🔊 Listen to The Convocationism Bible

To Start Your Journey

Herein is contained a user manual for the human experience. Wherein we explore the most basic motivators that drive us, in an attempt to gain an understanding of ourselves that allows us to live a happy, purposeful, and meaningful life.

The challenge to you is the most fundamental of our existence: To gain wisdom and an understanding of yourself beyond the superficial. Then transform yourself into the epitome of what you can become.

This challenge is daunting. We will be compelled at many points along this path to think that we have “achieved” our goal. But the path is much like climbing a mountain of shale. As soon as you stop climbing, you begin sliding back.

But do not become distressed. For each step achieved has the opportunity to improve our lives immensely.

So trudge on. Rest when needed and don’t despair. A better life than you know is waiting for you and could be only a step away.

Basic Human Needs

Those basic needs are:

1. We need to struggle against something.
2. We need to make sense of/Understand the things we perceive, and we need to have a sense of control over the things in our lives.
3. We need a social structure that we belong to.
4. We need to have a goal to work towards.
5. We need to have a sense of reciprocity in our actions.
6. We Need to Maintain a Set of Actions That Affords Growth in Each of the Three Major Areas of our Human Existence. Mental, Physical and Spiritual.
7. We need to strive for balance in action, thought and emotion.
8. We need to have a job that benefits us and the society we live in.

How To Make a Life Full of Meaning and Purpose

Having a life that is full of meaning and purpose isn’t something that “just happens”. It comes about by our actions in fulfilling some of our basic needs, not from forces external.

But what needs do we focus on? Herein lies the problem. Unless we identify what our most basic needs are, we won’t be able to address them. So let’s take a look at some of the most basic needs we have:

We Need To Struggle Against Something

If we take a look at our lives, we find that it is permeated with the struggle against various things. Our parents, the law, societal norms, our present position in our social circles to name just a few.

There are many, many more examples, but if we take an honest look at it, we find that even when our life is going well, we take deep pleasure in working to overcome something. We see this in work, in the struggle to overcome a challenge. In sports, in the struggle for our team to overcome the other. We see this in shopping, in the search for the lowest price for the product we want.

In the realization of this manifestation in ourselves, we may be tempted to revel in unbridled acts of rebellion. But if we do, we find that the misguided acts of rebellion lead not to meaning and purpose, but only to alienating us from some of our other basic needs. Thereby destroying any purpose and meaning we are trying to create in our lives.

It is only through wisely guiding this basic need into useful and constructive endeavors when we have a chance to generate purposeful and meaningful lives.

Some may find an outlet in our jobs, by overcoming projects presented to us. Some may find an outlet in playing sports, or in creating art, or in helping others.

As long as we find a useful and constructive outlet for our need to strive against something, it will not build inside us until it lashes out at the most inappropriate times and ways.

I see this as the natural progression from some very basic and, slightly, later evolved circumstances.

First, biological evolution. The need to accumulate resources to survive. It is the biological motivator that can lead to greed when out of balance. From single celled organisms forming the first Markov Blankets, to the formation of the first multi-celled organisms, to the evolution of human kind, to the formation of tribes, cities and eventually nations. Everything we experience in life has shown us that our survival depends on, and our life gets better with learning to work together rather than being concerned with ourselves above all else. That is to say, with the evolution of our thinking away from biological selfishness into societal unselfishness.

This change cannot progress quickly. To try and switch too fast from our present society which teaches and rewards selfish thinking and actions, to a society that teaches and rewards societal unselfishness, is the best way to make sure it will fail. Personal selfishness is ingrained into our society and people. Without slowly changing the mindset of each and every person in the society, the selfish will overrun, take advantage of, and destroy the society we are trying to build.

Second, the extension of this need to accumulate resources into our evolved societies. The name of the game when we started evolving was simply to gain enough resources to survive.

As our societies got more and more advanced, it allowed the specialization of individuals to which allowed for every increasingly more complex items and tools in our lives. Cars, phones, satellite communication… all of this is only achievable through large enough societies allowing people to specialize in what they know.

This specialization of individuals comes with a down side. I don’t know how to hunt for food, build my house, build my car, build my phone and the network it runs on, build a power plant to power my home or build a sewage system to enable the “modern” amenities I enjoy.

For these reasons, society has become just as important as finding resources to survive. Therefore, our relation to society is reflected in our biology just as strongly as our need for food. When our need for food is not met, our physical and mental health is effected. When our relation to our society is out of “optimal grip”, our physical and mental health is effected. Getting food and keeping our relation to our society are of equal importance. Fortunately, larger societies make getting food a lot easier than if we were on our own.

Third, the need to conserve resources. As we evolved, our existence was a balance between expending resources to find more resources, and conserving enough resources to survive long enough to gain more resources. As and example, we hunted for food, but we needed food to have the energy to hunt for food. When our resources got low, we hunted for more food.

As we evolved, it was uncertain where our next meal was coming from. The larger our societies got, we had to worry less and less about it. We just went to the grocery store, as long as our usefulness to the society was great enough to enable us to earn enough money to buy the food.

So, our whole existence has shown us two things, whether we realize it or not:

One. We need to struggle to survive. We evolved in an adversarial environment. It only makes sense that this struggle would be part of our makeup. The key is to wisely guide this basic need into useful and constructive endeavors so we have a chance to generate purposeful and meaningful lives.

Two. We need to work together. This is a difficult one to incorporate into our thoughts and actions, simply because it seemingly goes against the first thing we were taught. Struggle to survive. But our struggle needs to evolve with our societal growth. As we once learned the personal responsibilities of keeping ourselves alive and healthy, we need to now learn the societal responsibilities to keep our societies alive and healthy.

We Need to Make Sense of/Understand the Things We Perceive

And We Need to To Have a sense of Control Over the Things in Our Lives

We mow our lawns. We fold our clothes and put them away. We tidy up the house. We organize our things. We make plans. We draw conclusions about why people did something. We form ideas about what causes things that we encounter. We seek to fill our gaps in knowledge with stories or suppositions that we are satisfied with at least most of the time, if not given too much thought.

The simple fact is that we need to have a sense of control over and understanding of the things in our lives. It is one of the reasons we like the scientific method so much. It explains things in a way that we can understand and leads us to a points where we can form ideas on how to control what we think we understand.

If we search our lives, we can find innumerable examples of these two needs. But the question is “How do I channel these needs in constructive ways?”

Albert Camus said “…they deify what crushes them and find reason to hope in what impoverishes them “

In our gaps of knowledge and control, our need manifests as our best educated guess. Sometimes good. Sometimes not so much. And the wider the gap in our understanding and control to what we experience, the more exaggerated and incomprehensible our explanations tend to be. The question that needs answered then becomes “How do I channel these needs in constructive ways and avoid the pitfalls of adhering to outlandish ideas or concepts?”

Fortunately, there is one very simple way that will give benefits far beyond just these two needs.

LEARN

Learn everything you can. Find one thing in your life that you are interested in and learn all you can about it. When you get to the point where you think you have learned all there is to know about it, then you know that you have just begun your journey. Because only a fool thinks he knows everything.

Learn everything you can. Read everything you can. Talk to your friends about the things you have learned. Enjoy it. Revel in it. The more you learn, the better your life can be.

We Need a Social Structure That We Belong To

Like it or not, we are social creatures. Whether we embrace it and join every club we stumble across, or we strive against it and take pride in standing as the social outcast. We need a social structure that we belong to, no matter what role we play. Constructive or destructive.

The key to fulfilling this need of ours constructively is find a social group that we can get along with. A chess club, a band, the local car club, a book club… knitting, bike riding, movies, comics, role playing games, card games. There are endless opportunities to meet, face to face, with others that share the same interests. The key is to meet in person. To see another person’s face and interact in a manner that allows for reading of facial ques, body language. Online or over the phone just won’t cut it for long. And the whole purpose is to help generate purpose and meaning in our lives. Only prolonged, in person friendships accomplishes this. Everything else falls short to varying degrees.

One of the best ways to fill this need is to find a Convocationism group in your area. Meet with them. Go to their weekly services. Discuss the meditations laid out in the Convocational Bible. There you will meet people with the same goal in mind as you.

We Need to Have a Goal to Work Towards

If we take a look at our lives, we find that we are happiest when we are working towards a goal that we feel will be useful. Not in achieving a goal, but in working towards a goal. Think about it. The first thing we do when we achieve something is choose another goal to work on. Achieving a goal gives us joy, but it is in the working towards a goal that gives us happiness. Joy is fleeting, happiness lasts.

