COMMON SENSE

 

MAINTAINING COMMON SENSE IN TIMES OF CRISIS

On December 23^rd, 1776, Thomas Paine, an English immigrant who had barely survived the voyage across the Atlantic two years earlier, published an article in the periodical “Common Sense”. That article was titled “The Crisis”. The first sentence of that article reads: “THESE are the times that try men’s souls.” Two hundred and forty-five years later, we are again in a crisis that threatens the very existence of freedom in this nation and around the entire world; and that sentence is arguably more appropriate and meaningful today than ever before. And NO, the fact that he said, “men’s souls” does not make him a “sexist”! He clearly meant all human beings when he used the term men, even though in those days it was mostly the male members of our species who fought to their death, if necessary, to defend freedom, their country, their families, and their friends.

As I repeat that sentence, “THESE are the times that try men’s souls,” with emphasis on its relevance today, by “men” I definitely mean both men and women. As for “other sexes”, GROW UP! THERE AREN’T ANY OTHER SEXES! There are, of course, degrees of masculinity and femineity, but God did not create Adam and Eve and a bunch of confused “other” people! We did that for ourselves. We should love one another, regardless of sexual orientation, but we should never attempt to play God. Whether you believe in God, a higher intelligence, or Nature, makes no difference. It’s pretty obvious that we are still a work in progress, but a work with meaning and purpose, a work that will prevail. If you don’t believe this, then you are truly lost, at least until you wake up.

These certainly are times that try our souls, with evil seeming to gain the upper hand, causing very exquisite pain, suffering, and death. But we have survived extremely horrible times before, and we will survive again, because the same dynamics are still at work, and that which is true and good will prevail. While it is true that history tends to repeat itself, the details of the pain and suffering are always unique and very personal. So, what is required of us? Answer: Rediscover the spark of Divinity that exists in your heart of hearts, and do not despair. Specifically, I recommend working to realize and maintain the following state of mind:

1)      Realize that the positive creative force that creates and maintains the stable universe still exists in every quantum of reality. Whether you choose to believe it or not, there is proof that it does.

2)      As an immortal soul inhabiting a human body, you have free will to believe what you want, but you also have the intelligence to think, prove, and accept what is true and reject what is false.

3)      Focus on that which is positive, good, and true: Love, peace, joy, and happy endings, while avoiding fearing and thinking of disaster because you will attract that upon which you focus.

 

Always remember, especially at this time of year, that the Kingdom of Heaven is within. The outer world is there for no other reason than to challenge you to grow spiritually. There is no evil that cannot be overcome and vanquished by Good, and it’s up to each of us to overcome the evil within our own hearts and to endeavor to awaken the infinity of Love in each and every heart.

 

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Enjoy the Season, whatever you may choose to call it.

 

ERC 12-21-2021