen to use.
3:03
p.m. The squat – an exercise – stamina builder – stretcher – seems tribal –
squat around the fire/drawing in the dirt – no furniture – a way to deal with
changing eyesight now.
4:50
p.m. Waiting. Waiting for Sarah to call. Ironed shirts, ate, doing laundry,
organizing work – waiting for my daughter to call. It is a sad, lonely wait.
Will she learn quick enough to save her life? Prayer – I send her self-love,
strength – self-control of anger.
You know you didn’t have to read this, but I’m glad
someone did. This is the sort of challenge thousands of parents have
- [The
estimated total number of young adults ages 18 to 29 in prison or jails …
745,200 in 1999,…] – which is
why on the Steps page I wrote: When did society know how to raise children; when
did it forget?
At this point, my daughter is 20 years into
what has always been a challenging life. I did my Step, then nervously waited.
She is in Texas, I am in Virginia – 1,300 miles away. Her mother has to handle
the on the ground logistics. I would have gotten through this incident one way
or another, but I did find then that the Steps practices to date were
beneficial. That, perhaps, is the takeaway for any other student.
NNC
P.S. At Step 213, we are into Part Two of Steps, so
if you’ve found this and find some appeal in this or other Steps, you should
really go to the beginning blog post. From here you learn about Steps to Knowledge and
can begin it on the day that makes sense and then progress as needed. You can
use the posts on this blog as a companion if it helps. They will remain in
order in the archives - one per Step.
Often it takes 18 months to get through the Steps
once. For this blog, the pace is one-a-day, but it really makes no difference
how fast you do it, only that you begin, persist and repeat. Posts here provide
a trail that may let you have a virtual companion when and if you want one. One
may have to study alone, as I did in the beginning. There are other Steps
students blogging their experience and you might find a person more like you as
a companion, or use a number of such Steps journeys. There are options as well
through the Free School of the New Message.