Even if fulfilling this need of ours seems daunting, it tuns out to be pretty simple. Pick something that interests you and work toward it. Painting. Politics. Helping others. Starting a business. Planting a garden. Reading a book. Writing a book. Organizing a local social event. Going to see a movie that will come out soon.

The point is that it can be anything you want to do, or have to do, but make it a goal. Make it something that you have planned and are going to attend to. Put some time into planning it. Put some effort into it. A goal is something you are going to accomplish. As adults, most of the time it is going to be something you have to do, but sometimes it is going to be something you want to do. It doesn’t matter which. It only matters that you make it a goal and put some effort into making sure it turns out the best it can.

We Need to Have a Sense of Reciprocity in Our Interactions

How many of us know that one guy who only takes? The person you are always doing things for but they never do, or almost never do anything in return?

We need a sense of give and take in our dealings with other people. More so, we need to feel that we get in return enough to justify the effort we put into something. Work. Friendships. Our vehicles. Anything we devote our time to needs to give us a sense of “It is worth it.”

Nothing in life is going to be a 50/50 split. But continually putting effort into things that don’t give us a sense of reciprocity is one of the quickest ways to foster resentment and discontent in our lives.

Give where you can, but learn when to cut things off.

We Need to Maintain a Set of Actions That Affords Growth in Each of the Three Major Areas of our Human Existence. Mental, Physical and Spiritual.

At different times in our life we focus on, or see the importance in, the different aspects of our existence. At times we  focus on our health, physical or mental. At times we focus on the more existential, or spiritual. Though most of the time, for most of the people, they focus on none.

If we do not have a set of practices that is focused on each part of what we need, then it will not be fulfilled. And a need unfulfilled is ample breeding ground for discontent. The internal discontent that drives us, usually subconsciously, to do or say things that cause turmoil in our lives.

But, if we develop a set of actions that addresses each of these areas, and stick to those actions, then we have a chance of living a life that is much better than if we don’t.

Mental – Read. Play games where you can use your mind. Contemplate on and discuss the Convocational meditations with your friends. Make constructive goals in your life. Think. There should be very few times in an adults life when they are not thinking about something.

Physical – The human body likes to move. Unfortunately, as we get older we become more sedentary. We get tired. We have aches and pains. We don’t feel like it. There are a million reasons we can come up with to not move. But the fact of the matter is that the more we don’t move, the worse it feels. The human body is meant to move. It improves so many aspects of our functionality and also improves our mental health. So go for a walk. Do some push-ups. Do leg lifts in your chair. Anything you can, just move. Your body, your mind and your outlook on life will thank you for it.

We Need to Strive for Balance in Action, Thought and Emotion

In life, there are many things which push us from balance. The other cars on the road that cut us off. The flat tire. The kids being difficult. The in-laws causing a ruckus. The neighbors playing their music too loud. The person at work that eats your lunch. Or the day that was supposed to be bright and shining that turns out to be cold and rainy.

Everything that happens in our lives pushes us to differing degrees of extremes. Some small deviations from balance, others much more. But as we notice our thoughts, actions or emotions going to extremes, we need to reel them back in.

And Balance does not mean a median point. Each person has a natural tendency, so the balance can be in a different spot depending on the person. Some of us are more in touch with our emotions. Our balance point will be different than others. But our goal should be not to let it get to an extreme. Some of us are more intellectual than others. Our balance point may not match others, but our goal should be to not let ourselves be overcome by a sense of superiority towards others. Some of us are more physical than others. Our balance point may not match others, but our goal should be to not let our physical prowess cause us to look down on others who haven’t worked for that end.

This is not to say that we cannot have times of great joy. My balance point for eating a peanut butter sandwich is not going to be the same as when my team wins the championships. Enjoy the good times. Endure the bad times. Just don’t let yourself get unjustifiably too far from balance.

The key for everyone, even though our balance points will differ, is to watch out for extremes in our thoughts, actions and emotions. When we see ourselves going to unjustified extremes, we need to reel ourselves back in.

We Need to Have a Job That Benefits Us and the Society we Live in

We are social creatures, and we need to do something “worth while” with our time. We need to feel useful. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to have a job that benefits us and the society we live in.

Weather that is working for someone else, or owning our own business. Weather we shine shoes or build space vehicles, sell ice cream or cure cancer. If we want to build a life that has purpose and meaning, then we need to have a job that benefits us and the society we live in.

Morals to Strive for:

Individual Morals:

Wisdom

Moderation

Courage

Justice

As we develop these morals in ourselves, they will then be present in our society and our leaders. We should never accept leaders that do not continually demonstrate these morals personally.

The Hidden Questions

There are quite a few questions we ask in this life, a few being:

What does it all mean?

What happens after death? Is this life all there is?

How can I be happier in my life?

…or for a great many of us there is a persistent sense of something being wrong, something we are missing, deep in our gut that drives us to do more, achieve more, be more.

Let’s take a look at each of these…

“What is the Meaning of Life?”

Here is where most people will launch into some articulation of what a belief system taught them early in life. Some sort of “Be the best person you can be.” Or “Learn to love more.” Or maybe even “Learn to let go.”

No matter what people say, they will know deep inside that that the real answer is that they don’t know. To a man, from fifteen to a hundred and fifteen, no one knows for sure. Each of them spends their time running about with one goal or another in mind. All find out that what they have chased over the years has come up wanting. Leaving them with the same question: “Is this all there is?”

The simple answer is “No. There is more.” Many people can find various comforting thoughts near the end of their life. They look back at their lives and feel consoled that they have “Had a good life.” or “Have loved and been loved in return.” Both in romance and family. While these are good things, it does not change the fact that they have spent their lives trying to figure it out. Trying to navigate through life with no real idea of if they are doing things right.

The fact of the matter is that each of us is trying to figure out how to live a happy, purposeful and fulfilling life. But this life does not come with a users manual. There is nothing that gives us a hint at how to achieve what all of us crave. Worse, some people have figured out part of the equation and pronounce their accomplishment as if it is all you need.

We are thrown into this world knowing nothing. We are then taught by people who have no idea about what they are doing. Then we are let loose to find out own way. All the while, we have others yelling from the rooftops that they have the answer, but we find out the hard way that their way leaves us wanting more.

What is the solution then? How do we live a life that is full of meaning and purpose and which gives us the best chance of having more happy times than bad ones?

The answer is easier than you might think. As humans there are some basic needs that we all have, and which affect almost every aspect of our lives. When we address those needs, everything else can then turn out better.

Those basic needs are:

• We need to struggle against something.
• We need to make sense of/Understand the things we perceive, and we need to have a sense of control over the things in our lives.
• We need a social structure that we belong to.
• We need to have a goal to work towards.
• We need to have a sense of reciprocity in our actions.
• We Need to Maintain a Set of Actions That Affords Growth in Each of the Three Major Areas of our Human Existence. Mental, Physical and Spiritual.
• We need to strive for balance in action, thought and emotion.
• We need to have a job that benefits us and the society we live in.

When we learn to address these needs in everything we do, then we find that by simply addressing these basic human needs, our lives transform into a life that is full of happiness, purpose and meaning.

It sounds easy, but these are only the most basic needs we all have as humans. There is a lot more to life than just this, but these are the things we should keep in mind always and learn to apply them wisely, without hurting others in the process.

What Happens After Death?/Is This All There Is?

Simple answer? No one knows.

Many will tell you they know. Many will offer up, or insist, that you should believe one thing or another. Usually with the unstated stipulation that you have no power and everything will be fine if you just (blindly) follow what they offer.

Some people will believe that this life is all there is. While others will believe that there is some part of them which carries on after their body dies.

I have listened to a multitude of differing ideas and beliefs, and more arguments for either one than I care to admit.

The one thing I have come to realize is that no one knows, no matter how profusely they tell you otherwise.

I don’t think it matters though. I need to believe that my soul carries on after I die, so I do. With all the other dichotomies of belief and thought that make up my psyche, willfully holding this “leap of faith” to satiate a need inside me is not going to bring down this house of cards I have built. The only thing that may cause a problem is when I start looking for someone to “save” me. When I transition from a perspective of continual growth (which has no limit), to a perspective of looking for something more powerful than I am to “save” me, then I inevitably go against the basic needs I have as a human. And that is a path that leads to a life that is not full of happiness, purpose and meaning.

Is slavery not slavery because the slave is taken good care of? In the light of our most basic needs listed earlier, then I would say yes it is still slavery. Because it goes against the most basic needs inside myself that I need to address.

If you want to know my beliefs, read the story portion at the end of this book. If you find it helps you, feel free to adopt it.

