Greetings All –
Step 113 - I will not be
persuaded by others. (MP3)
[Open in Drive or copy to
your Drive – Download folder or play from Drive – Step PDF also.]
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| "I will not be persuaded by others." Step 113 |
ANY MIND THAT IS MORE RESOLVED THAN YOURS can
persuade you and cast an influence upon you. There is nothing very mysterious
about this. It is simply the result of one mind being more concentrated or
focused than another. Minds have relative degrees of influence upon one
another, depending upon their concentration and depending upon the kind of
influence they exert. Let Knowledge persuade you, for that is the greatness
that you carry. Let not the opinions or will of others persuade you. Let only
their Knowledge influence you, for only this can influence your Knowledge. This
will be quite different from feeling dominated, manipulated or persuaded by
others.
THEREFORE, KEEP TO YOURSELF. Follow Knowledge. If
another stimulates your Knowledge, then give that individual your attention so that
you may learn of the true powers of persuasion. Yet, let not the persuasions of
this world—its grievances, its cherished ideals, its morality, its demands or
its compromises—influence you, for you are following Knowledge, and you need
not follow the persuasions of the world.
REMIND YOURSELF OF TODAY’S IDEA upon the hour and
practice stillness deeply in your two meditation practices today. Allow only Knowledge
to persuade you, for this is all that you need to follow in the world.
PRACTICE 113: Two 30-minute practice periods. Hourly
practice.
Yesterday:
From
the journal: Step
112 – Review
To
be added later. It is a long entry.
The above is what I
posted a year ago. I never made it back to dictate the full entry and this
particular day I’m away from home and can’t do so.
Today’s
picture is a bit
personal, so I offer some background. In 1964 I began college at the
University
of Wisconsin – Manitowoc County Extension, a new two year system
established to
deal with the baby-boomers. College was encouraged, so I went, although I
didn't know exactly why. My dad had not gone to college, yet was a
respected engineer.
My rationale
was quite simple: I knew that if I went to college, I would earn $10,000 and
could buy a Corvette. I liked cars and a former teacher at my high school – who
wasn’t much older than the students, had quit teaching; taken a better-paying
job – returning in a few months driving a new red 1962 Corvette convertible. He had a
college degree; he had a Corvette – thus my logic.
Later in life, I had the credit to finance purchase of a Corvette, but it wasn’t practical daily use vehicle. As a
hobby car, extra insurance, garaging/maintenance and taxes, made such ego
satisfying ownership too costly.
The picture above is from an auto auction where I
could have gotten one of the Corvettes pictured at a special price, but I was “not
persuaded” that there was any benefit to owning such a big toy.
The
persuasions of
others that you hear/have heard are unlikely to be the same as mine, so
your
mental picture may be different. The goals are not necessarily wrong at
the start – as they
provide motivation, but understanding from maturity/ Knowledge sidelines
the goal, thus the burden of ownership need not be experienced.
Let us continue.
NNC
Journal
second time x2 Step 112. This
is for those who have completed Steps once. Doing Steps with only the texts,
messages and your life experience, including what you may have studied and
practiced is your journey. I’m showing Step comments after the Step, so as not
to influence you in advance. It is a wilderness trek to be left to your own
wits, but then you can also listen more closely for guides, angels and
teachers, always first saying: “I surround and protect myself with the Love and
the Grace of God.” Thankfully, I was taught this practice in 1989.
P.S. If you’ve some interest due to this or other
Steps, you should go to the beginning blog post. From here you will learn about Steps to Knowledge
and can begin it on the day that makes sense; 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 post 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.
