Greetings All –
LOOK ABOUT YOU IN THE WORLD and you will see that
the world of humanity is lost in its own ambivalence. It wishes to have this
and wishes to go there. It wants to keep everything it has acquired and lose
nothing, and yet it wants more than it needs. It is confused as to its
predicament. It is confused as to the remedy. It is confused as to its
identity. It is confused as to what to value and what not to value. All
arguments and debates, all conflicts and all wars are engaged in exercising
this ambivalence.
AS YOU ABIDE WITH KNOWLEDGE, you will look upon the
world and recognize its utter confusion. This will teach you and remind you of
the great need for Knowledge in the world. Knowledge will never attack itself,
and Knowledge is not in conflict with itself. Therefore, two individuals, or
two nations, or even two worlds, will have no issues of contention if they are
guided by Knowledge, for Knowledge will always seek to join individuals in a
meaningful way and to clarify their interactions with one another. It is not
possible that Knowledge be in conflict with itself, for there is no opposition
within Knowledge. It has one purpose and one aim, and to this it organizes all
activity. It organizes all forms of opposition into serving one purpose and one
direction. Thus, it is the great peacemaker in the world. As you abide with
Knowledge, you will become the vehicle for its expression. Then, you will teach
peace because peace itself will be teaching through you.
LOOKING AT KNOWLEDGE LIKE THIS will enable you to
recognize your true involvement and your true responsibility as a student of Knowledge.
The world is in ambivalence. It is in confusion and is suffering all of the
results of this. But you who are now learning to witness the world without
judgment or condemnation and are learning to witness the world from the
certainty of Knowledge will be able to simply recognize the predicament of the
world and know that you are carrying the remedy within yourself now.
IN YOUR DEEPER PRACTICES ENTER INTO STILLNESS ONCE
AGAIN and use the RAHN word if necessary to help you. Because you are learning
to be still, you are learning to be certain. Any individual who can acquire
stillness in the world will become a source of Knowledge in the world, for
Knowledge will express itself in the world wherever there is an opening in any
mind. Your mind is now becoming open so that Knowledge may express itself.
PRACTICE 283: Two 30-minute practice periods.
Responsibility is a scary word in the context of
this Step as there is room for failure in this case. It isn’t like being
responsible for the snacks at a party or, more seriously, elements of your work
– which may disappoint your employer and lead to a bad review, but here the
assignment is much greater. Even the learning “to accept” part is difficult, as
there is a potential for failure.
There was nothing in the journal dated April 24,
2000, the day on which Step 282 fell.
The Steps page has a few comments.
The end comment April 24, 2000, relating to: “becoming a person of responsibility and a person
of power” is " ? scary”
My first Steps Retreat in Boulder was Memorial Day
weekend, May 26-28, 2001, and the note indicates: “After the retreat easier to accept!”
October 9, 2012 – Vertical along the margin:
“Still scary, in spite of years
of study. I see a need for power. I do not trust myself/Why is that?"
A review comment 11 days later, 10/20/2012 connects
to “Your responsibility is to follow Knowledge and to
learn to express Knowledge adequately and purposefully,” and says “working on this.”
Yes, working on this. Recognizing my challenges did not thrown me off the path or cause me to quit. Will you face challenging Steps? Of course!
Humble, but strong and responsible, this is the
direction of the work and needed growth by the student. There are always challenges. I continued, let us continue.
NNC
P.S. At Step 283, 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.