Basically, believe what you need to believe, and understand why you need to believe it. Then go about your life with that belief as long as you are not hurting yourself or others. And always keep in mind that you can change your belief at any time as you learn and understand more. No belief should be set in stone, denying the light of better understanding.

How Can I Be Happier In Life?

With the myriad of self help programs and gurus in the world, you would think that there would be more happiness. The fact of the matter is that there are a bunch of people that have figured out part of what goes into you making your life happy, meaningful and purposeful. But no one has the full answer.

Part of that is because everyone’s life is different. We have different temperaments, experiences, upbringings, values and expectations upon us to list a few things. The answer though, is to see the threads that are common to all humans and which affect every aspect of all of our lives, no matter how different those aspects may be.

Those basic needs are:

We need to struggle against something.

We need to make sense of/Understand the things we perceive, and we need to have a sense of control over the things in our lives.

We need a social structure that we belong to.

We need to have a goal to work towards.

We need to have a sense of reciprocity in our actions.

We Need to Maintain a Set of Actions That Affords Growth in Each of the Three Major Areas of our Human Existence. Mental, Physical and Spiritual.

We need to strive for balance in action, thought and emotion.

We need to have a job that benefits us and the society we live in.

Learn to address these in everything we do, and you will be able to make a life that is happier and full of purpose and meaning.

We Must Awaken from Our Slumber

Conscious Thought

What is it that we possess that differentiates man as the pinnacle of evolution that we all like to think we are? Is it simply the possession of an opposable thumb? Our standing upright? Our ability to use tools? Or is it the possession of some imperceptible quality that only uses this body as a tool to interact with this world but carries on after this body dies? An energy, a soul, that adheres to the first law of thermodynamics as an energy that cannot be destroyed.

Let’s think about it for a bit…

Take a look at our actions, at what we do. Not in the sense of what we decide to spend our time on, but in the multitude of subconscious and unconscious actions our body and minds take. Lift your arm out in front of you. Now, did you do that? Was it your conscious mind that raised your arm? Most would answer yes, but that is not the case. If it was then you could state exactly which muscles you decided to activate and at what percentage of muscles fibers, to start, maintain and stop the movement of the arm. If it was your conscious self, then you could state the exact saline levels you decided were needed in each cell along the nerve pathways needed to convey the signal to each muscle fiber you used to raise your arm. You would also be able to state the exact voltage levels of those signals and the time between the initiation of the thought and the activation of the separate muscle fibers.

No. It is not your conscious mind that moved your arm, it is your conscious mind that initiated the movement. Like a general on a battle field your conscious mind “gave the order” to raise your arm. Then the lieutenants went about carrying out that order. Who or what are the lieutenants? Those are the subconscious and unconscious processes in your mind. Those lieutenants then inform the enlisted on what to do. The enlisted are the cells that do the actual work.

Why is it done this way? To conserve resources. Our bodies evolved in an environment in which the uncertainty of when and from where our next meal would come was prevalent. So, those organisms that did not optimize resource conservation did not survive. What was our method of resource conservation? It was through the use of unconscious and subconscious processes in the mind, because our greatest asset is also a resource hog. An estimated twenty to twenty five percent of the resources our bodies use during the day is by the brain. So utilizing as little as we can get away with is a huge way to conserve resources. These subconscious and unconscious processes analyse fewer variables than does our conscious thought, so, fewer resources.

But, the down side is that we may miss the sensory inputs that could potentially save our lives. Take the example of walking to the well to get water. We do it day after day. Time and time again. Our bodies are always looking to conserve resources, so, as soon as our senses start receiving common inputs for actions we are doing, our bodies initiate the chemical responses that we feel as “boredom.” This feeling is a catalyst for our mind to not spend so many resources on an action. To conserve that which is vital to our survival. Our conscious mind then “wanders” or waits. (like driving home and realizing you don’t remember most of your journey.) In our example of getting water from the well, the act of walking to the well has become subconscious due to the repetitive sensory inputs. Our conscious mind goes into standby mode or moves on to another topic and we fail to see the lion hiding in the bushes as we walk by. The lion jumps out at us. The sensory input is no longer repetitive and our conscious mind kicks into full gear. Raising our adrenaline levels to be able to respond to a threat. Widening our eyes to be able to perceive the threat. Increasing the utilization of more of our physical mind, and time seems to slow down as we scan our senses for the threat. Our subconscious processes receive the signal of increased adrenaline and take defensive measures. We stop walking. We jump back. Our muscles tighten up, ready for fight or flight. As soon as the threat is identified, our subconscious processes get to work, fight or flight depending on the individual and the situation. As this is happening, our conscious mind is busy processing the inputs from our senses and from the subconscious and unconscious processes to find a way to improve our situation and survive the threat of the lion jumping out at us.

It is all a well oiled machine. Our conscious mind is the general. Our subconscious and unconscious processes are the lieutenants and our cells and organs are the infantry men. Nothing else is really needed.

But, what about our soul? What about the belief that there is something ineffable about being human that carries on after the body dies? That is not so easily explained. That requires the compilation of desperate “facts” we have observed about the world. The kind of facts that don’t lend themselves readily to scientific scrutiny. Like the hair raising on the back of your neck when you sense and unseen danger. The times when you feel so connected to someone that you can sense what they are thinking. The times you see something out of the corner of your eye. The near death experiences. The spiritual experiences reported by so many. Remote viewing. Mind reading. Ghosts. Magic.

There are far too many things that have been experienced and we cannot fully explain to just dismiss them out of hand. But, there isn’t a logical sequence of known events to be able to explain them scientifically. Unless we close our minds to certain possibilities. And a closed mind is like walking to get water from the well with a subconscious process. We may miss the lion waiting in the bushes.

We are beings of habit

Take a look at the things you do in your life. The things most of us gravitate toward as we get older. Almost without fail, our lives become consumed by habit. We develop a certain set of actions that we “like” to do. And we do them repetitively. Playing computer games. Reading. Working in our gardens or yards. Driving RC cars. Golfing. Boating. Working. Projects that we take on. People we interact with. The things we do tend to become repetitive. This is not just coincidence, it is by design. It is a natural progression of the influence of our subconscious and unconscious processes influencing us through “feelings” to desire the “comfortable”, known, safe and resource conserving actions in our life. These feelings lull us into not engaging our conscious mind, to not give it much thought.

This lack of conscious thought in our actions throughout the day may be good at conserving resources, but it does have a down side. A lion waiting in the bushes. We can all relate to doing something without really thinking, only to find that the action puts us in conflict with those around us. Speeding a bit as we drive because we are wrapped up in our thoughts of being late for work, or what we are going to the store for, or what we have planned later in the day. Wrapped up in ourselves, we are not aware of the way our actions are affecting those around us as we dart in and out of traffic to accomplish our goals in a time frame that seems shorter. Or the myriad of other times in our lives when we are concerned only with what we desire and don’t give much thought to those around us, or how our actions will affect them. If we are honest with ourselves, we can come up with a huge list of examples over our lifetime.

Then, one day, we realize that we need a bit more “excitement” in our lives. Because one of our basic needs as humans is to strive against something. A quality a repetitive, calm, peaceful life does not provide. How did we get here? What was it that caused this malady, this deviation from normalcy, this deviation from homeostasis?

It was a lack of conscious thought and an unbalanced reliance on subconscious and unconscious action. That is why the idioms of “being mindful in our lives” or “mindfulness” are concepts that catch our attention. Because they relate to our unconscious realization of being out of balance in thought and action. Or, because they are saying that are so vague and seemingly just outside our present comprehension that we attribute a quality of “profoundness” to them.

To any extent, we allow our balance between unconscious thought, subconscious thought and conscious thought to falter, and we experience a deviation from homeostasis (a feeling, need or yearning) and are driven to make a change. Though, without conscious thought, there is a good chance that change will not be in our best interest and will only temporarily satiate what caused the need in the first place. We have all seen people that make “bad” decisions in their lives. We sit back and wonder how some people can be so “stupid”. Yet, we fail to see that every one of us does the exact same thing to different extents and in different parts of our lives. We are all beings that have developed “tools” to deal with life according to what we have been taught, what we experience, our social influences and what we have gleaned from our own examinations. These “tools” are the way we think we should act. They are what we value. They are the way we feel and the way we deal with those feelings. They have become so ingrained in us, so much a subconscious or unconscious process, that when we see others not adhering to them we think “That person doesn’t have much common sense.” When what we should see is “That person has not had the experiences or teachings to be able to develop the tools I have been able to develop.” We are beings of habit, the extent of which few rarely see and fewer remember once they see it.

