Query #8 - Personal Responsibility
How do we center our lives in the awareness of God the Spirit, so that all things may take their rightful places? How do we structure our individual lives in order to keep them uncluttered with things and activities? How does Meeting help us examine our personal lives for simplicity?The general sense of the group seemed to be that Meeting keeps us thinking about and considering simplicity. Yet Meeting also adds to taking on too many activities. Lives can get cluttered with things that matter.
We talked about the idea that by taking on too much, an individual is in danger of burying him/ herself. One member added, “I try to weigh the need versus how specific I am for that particular job.” We all have to set priorities, and many of us set those priorities by what we want to do.
It seems appropriate, both in life and when life ends. We can’t take cars, clothes, etc, with us when we die, so why should one strive for
Do we choose recreational
activities which foster mental,
physical and spiritual health?
The short answer was, “Yes.”
This led us into an interesting
discussion about, “How come fun
for many of us is creating joy —
making the world a better place,
increasing centeredness, being out
in nature — while for others it
seems to be activities such as
smoking or drinking, often
literally and figuratively
happening in darkness?”
Our fun varied from taking a walk, lying in bed reading a book, exercising, an activity that led to a beneficial purpose, meditating, studying a new topic, eating berries and watching butterflies.
How are our lives affected by tobacco, alcohol and drug
use? What can we do to deal with problems resulting
from their use? What can we do to recognize and deal
with unhealthy ways we treat ourselves?
Our conversation focused around
how the unhealthy ways we treat
ourselves often deal with mind
patterns, such as feeling sorry for
oneself, being filled with rage
over unsolvable issues, like a
computer problem, causing
oneself pain.
It seems that everyone has some sort of self-destructive pattern. Understanding the source is the first step toward balance, healing and positive action.
My favorite comment of the hour came from a member who had been watching Bill Moyer’s shows on religion and said, “Fundamentalism is often a reaction to a world that just isn't exciting enough. People want a God who throws lightning bolts, a sexier God.”
-Submitted by Susan Clymer