This from Nancy O. tickled me: What does a dyslexic agnostic do when he can't sleep? He lies awake wondering if there is a dog.
After a few days dog-sitting while my son and family were away for Thanksgiving, I love this joke all the more. Their dogs are Bel, Ursa and Luna, all females and all large, loving dogs, each with a distinct personality, and all characters. As I observed them, I was amazed at the tactics they use to get what they want and was struck again by their undisguised greediness.
Domesticated animals are here to serve us. And the unconditional love they offer us is priceless. Their attention, though, is a conundrum. Do they really offer us attention without expectation, or is all their attention based on what they need from us? As human beings, how often do we really offer ourselves or our gifts without expectation or association of some kind?
In this season of gratitude and giving/receiving I ponder again the human condition and how much of what we offer is unconditional. People who give anonymously are rare. An amazing couple at the church we attend is matching charitable gifts, up to $5000 each, and encouraging gifts of at least $100. They announced this a church, and were duly applauded for this generous offer. I am as impressed as anyone, and I do not question their altruism.
At the same time I am reminded of a movie, Magnificent Obsession, that so inspired me years ago. In it, a doctor dies and his wife is visited by a deluge of people who want to tell her how much they owe her husband. He would give them gifts of money and tell them there were two conditions: they could tell no one and they could never repay the money. If they tried, he would tell them he couldn't take it; it was "all used up," and encouraged them to "give to some other poor devil." He payed out the energy and believed in doing so that it was used up in the giving. And it had to be anonymous. This is true altruism. Pay it Forward also explored this principle.
When we give at the U. U. church, because they believe in a budget based on knowing what funds will be available, we are asked to pledge. I understand the dynamics, but I was taken aback when I received a pledge review by mail. Thinking how I could do this differently, I realized I could continue to give anonymously or I could comply with pledging and help the church budget its monies. As long as I choose to attend this church with Mom, I owe them accountability because it is their way. But you can see that I'm not comfortable with it.
By contrast, my home church in Duluth does not ask a pledge. We pay an annual membership fee, the amount determined by our conscience, and an offering is taken each Sunday. What a marvel to me that they are fiscally stable and have managed all of this largely with anonymous contributions and a volunteer board.
The beliefs of a person or a church become their reality. Beliefs manifest in the physical world.
We are alchemists. We create our circumstances. If we believe people must be accountable, and if we operate with a need to be acknowledged, then true altruism is not at work. I believe this is a belief that limits creation.
I realize that I am supporting a core metaphysical principle which is not comfortable for all of us yet. And I believe that when we are able to release accountability, we will have evolved to a place in our creation when we will be tapping the All That Is without restriction. The Flow will be well beyond what we now enjoy. And we are evolving. I believe that each time we make an anonymous contribution, whether that is with money or some other gesture, we expand Consciousness toward our goal of unfettered Flow.
And think how nice and empty the mailbox will be!
Breathing with you,
I am Phyllis, still Becoming
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