Free Will

What does all of this say about free will? Reading all of this about subconscious and unconscious processes in our mind being all that we tend to use throughout the majority of our day probably has you thinking pretty negatively about the existence of free will. A notion that usually is so revolting to us to be disbelieved out of hand.

But if we take a look at the idea of free will, we find that there are almost as many definitions of free will as there are people who think they have it.

There is the idea that we can do anything we want. There is the idea that we can choose anything we want. There is the idea that we can choose something other than what we would normally do. And there are a myriad of deviations from these, but pertaining to the same “basic” idea. The idea that we are not bound and can choose any path that is possible.

Yet, is that the case? We are so deeply and vehemently opposed to the idea of not having free will, yet, when we get past our instinctual rejection of the idea and start to examine it, we find that we are at the whim of so many influences in thought and action as to make the possibility of free will a fallacy.

Those influences, I think, are the key to what free will is. In the context of what we have previously discussed and the subtle, unconscious influences that affect everything we do, my definition of free will is formed. I define free will as being able to see the things that influence our thoughts, feelings and actions and being able to choose something different than the direction those influences are guiding us. The dictionary definition of free will is “The power of acting without the constraint of necessity or fate; the ability to act at one’s own discretion.”

The key here is “being able to see the things that influence us.” Without that we are acting in a manner no better than the instinctual reactions usually attributed to animals. And, if we are truthful, humans spend a great deal of time acting in a manner that is no better than the instinctual animal. Every time we fail to give conscious though, every time we fail to figure out all of the things that are influencing our actions, and just “go with our gut”, we are acting instinctively. Without the use of our greatest strength which has allowed us to evolve to the point we have.

This behavior worked well for us over history. But our civilizations have grown to a point where it is no longer an asset, it is a hindrance. Take a look around you. How much turmoil can you find in your society that is caused by “the seven deadly sins” laid out by so many religions in various ways. All of them describe not only people thinking of only themselves, but people acting off of subconscious and unconscious processes. People failing to use their conscious mind to figure out all of the things that are motivating their actions. People running off of instinct.

Now, I agree. That is an exaggeration. People do think. We think all the time. The point I am making is that the thought put into something is not only the minimal we deem needed to come up with a course of action that we are satisfied with most of the time. But also that the ideas we come up with lack much insight into the full range of things motivating us in a direction. That is why stereotypes are so effective. “Types” of people act in “certain” ways according to their “common motivations”. They do that repeatedly because they don’t understand or know the things motivating them. So they just keep doing the same things again and again. Hence, stereotypes are good indicators for a person’s actions in a lot of cases.

So, How do We Awaken from Our Slumber?

How to break free from this cycle of subconscious and unconscious influences is the question. How do we escape the cycle of instinctual, animalistic thought and action to claim the power that has facilitated our large societal growth? How do we harness the power that has improved our lives so much?

Time and practice.

It is that simple. Though, it is not easy. We have to develop the habit of honest self reflection on the things that motivate what we think, what we feel and what we do. We have to develop the habit of consideration before we take an action. We have to develop a habit of learning everything we can so we can increase the options we have when deciding what actions to take. And we have to develop the habit of listening to others in an attempt to gain new perspectives, new ways of thinking about the things and situations we experience in life.

These are not things that can achieved in days, weeks, or even years. These are things that cannot be achieved at all. Though, they can be developed. These skills will never be foolproof. They will never work perfectly. There are too many variables, too many differences in each situation. Too many ways to look at a situation and too many differences in people to be able to find a “perfect” solution to what we should do, think or say.

But we are not trying to outline a path to being perfect are we? We are trying to outline a path to achieving a happy, fulfilling, purposeful and meaningful life. We are trying to express what actions we need to take to sidestep some of the most common pitfalls. We are trying to teach you how to awaken from your slumber and live a life that is better than anything you have imagined before.

Practice. Learn. Think. Question everything. We may not achieve perfection, but our lives will become so good that you will think you have.

A Persistent Sense of Something Being Wrong, Something We are Missing, Deep in Our Gut That Drives Us To Do More, Achieve More, be More.

There is an unease in your gut because you are not living life correctly.

It is that simple.

What exactly is causing it? Only you can answer that. But to do so, you need to foster a practice of honestly taking a look inside you to find out what is motivating you. If you lie to yourself, then you have no chance of correcting it, because you will never know what it is.

This is not always an easy task, but it is a skill. Any skill can be learned. And the more you do it, the easier it becomes.

How do you admit those things inside you that you fear, or shy away from? You do it. You put your feelings aside long enough to get it done. What choice do you have? Unfortunately, the only options are to face the things inside of you and change your actions and thoughts to address the issue, or live your life not only suffering from that which intimidates you but also with the fear of facing it.

This is not easy. It is often only accomplished after the prerequisite period of denial and kicking and screaming. But the more we do it, the easier it becomes. And we invariably find that the rewards are always worth the process.

Ecology of Practices

Understanding does not just materialize out of thin air. Take a look at your life and the things you understand. How did you come to understand them? Honest evaluation will show that no matter what it is that you are thinking of, you came to that understanding a learning process. Be it school, personal experience, or from your social group. In any case, you learned it by doing something and analyzing the results.

It is the same with anything we want to understand. That understanding only comes about by doing something. Some things are easy, like when your parents told you not to put your hand on a hot stove. Some, take much more time and effort. Like those who put years into school to understand particle physics.

Here, we are concerned with what practices should we adopt and cultivate in our lives that will lead to a better understanding of ourselves. Which will allow us to create an unshakable foundation of self which will carry us through rough times.

To this end, we have identified a few areas in which we need to focus our efforts:

Fostering Social Needs.

Fostering Physical Needs.

Fostering Mental Needs.

Fostering Spiritual Needs.

Morality.

As in all things, we need to approach each of the areas listed above with balance. Not midpoint, balance. A balance unique to each individual and each situation.

For instance, if I were a  scientist, my balance would lean more toward Mental growth. If I were a preschool teacher, my balance would lean more toward Social growth. And if I were an artist, my balance would lean more toward Emotional growth. (Each instance may not be entirely accurate, but you get the idea.)

If I strive for equal amounts of everything in my life then I miss the point. I will then be ignoring factors such as What I am good at. What I want to work on next in my life. What is actually needed in my life. We can’t effectively work on everything at once, so we do our best to address all these areas, but focus more effort on one or two.

Fostering Social Needs

We are social creatures. That is part of the human condition. We can embrace it by finding some friends that we can relate to, or by being part of a social organization. The ways we meet our social needs can vary, but the fact that we need a social group is indisputable. We can let our need to strive against something impede upon this aspect of our lives, but doing so is only to our detriment.

To this end, there are a few things that we need to focus on:

In Person Social Contact.

Reciprocity.

Balancing our innate selfishness with the societal need for unselfishness.

First, let’s look at In person social contact

There is a difference between in person social contact, and not in person social contact.

When we meet someone in person, there are a myriad of social ques that we can’t get any other way. Body language, voice inflection, facial expressions, familiarity with physical features, to name a few. All of these combine to help create a social bond fills a need inside us as humans.

This is why we gather at least once a week with other Convocationists. There is no substitute for regular, in person contact with a social group with which you have something in common. On line or any other means of contact does not fill this human need in the long run.

Isolation is a punishment in prison. Isolation is a huge concern for astronauts. Isolation is a concern in big cities and rural communities and isolation rears it’s ugly head when we get older. In every aspect of life it is apparent that, as a human, we need human contact. And that contact needs to be in person.

Next, let’s look at Reciprocity

We need to strive for reciprocity for us AND the people we interact with.

Watch children playing. If a larger child always wins over a smaller child, the smaller child will end up stopping playing with the larger child. But if the larger child lets the smaller child win sometimes, then everyone will be happy. We need to do our best, but in everyday affairs, people need to win sometimes. In organized competitions, the best needs to win. Balance in everyday affairs, Excel when appropriate.

So what does reciprocity look like in life? How do we find a balance?

Give more than you take, but don’t always give much more than you get. If your coworkers buy snacks and allow anyone to partake, then make sure and add a little more than what you take. If you are playing a game with a friend, then don’t always leave them with no hope of winning. If someone stops to help you on the side of the road with a flat tire, make sure and compensate them for their time and effort, even if all you can do is express gratitude for their effort.

Let people know how much you value what they give, and give back, at the very least, as much as you get.

Moderation. Always giving much more than you get leads to being discontent. Sometimes is fine, but don’t make it a habit. Likewise, don’t allow others to always give to you much more than you give to them. Whether giving or receiving, there needs to be a sense of reciprocity, of being close to balanced.

