Our Innocence

I viewed the movie THE VILLAGE the other night, and in it  the main elder spoke of how they were isolated under the farce of a group of predators known as ‘those we do not speak of’ in order to retain and preserve the  ‘innocence’ that prevailed in the village. Once revealed to his daughter what the elders had done to keep the township removed from the reality of the world, she simply said, “I am sad for you, for all the elders” She knew better. 
     In order to grow, we must explore, and in gathering our experience, then we either reinforce our values and principals with the evidence that supports those agreed tenants, or we have to act on new facts and dispel the old ways ~ freeing us to replace them with something that serves our world view.  Calls into appreciation “You may be right, but how’s that working for ya?” as Dr. Phil would ask. 

     What is a great contrast for me is the day to day involvement I have in life with others who are consciously or habitually competing to be ‘right’, or to ‘win’ , to  gain ultimately the ‘power’ to dictate how things should ‘be’.  Our combined and individual struggle to obtain each of these egoic high ground positions is the basis of our collective suffering and misery.
    In the military I recognize time and again good plans going askew due to fear of punishment for speaking up; for going against the corporate culture.  So often, from the outside, civilians see wind up soldiers who follow orders without question.  That’s a perpetuated myth.  Most fail to recognize that soldiers in the Army come from hometowns that have shaped them in youth with the same collective adherence to social norms.  So, as evident with THE BORG kind of ethos, “resistance is futile”.  And resistance is the very thing we all do in face of the actual.  An amusing anecdotal irony could be “Don’t contaminate my world view with the facts”

  Too often that of which I speak is raw survival.  Don’t rock the boat, don’t call attention to yourself.  Over and over I am reminded that as we seek a safe place, we dilute our effect on the results.  So is it any wonder that everyone distances themselves from failed attempts?  In an over all appreciation to the desire to be faultless we have tacitly implied that we can spend our energy on forced ignorance.  That being innocent is equivalent to being blameless.  Clearly to me, the whole idea of making mistakes is based upon caring for the results.  If on the other hand, actions are taken in defiance or indifference, then there is an indictment.  Not to be punished, but corrected.  The error of our values is lauding avoidance and irresponsibility over achieving success in a dignified and purposeful manner.  How do we affect the whole if not at first we develop an active desire to change our own dishonesty to what it is we want?  Too long arrested by survival priorities, we neglect being present in ones own life. Our decisions wrought with fear of negative consequences becomes a series of barriers, identify with clarity, of what is ‘not’ wanted. Why not shift focus to the aspirations of your heart?  What do I desire? What do I want?  For too long most ignore, or neglect them for what is deemed pragmatic reasons, so dismissed, departed and left and gone to weed.  Dreams untended will sprout into need, and grow to desperation.  Left to languish will prevail into despondency; ultimately despair.  What is worth living for?  Always the common denominator will be ‘something that interests you’ Coming to the realization that ‘not wanting’ is not an interest in the least.  It’s a defensive pose, you can witness that creative energy is not being cultivated into wonder.  “Not wanting” or fear of punishment is not at all acceptance of consequence.  We need not ‘abdicate’ our personal responsibility for outcome of our desires.  It is delusional to relegate our ultimate delivery to happy by some external benevolent source.  I say instead, wake up from the perpetual perception of actions based upon lack.  Should an individual consider them self unworthy, undeserving, or inadequate, then they are imprisoned by that notion and have limited choices in living.  They are blinded by that viewpoint, so seek the missing pieces that will make their vision whole.

 

   Being such, they are no longer empowered and are in effect, enslaved by the notion that it just isn’t going to happen without someone else doing something. To validate such an impoverished prospect, they will become the incessant need to evaluate; to be critical and cynical of others performance.  Judging with sterile and antiseptic performance standards of objective ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ that far exceeds reasonable, are disguising tactics of  sabotage to others; for the sake of proving ones choice of victim to lack as the only true viable position to take in life.  Better to settle or give up than boldly challenge constraints of fearing removal from a constructed comfortable known delusion.

    Freedom is not a mandate to the masses.  It’s not a privilege bestowed, albeit it can be curtailed with personal agreement that it is not a birthright.  Freedom is not absence from responsibility or accountability either, that is misunderstanding of the term. Childish irresponsibility is similar, but has its roots in parental domination. If you do not take the responsibility, then someone else must, and they are your God, your King, your very master.  Innocence?  Well, it’s a period of development, but always framed by servitude to those that keep one safe.  Life calls us to explore and participate, and that is as a full fledged mature person who possesses the self confidence to deal with what life presents.  There is no right way …there is no winning the game.  There is no power over life.  We live to play, and we play for fun.  Learn to accept and not resist the rules of our being

Visitors on our way somewhere else.