To be a Human Being
carries with it specific responsibilities about which there are
no grey areas, for they are either/or
responsibilities. If they are not acknowledged and put into
practise, then one cannot truly claim to be a Human Being in the
full sense of the phrase.
The First responsibility
is to acknowledge the gift of Life for the
wonderful miracle that it is, and to swear an oath to oneself to
nurture and protect it both in oneself and in all things. Life
is precious beyond words, for if Life were to withdraw or remain
unacknowledged, then all things would wither and perish.
The Second
responsibility is to nurture Life within the
family, both as a loving relationship between two
people and a safe environment to bring children into the world
to enjoy the privilege of the gift of Life. Part of this
responsibility is to educate and prepare those children for
their future lives as adults, being aware of the specific
responsibilities of being Human and what that entails. This
ensures the survival of the family and the future of families
that the children as adults will themselves create.
The Third responsibility
is to contribute to the Life of the group to
which you as a Human Being belong. For a group to flourish and
prosper, the members of the group must have its best aims and
purposes at heart and each member should contribute to the best
of his or her ability so that all members of the group can share
in its prosperity. This means being aware of endowing the group
with Life to the best of your ability and being ethical and
enthusiastic about its survival, for without its survival the
family and the Self would suffer. An example of a group can be
defined as the business or organization for whom you work.
The Fourth
responsibility is to acknowledge that each of us is
part of Mankind and just as we approach the idea of endowing
the group with Life and with our contribution to its prosperity
and survival, so should we as a part of the totality of the
Species of Human kind adopt the same responsibility to Mankind.
The Fifth responsibility
is to be aware of the
infinite variety of the Life of the biosphere
which forms our food chain, and the earth which supports it.
Each of us is responsible for the part we play in protecting the
environment and the Life of the biosphere by tailoring our needs
and our actions to the support and the survival of planet earth
and the biosphere. However insignificant this may appear, if
every ‘part’ supported the ‘whole’ then all would be well with
the earth and our use of it, for in every case, the whole is
made up of its parts.
The Sixth responsibility
is to be fully aware of the
fact that we live in a vast universe of matter, energy,
space and time. Without it we
would not be here at all and to be aware of it helps provide us
with a yardstick by which to measure and understand our place in
this physical universe. It also gives us the perspective to make
a comparison between ourselves and the universe at large and to
give us a sense of awe at the magnificence of its Creation.
The Seventh
responsibility is to fully
realize that each of us is a Spiritual Being
and that we are much more than our physical body. It is the
dimension of the spirit, art, beauty, harmony, creation and
creative ideas. Religious thought and philosophy all come under
this heading. It is the impulse and desire to exist through
those spiritual and artistic concepts. It is those spiritual
concepts and conditions that enrich the human condition with
its dignity and its nobility.
The Eighth
responsibility is to be aware
of existence through a Supreme Being
who is the Life of the universe and all therein. The Supreme
Being has many labels and it is up to each Being to see this in
their own unique way, whether it be God, the Absolute or any
other name by which they understand the concept. The dimension
of the Supreme Being encapsulates the All and Everything and
closes the circle between the individual Spiritual Being as the
Part, unified in the
Supreme Being as the
Whole.
It must however, begin
with the acknowledgement to Self, of the miracle of the gift of
Life and to be aware of the responsibility that this entails.
Only then can a Being fully comprehend the divinity of
Life and experience it in its entirety and superabundance.
T.J.Mitchell
09.03.2008
==================================================================
THE UNIFIED WHOLE
Time proceeds eternally,
As an immense tapestry,
And in its wake,
Lies the chronicle of events,
Into which is inextricably woven,
Each Being's life,
Intertwined with a multitude of threads,
Which bear witness, to their contribution,
And the richness of the cloth of Time.
No life moves through Time,
Lest it is a thread within the cosmic record,
Indelibly interlaced into the incredible variety,
Of the warp and woof of Time and Life.
Each Being a disparate part,
Of this timeless Tapestry,
Reaching for its place in the Unified Whole,
And the Infinite Life beyond Time.
T.J.Mitchell
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