Next, let’s look at Balancing our innate selfishness with the societal need for unselfishness:

What is selfishness? …it is looking out for ourselves. More importantly, it only becomes a problem when we do this more than we put our society above ourselves.

At this point a person’s hackles raise and their minds are flooded with thoughts defending the need to look out for ourselves. People are trained by almost every aspect of our society to look out for ourselves. “Because no one else is going to.” And to a large extent, this is true in our society presently. That is what we need to change.

Look around you. I challenge you to find one thing in your life that is not a product of being part of a large society. Look at the chair you sit in. The clothes you wear. The medium you are reading this on. The electricity that lights your days and nights. The roads you drive on. The buildings you frequent. The car you drive. And on, and on and on.

Being part of a society gives you so much. What is it that you give back? Countless people over the ages have worked to make the society you live in better for you. What responsibility do you have because you want to reap the rewards? What social responsibilities do you have? What personal responsibilities do you have? Have you ever given this any thought?

Selfishness is what helped life evolve. But everything about our existence since that point has shown us that working together has more benefits than not. Cells are a society of parts working together. Organs are a society of cells working together. Animals, and humans, are a society of organs working together. Tribes are a society of people working together. Towns are a larger society of people working together. Cities are even larger societies of people working together. Nations are even larger societies of people working together. In all instances we are shown that when we work together, our existence is better off. Our lives are better. Bacteria have very few options. Single celled organism have greater options. Multi-celled organisms have even greater options. Town, cities, states and countries give us ever increasing options and opportunities as more and more people work together. Again, I ask you to look around and find one thing that is not available to you because of being part of a large society.

But a large society is nothing more than a bunch of individual people working together. Each with their own concerns and needs and desires. The key to societies success is learning to work together. When we are alone, we do what we want, when we want. There are no other concerns besides ourselves. When we are part of a society, we need to take into account the concerns and desires of others. Then we need employ that all important reciprocity we spoke about earlier. We need to not only think of ourselves, our desires and needs, we need to take into consideration the desires and needs of others. We need to value the desires and needs of others at least as much as we value our own.

For society to work well, we need to not be so self-centered in thought and action.

This is not a rallying cry for you to abandon all self concern and think only of what you can give to your society. That is a recipe for disaster. Some people will take that opportunity to take everything they can with no regard for the repercussions. With no regard for how it affects others or the society they live in. We need to start changing our behaviors to be less selfish, but we need to find a balance that will not allow others to take without reciprocity. We need to make slow and deliberate changes in our actions to help recenter us, and the society we live in, away from selfish thought and action, and more towards unselfish thought and action. There is a balance. If we work at it, we can find it.

Fostering Physical Needs

The human body is a tool. A very complex tool, like your car. And like your car, the human body likes to move. We jump in our car every day without thought. Baring any major break downs, a car will just run. Day in and day out, with minor maintenance, our car stays reliable. But, if you let a car sit for long periods of time, it will become unreliable. If you try and jump in a car that has been sitting for years and drive off, you are quickly going to break down, if it starts at all. It is the same with the human body.

When we are children we are always moving around, and our bodies are growing and regenerating faster than at any time in our lives. And our bodies work at its best efficiency. It is a brand new tool. Compared to the rest of our lives, our bodies need the least amount of maintenance during this period. We can put our bodies through an awful lot of abuse and it still works well.

Then we transition into mid life. Our body does not work as well, it is not as resilient. If we continue to do the things we did as a child, our tool will break down. We also become much more sedentary as compared to our childhood. We stop moving as much. We find a job, and our movement is curtailed. Extremely so if we have some kind of desk job. Our body, our tool, sits for longer and longer periods of time.

As we transition into later years, this behavior is pronounced. The habitual lack of movement results in a drastic loss of muscle mass, which exacerbates the problem of our bodies not working as well as in our youth. Our tool is breaking down.

There is also the problem that the more you use a tool, the more wear and tear it accumulates. Making it not work as well as when it was new.

So, the more we use our body, the more it breaks down, but if we don’t use it, it breaks down. The key is to, as in everything, find a balance. The older we get, the more important it is to adopt an exercise routine. Yes, there are aches and pains associated with our bodies being older, but keeping up the exercise in spite of that makes our lives better by helping to maintain our body. Exercise helps us keep our muscle mass and flexibility as we age. It helps our body, our tool, work better.

There is also the consideration that our body and our outlook are linked. The healthier we are, the better our outlook on our lives. Conversely, the more our bodies have problems, the more difficult it is to maintain a positive outlook on life.

So we have a choice. As we get older we can adopt an exercise routine that helps us maintain our muscle mass and vitality. Or we can become increasingly sedentary and end up with more aches, pains and illnesses then we would have if we had maintained our bodies with exercise.

Staying active is definitely more difficult and more painful as we get older, but in doing so we end up with less pain and illnesses than if we didn’t stay active. Always pay attention to your body. Pay attention to how it feels and how it heals. It is like paying attention to how your car sounds and runs. When problems arise, we can often catch it early just by paying attention. Like when your brakes begin to squeal before the pads are totally worn down. If you ignore the squealing, the pads wear down totally and begin grinding down the rotors. Then you have a bigger problem then just routine maintenance.

Fostering Mental Needs

When we start talking about taking care of our mental needs, we open a wide and diverse subject that has more things to talk about than there are humans with those needs. The subject is combinatorially explosive. With just a few major topics to cover, there are a multitude of ways they play out in our psyche. Psychiatrists and Psychologists spend lifetimes exploring these different combinations and still don’t cover the full breadth of what is possible. So trying to do so here, without the benefit of that continued, specialized training would be folly.

So here we are going to focus on just a few basics, the few things that drastically affect every aspect of our lives. These basics are going to address the fact that our minds are like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it becomes. And the fact that developing your mind is like climbing a mountain of shale. If you stop climbing, you start sliding back. There is no point at which the mind just stays as good as it is, just like the muscles in your body.

Just like your muscles, it takes focused, dedicated work to improve your mind. It is a jarring, uncomfortable process, but the results are well worth the effort. The question is, “How do we train our minds?” Or, more precisely, “What actions do we need to take to improve our minds?”

Reading.

Exploring different concepts from different points of view.

Training focus through different forms of meditation.

Talking with others about what we think, and trying to understand a point of view that differs from ours. Not just to debunk, or dismiss it, but to try and fully understand it and how it is valid.

Learn new things.

The mind is our most powerful tool. But, as we get older, we get into habits that progressively close our mind until we end up almost not using it at all. Like and unused muscle which atrophies and dies.

We need to practice a these things often if we want to keep our mind healthy. Daily if possible, weekly at least. The more you train your mind, the easier it becomes. At first, practicing these things will be a real chore. As these practices become habits, they become easier. Both in making the time to do them and in the ease with which we do them.

You will find that the benefits of sustaining these actions affect every aspect of our lives. Making our lives better, more fulfilled and meaningful.

Fostering Spiritual Needs

There is a basic human need to make sense of and have a sense of control over the things that we experience in life. And I think that is a perfect light to use when exploring what the hell we mean by our spiritual needs.

I think our spiritual needs are the ideas and beliefs that bridge the gap between when we know, or can prove through observation and logic, and what we don’t know.

Think about what comes to mind when we think about spiritual needs. We probably conjure up fleeting images of church, god, monks meditating, our soul (or what happens to us after our bodies die.), chi, magic, witches, or perhaps just a concept of “feeling peace.”

Almost without fail, when we think about spiritual needs, it is concepts that bridge the gap between what is known and what is not known. That sheds some light on what practices we may need to develop to make sure we are addressing this need.

For most people, when they are compelled to address this need, they fall back on the idea of church, or religion. People flock to these practices and receive a number of benefits. They get part of their social needs met. Part of their Mental needs met in learning about the religion. And part of their spiritual needs met in the introduction and adoption of a set of beliefs that bridge that gap between what is known and what is not. Religions have done the human race a great service. Though, man has corrupted this message as happens with everything we touch.

Some people flock to self-help forums for their spiritual needs. Delving into books and seminars. Finding benefit in the personal growth which touches many different aspects of our basic human needs. Though, without a deep insight into what our basic human needs are, the results from these self-help programs, as with religion, are varied.

Then we have the less widespread attempts to satiate our spiritual needs in people joining cults, clubs, practicing religious holidays and reciting different pieces of knowledge that they hear from various “enlightened” sources. (Usually without giving it much thought.)

All of these are attempts satiate the basic human needs to make sense of and have a sense of control over the things we experience in life. All of these actions fill the gap between what is known and what is not known to varying degrees.

In this light, we now have a basic path to satiating these needs. We need to take a look at, give thought to, those things we encounter in our lives that cause us discomfort in our lack of knowledge and understanding about them. We need to find an answer to those questions that we are satisfied with, at least most of the time.

What happens when we die? Is there a god? What is this yearning I feel that draws me to consider a religion? What is it that I believe, and why do I believe it?

These questions, these yearnings, arise out of our basic human need to make sense of and have a sense of control over the things we experience. As we explore what is causing these desires to manifest in us, it helps to understand why, to understand what causes these desires to manifest. Because if we don’t understand what the problem is, then anything we do to fix it won’t work. Because it won’t be addressing the cause.

Give thought to the things beyond our current understanding. Develop a concept that you are happy with. Religion, self help, science, cults, witchcraft, clubs, and even just accumulating different tidbits of “wisdom” from those we perceive as enlightened can all have pieces of truth in them. Accumulate the pieces that fit well with you and assemble a belief that sufficiently bridges that gap between what is known and what is not known. Then keep it flexible enough to incorporate a better concept when it presents itself. We are all trying to bridge that gap in knowledge. We are all trying to satiate the basic human needs to make sense of and have a sense of control over the things we experience. Religion, works for some, self help for others. But when we know what is causing the desires and yearnings within us, then we have a chance to develop something that actually works.

Morality

What is morality? How does it manifest? Do we need to have our morality dictated by a higher being, or can we dictate our own? What is it that we consider moral and why? Is there a common thread to what we consider moral? How does our existence as humans affect our decisions on what is moral? How does our society affect what we consider moral? How does our situation affect our morality? All valid questions, and all goes to show the depth and breadth of the idea of morality.

We all have a basic sense of what is moral and not. And most of us have encountered situations in dealing with others where we feel that they have not acted according to what we find moral. And every human, if they are honest, has done something in their past that has caused turmoil with other people. Situations where our actions conflicted with the morality of others.

Why is this? How can a seemingly simple concept such as what is moral be different in so many people?

That is because what is moral is not standard or static in any person or group. There are many factors that go into deciding what is moral and what is not. And those factors change over time and situation.

What we find moral is affected by our species, our situation, our social group, our level of selfishness or selflessness, our environment and our experiences. If we think about it, what is considered moral is different if we are alone verses when we are in a group.

Morality is an agreed upon set of actions that help society to not rip itself apart. Whether that society is two people or two trillion, it does not matter. If you are the only being in existence, then there is no morality. You just do what you want because there is no one else to consider.

And that last thought gives us a clue as to how we should go about deciding what we consider moral and not moral. Truly, it gives us insight into what morality is.

With the definition of morality being “An agreed upon set of actions that help society to not rip itself apart” we gain the understanding that morality is a compromise. A compromise between the members of the society on what actions are acceptable and what are not. Compromise can be defined as “An agreement to which neither party involved is happy with, but can live with.”

Some things we consider moral are common to almost all people simply because we are human. Take cannibalism for example. The aversion to cannibalism probably due to an evolutionary fact that eating members of your species repeatedly increases the transmission of different types of diseases. Not to mention encroaching on our basic human need for security. But the act of cannibalism is so commonly revolted in humans that we consider it to be known by all.

Other items of morality are not so common. Tossing trash onto the ground for example. Most of us have seen examples of people picking up trash they walk by and through it into a trash receptacle. And most of us see trash that has been thrown on the ground by someone. Even though it is illegal, at least in most places?

Differences in morality are differences in what we find acceptable and are factors of our species, our situation, our social group, our level of selfishness or selflessness, our environment and our experiences.

I think the main thing to consider when contemplating morality is to ask the question “What type of person do I want to be?” Do you want to be the kind of person that causes turmoil in your society, or do you want to be the kind of person that helps your society get along? Ultimately, the largest question is “How selfish or unselfish do I want to be?” As in everything, balance is key. It is not healthy to be totally selfish just as it is not healthy to be totally unselfish. A balance needs to be maintained for each individual. And balance is not a middle point. In understanding this balance, we find it easier to cope with the perceived transgressions of others.

So how does all of this pertain to an Ecology of Practices?

Everything we have mentioned so far increases our understanding. It helps us realize that human and societal psychology is far too varied to be able to lay out a list of things to do to cover every situation. It is just too complex. We can however, put forth a list of things to do to help each individual grow. So, as we encounter the myriad of situations in our life, we will have a strong base from which we can make intelligent, socially conscious decisions.

To that end, here are some of the things we should work on depending on what role you want to fulfil in your life:

Actions to put into practice

Actions for every person to practice:

Question everything. Especially when told to just accept or believe.

Continual growth in mind, body and spirit.

Learn all that you can.

Actions for followers to practice:

All previous actions.

Daily reading.

Daily meditation.

Daily exercise.

Study the development of belief systems and how they evolved.

Continually develop a rigorous and honest evaluation skill of yourself and what motivates each thought, emotion and action.

Actions for Priests to practice:

All previous actions.

Development of skills for helping people.

Development of in depth knowledge of Convocationism.

There are many different things to consider in life if you want a chance at having a happy, fulfilling and purposeful life. This list of basic actions, if practiced, will help keep you on a path that accomplishes all of those.

Finding Solidarity in the Search for Purpose

Some people need religion, some need logic. The one thing everyone needs is a sense of purpose in their lives.

Our gatherings are a celebration of difference. Never let our gatherings become nothing but the like minded. We need to challenge our beliefs and ideas or they become toxic.

How do we learn?

What is our path?

People need different things at different points on their path. Some need more sacred, some need more analytical. Most need a balance of both.

Growth comes from opening our minds to different ideas and beliefs. It is a way to bring about growth and change without all the pain and destruction that comes from trying to hold on to static beliefs.

Static thoughts and beliefs, unchallenged by opposing intellectual and spiritual ideas and beliefs becomes stagnant and toxic.

The more we understand and accept difference, the more we are alive.

Balancing Our Innate Selfishness with the Societal Need for Unselfishness

The human nature is a dichotomy. On the one hand, we are born into a world that is inherently adversarial. Eat or be eaten. Kill or be killed. The strong survive, the weak die. It is apparent throughout our world and our society has evolved to represent that which we see in nature.

The way our society is designed teaches us to look out for ourselves. Work for money, which is an abstraction of power. Pay homage to those who are unselfish, but revere those who accumulate beyond reason the abstraction, regardless of the detriment to others. The winners. The people setting the world on fire. They achieve. They dominate. They win in their constructed situations designed to set themselves up to gain more and more power. More people want to be like Warren Buffet then want to be like Gandhi.

We live our lives surrounded by a structure that teaches us to look out for ourselves first, and, if we can, help others after that.

The second part of our dichotomy is that everything we have is a product of our working together. Look around you. Try and find one thing in your life that is not a product of having a large society.

From the first Markov blankets, to single celled organisms affording specialization of structures within themselves, to multi-organ systems, everything in life shows that the more we work together, the stronger we are. And the more likely we are to survive. Life shows us that it is better to have a larger society that we are a part of.

We are in transition. Where we are moving away from our biological self-centeredness and learning to become more societally centered. On the one hand, it is our diversity in individuals that can make us stronger. On the other hand, we need to learn to keep ahold of that while working effectively in a society.

We need to learn to balance our selfishness and our societal responsibility.

We have achieved the technological expertise to alleviate the need for human work in our society. Robotics has advanced to a point where almost any manual labor on the part of humans is not needed to produce everything each person in society needs to abundance. The problem with doing that, logistics aside, is two fold.

First, humans are too selfish. At present, if we eliminated the need for a person to work, most people would simply do nothing. Without the need to make money to buy food, people would opt to do nothing, taking from society without giving anything in return.

Second is a fact that most people don’t realize. One of the things humans need to make a life full of purpose and meaning is to have a job that benefits them and the society they live in. How many people do you know take pride in the fact that their job helps society run? That what they do helps the society they are in run smoothly and is therefore of great benefit? How many of us drive by the people working on the road and think: “There is a person working his fingers to the bone, in the blazing heat, so that I can have a road to get where I need to go. That person deserves a lot of respect.” If we are honest with ourselves, almost no one among us.

No, we are not ready for the next step in development until we can address those things inside us, and inside our society, which perpetuate and cultivate the narrow minded selfishness we evolved with.

The question though, is “What do we do to help facilitate the changes needed?”. Followed quickly by “Is this a direction we want to grow?”

The answer to the latter is a moral question. One each of us needs to answer for ourselves.

The answer to the former is a simple one. Stop being so self-centered without being a pushover.

If we spend all of our time thinking of, and making concessions for, others, then people are just going to take advantage of you at every turn and leave you with nothing. If we forego our personal aspirations, then we give up one of the most historically effective ways to affect societal progress. What we need to do is start making a change to our thinking and our actions. Each of us, in our daily lives, needs to find a balance between what we need and what our society needs. We need to start thinking not only about our needs, but about what we can add to our society on a daily basis. We need to think not only about what do we get out of a situation, but what we can add to a situation.

We need to stop thinking only of ourselves and what we get, but also think about what we can add to others lives. We need to work toward becoming more societally minded.

It might help to ask ourselves each day and in each situation: “What can I do today to improve my life? And what can I do today to help improve my society?”

Society

How to define a good society?

“A society is good that fosters the full development of human potentials, to the fullest degree of humanness.”

I do believe that statement is far too inclusive. Understanding that “the line between good and evil runs down the center of every human heart”, to achieve the full development of human potentials would be to develop in the people of the society the full depth of human evil. Not something that is beneficial the society, the individual or the race as a whole.

Perhaps we should amend that statement as follows:

“A society is good that fosters the full development of human potentials in alignment with a moral structure that benefits the individual and the society, to the fullest degree of humanness.”

The above statement is much more acceptable to me even though it still has a degree of ambiguity. But that ambiguity is of design, not ignorance. As humans grow and evolve, so should their moral set. To facilitate the applicability of the statement over time, a bit of ambiguity is needed.

This ambiguity also serves the necessity for thought. Simply being told what to do is of very little use. (”Give a man a fish and he eats for a day.”) But a person who thinks and reasons about various topics gains much more than just knowledge about what he is thinking over. (”Teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime.”)

The revised statement facilitates the need for each individual to not only figure out for themselves what moral actions constitute “good” and “bad”, but also envision what could be “better” or “worse.” Not only for us, but for our society (from which we gain so much), and for future generations.

We must always remember that we gain so much from our society, and that society is only here because previous generations worked hard to make it for us. I challenge you to find one thing in your life that is not facilitated by being in a large society, and compare that to the number of things in your life that only possible because of being part of a large society. In such a light, we should keep asking ourselves “How can I make society better for this and future generations?”

The Purpose of the Meditations

Meditations are personal thought exercises and conversational topics used as essential tools to enable the continual growth of our mind and spirit in a way that breaks us free of our subjectivity and adds meaningful value to our lives.

Meditation is a tool to help us to learn to focus. Focus is a tool to help us get an optimal grip on our past, present and future. Optimal grip is a tool to help us move from one point on our path to a better point.

Meditation is not just the existential examination of something. It includes the conscious analysis of our experiences to achieve a better understanding of ourselves, our values and our thought processes, to understand where we are on our path and help us identify where we want to go from there.

The following meditative thoughts are concepts proposed to facilitate the growth of our understanding. To be fully realized we need to not only examine each from our point of view at this particular point on our path, but also try to examine them from a variety of points of view that differ from our own. Then discuss them with others that focus on growth.

These meditations are not just for solitary exploration in a meditative state, but are to be discussed with others and in groups to achieve an exhaustive exploration of their meanings and how they apply to us at this point on our path.

How to Meditate

There are many different forms of meditation. When starting, we should focus on training our mind to focus, a skill that should be continually developed. Focusing on our breathing is a popular exercise to develop and maintain this extremely important skill.

Once we develop this skill, we then use that skill to examine different ideas, concepts and perspectives in the pursuit of expanding our mind and understanding. Explore many different types of meditations, these skills will benefit you more than you can imagine.

Once you are ready, focus your abilities on the meditative concepts found in this book. Explore them in your meditations and discuss them with others. Both solitary exploration and discussion with others is essential.

Core Meditations

Considering the evolution of biological systems.

Biological systems started off as single celled organisms. Over millions of years, they evolved into more and more complex systems working together to maintain an organism as diverse as humans.

Acknowledging that the evolution of individual cells to work cooperatively as a unified whole was to create a system that is better at adapting to adverse conditions to allow a greater chance of survival for each individual cell.

Then, from this example, what should we view as the optimal progression of our societal evolution?

As individuals, should we focus on only what we get for ourselves or should we focus more on societal betterment and reap the rewards of a better societal system that offers us more diversity and therefore more options?

The Line between good and evil

The line between good and evil runs down the center of every human heart, to conquer evil, one must first conquer themselves.

We must recognize what is within us and admit it truthfully, humbly, for it is the same in everyone. The only difference is the amount of stimulus needed to invoke it.

When Considering Paradise

When considering paradise, do we realize that paradise would not be having everything we wanted, but in having the needs that threaten our existence met while still having difficult things to strive for?

Here we need to take an honest look at our lives and what brings us happiness versus joy. We can sit on a beach and experience joy in the sun, but that joy is not lasting. That joy does not persist for long in our lives. Contrary to that, happiness is cultivated through successful management of responsibility. Happiness that persists throughout our lives, and a sense of purpose and meaning, comes from having something to do which benefits us and the society we live in.

Can you identify things in your life that bring you happiness and things in your life that bring you joy?

What Would Make Our Journey Worth While

What would make this journey worth while?

To understand that, do we realize that true happiness comes from accomplishing something that pushes the boundaries of our comfortability? Not in having something, but in the remembrance of overcoming something that was difficult and the confidence that develops?

Do we realize that having anything is only important in that it shows our strength to overcome adversity?

Understanding that sheds light on what will make our journey, our life, worth while. Our life is not worth while because of what we have, but because we constantly keep our focus and actions on something difficult to attain. Not material gains, but emotional, physical, intellectual and spiritual growth.

The question then becomes, what do I want to achieve in this life and what do I want to achieve for existence after this life?

When Dealing With Others

When dealing with yourself and others. Love the sinner, but hate the sin.

Who among us has not faltered? Who among us has not fallen short of what we would like to be as we have grown and learned?

Can we see that the trespasses of others, and ourselves, is due to personal turmoil or lack of growth?

When dealing with others, the question then becomes “Should I help this person, or scorn them?”

What Do I Fill My Life With

Can you see how much your recent experiences, situations and items you surround yourself with, affect your perception of happiness and the feeling of fulfillment in your life?

On The Topic Of Our Default Mindset

Do you understand that some of our most important actions during the day are to Learn, Participate and see things from other’s Perspective. Are you content to be lost on the sea, at the mercy of the influences of what you encounter during the day? Or will you bask in the glory of striving to better yourself a little bit each day, and reap the rewards of continued growth?

On The Subject Of Relationships

Every relationship we are in, no matter how short, has a reason. The reason we are in that relationship is the motivation for the way we act in that relationship.

Does that person, or group make us happy? Does it make our lives more full? Is it a person we just happened across and we don’t really like them? Or is it a person that conjures in us a romantic notion?

Understanding why we are in a relationship, past the superficial reasons and down to the emotional motivations within us, can help us identify our role in that relationship. More importantly, it can help us decide what we can add to the relationship and what our boundaries should be.

Healthy boundaries and focusing on what you can add to a relationship, not just what you get out of it, are difficult things to balance. But understanding our motivations for being in a relationship can help.

Sometimes We Learn From Others, Sometimes We Learn On Our Own

Not all wisdom comes from a perspectival type of knowing. In much the same way as we stand on the shoulders of those that came before us to achieve great scientific heights, we should stand on the shoulders of those that came before us to achieve great moral, spiritual and intellectual heights.

In this spirit, what are three things that you were taught and how did the gift of that knowledge improve your life?

Secondly, who in your life is significantly older than you, and therefore has more experience than you, that you can you spend time with, in the hope of uncovering more knowledge and understanding as you develop a friendship?

Younger people need a relationship with elders to have a chance to gain knowledge and thereby live a happier life. Elders need a relationship with the youth to help give meaning in their lives through passing down knowledge they have learned.

Learn To Question Everything

Have you learned to never take what others say is truth about spiritual matters on faith alone?

Spiritual knowledge from others should always be accompanied by your own exploration, not limited by preconceptions.

If I tell you there is an elephant in a pitch black room, and you have no concept of what an elephant is, and you enter trying to feel around for an elephant, whatever you find that you are unfamiliar with will then be an elephant because you were told it was an elephant.

When the person who taught you has a faulty determination, you will be biased towards that determination. Unless you can break free from that paradigm by opening yourself up to different points of view and explore on your own.

As you explore spiritual matters, always remember, “It’s not an elephant.”

A Thought on Knowledge

Knowledge is that which we have found to be true, from our perspective. But how many times in our lives has our perspective changed?

A Challenge We Face In Life

As I travel my path and grow, do I realize that what I held as “important” or as “truth” has changed as my perspective has developed?

And as I grow, do I realize that there are often morsels of truth embedded in even the worst of things?

My challenge is to see the morsels of truth even when they are obscured, by seeing things from as many different perspectives as I can.

Considering The Meaning Of Free Will

Free will is not the ability to do anything you want, whenever you want.

Free will is the ability to grow beyond your current limitations by developing better tools and concepts for dealing with life, to facilitate your achieving what you previously thought was impossible.

Free will is being able to identify the motivators to our actions and, if need be, to choose to do something different.

Freeing Our Soul

A free soul, that has a practice of developing their consciousness through a variety of activities, is more powerful than any number of enslaved souls.

The concept of God should not be one of enslavement.

We have the power to choose our path of growth, were we can reap the benefits and learn from the consequences.

We have the power to exceed any limitations or expectations.

There is no limit to what we can become, and to limit ourselves with a concept of “perfection” would be a great injustice.

Being Still

In meditation, being still in body and mind are similar, yet are implemented in different ways.

Being still in body is simply not moving. Yet the longer I am still, the more tempted I am to move because of all sorts of things. Aches, pains, itches, a wandering bee that has taken an interest in me.

Being still in the mind, once understood, is also simply not letting your mind dwell on the stray thoughts that pop up. Yet as I spend more time in meditation, the more thoughts pop into my mind and I find myself mentally traveling down that abstract path.

The key to being still in mind and body is the same. Training. Becoming distracted is not the problem. Staying distracted is. The way to train yourself not to be distracted is, when you realize you have become distracted, refocus yourself. Again and again. Over time you will find that you become less and less distracted.

Balance

In meditation I find that there is greater benefit from the balance of searching and listening.

Some of my time in meditation is spent searching. Exploring the depths of a topic, idea, feeling, concept or state.

But a lot of my time in meditation is spent listening. Listening to the energies of the world and of myself.

I have found that my life has far less turmoil when I can identify and correct imbalances as far as they are under my control.

On Awareness

Awareness is naturally drawn outwards. Balance comes from practicing turning our attention inwards.

On Discipline

Learn to not follow everything your mind is telling you.

Do Not Follow Blindly

Do not follow blindly, for it is too easy to be lead a stray. Rather, experience and think for yourself accompanied with guidance.

Meditation is an irreplaceable skill that will help facilitate your growth and open your eyes.

But always keep in mind, while in this physical existence we are like blind men describing an elephant. If you find the tail you describe it like a rope. If you find the trunk you describe it like a large hose. If you find the side you describe it like a great wall.

Each perspective is wrong only in the fact that there is more to discover.

Never abandon your soul, or it’s power, to another. Keep searching with an open mind and learn the real truth.

Never Limit Your Growth

We should stitch together the truths that have been planted as seeds in the essence of the soul, no matter where those sprouts happen to grow. Even the worst of souls can contain nuggets of truth which should not be disregarded.

We strive to live fully. We strive to learn fully. We strive to understand fully. We strive to experience fully. In doing so, we surpass what was previously understood as the pinnacle of existence, into the understanding that we can always become better than any ideal conceived.

Each day try to become a little better than yesterday. Accumulated growth over a period of time becomes immeasurable.

On Wisdom

One is not wise by intellect alone. Wisdom only comes when intellect is coupled with experience and put into practice.

On Leadership

Learn from the those that are enlightened. Do not follow them, learn from them.

On Truth

Come together under the banner of truth, no matter it’s origin.

Do not let the closed mind deter us from integrating truth in our being.

Let us not overlook the flowers of wisdom because they reside in a field of ugliness and devastation.

On Limitations

This realm is a place to come to the realization that, as long as we don’t abandon our soul or it’s power to another, we can learn and grow from each situation.

The heights we can achieve upon this path will far surpass anything we can imagine.

We can surpass anything our minds and hearts can dream up, even a perceived perfect state of being.

Correcting Our Frame Of Thought

Learn from many, never just one or two people or points of view.

Fostering Correct Thinking

Learn all that you can. Keep learning for eternity. For complacency breeds ignorance and ignorance is our greatest hurdle.

Try becoming just a little better each day. Continual growth, over extended periods, amounts to immeasurable growth.

The Correct Perspective On Growth

There are many who claim to be able to show you the path to enlightenment. And there are some that can. But understand that everyone can only see what they have found through their lens of belief.

Truly awakened are those that see through many lenses, and are thus able to see more of the whole.

Never abandon knowledge. Rather, gather as much as you can, for each piece will help you identify the whole.

The Need for fellowship

After this world, the only truth, the only reality, is belief.

Belief is the light in witch we live, it is the idea which can set us free, it is the chains that bind us and it is the fire in which we burn.

No matter the diligence, belief can be swayed. Therefore, it is imperative that we gather often and rejoice in the freedom provided by our faith.

On Freedom

Many claim the path to heaven, a place of eternal happiness and joy.

But I ask, what happiness or joy can be attained through slavery, no matter how loving?

The opportunity to cast off your chains and achieve eternal freedom, eternal salvation, is presented for all willing to work for it.

On Awakening

Awakening is not a single destination, it is a correction of our course as we continually grow, to align our course to get us where we want to go.

Our destination will change as we grow, so must our path, and we must change to achieve the desired destination.

On Dogma

There are only two truths intrinsic to each and every Convocationist.

1) We have the power to create our own heaven.

2) Together we can achieve eternal Salvation.

A Very Important Thing

One of the most important things we can do is use meditation as a tool to train our minds to focus. It is where we should start, and a practice we should never neglect.

Gathering The Truth

Pieces of truth can be found everywhere. Do not let your bias of the source stop you from seeing the truth, or acquiring the tools you can use to live a more fulfilling life.

On Potential

Never underestimate the power of your soul. Through growth we continually realize that what we thought was beyond our power is simply unrealized potential.

On Inspiration

Existence is about growing, learning to become better than what you are, by a little bit every day.

The Spirit of Our Faith is there to help when things seem overwhelming.

On Understanding

“It requires a leap of faith.”

This excuse has been used for millennium to bridge the gap between what the converter can argue, politely or not so much, and what the potential convert will believe.

It is the mechanism used to get a soul to stop questioning and start buying into a certain frame of reference. For once you can get a soul to stop questioning, all opposition fades away.

By trying different things and questioning everything, we can separate the wheat from the chaff.

Tools Of The Soul

In this world your mind is a tool for your soul. Improve your mind each day and reap the rewards.

Structuring Our Lives

Have you realized that when you fill your life with things that have a positive value to you, your life feels better, fuller, easier and happier.

Conversely, when you fill your life with things that have a negative value for you, your life feels more empty, difficult and futile. Everything becomes a chore.

Practice balance in all things.

Religious Paths

To perceive the path to enlightenment as narrow or a single path that must be followed, is a true indication of our own inadequacy.

But to know that each soul has different things to learn at different times on their path and therefore must walk its own path is true understanding.

Intellectual Discussion

When a man argues a concept to be correct, he is wrong before he even starts.

But when a man discusses a concept to explain his point of view and to understand another point of view, without condemnation, he has a chance at enlightenment.

On Correct Mental Orientation

Can you see that the terms “unknown” and “unknowable” are not statements of fact, but rather are statements of perspective from a certain point on a path of growth?

If you were to bring a gun back in time to the stone age and a stone age native was to see you shoot someone, from their perspective you are able to point at someone and kill them. An ability that is so far beyond their current understanding that, from their point of view, if you are able to do that, you are able to do anything. To them, it is unknown and unknowable.

Focus on growth each day, not on proclamations of impossibilities.

On Understanding

I am perfection. I am everything. I am everywhere and in every thing. I am all knowing, all powerful. I am perfect love, understanding and forgiveness.

Can you see how each of these are subjective?

For every Soul and every consciousness, both understanding and perception are like our eyesight. What we focus on is clear, while everything else is fuzzy.

What is not focused on does not disappear and may leave a sense of clarity, but honest evaluation reveals the truth, that it is not perfect.

On Knowing

What are two things I “know” or learned from seeing another person go through a situation?

What are two things I “know” or understand from going through a situation?

How much better do I “know” or understand the dynamics of a situation by experiencing a situation for myself?

On Perspective

Do I see how much better my life has become by developing the skill of being able to step outside my perspective, my point of view, and see multiple points of view for any situation?

Do I see the benefit that ability has been to my inner peace, my happiness and how meaningful my life seems?

The Fluidity Of Thought

Do you understand that truth and perfection are not singular concepts, ideals or states of being? As with most everything, they are subjective and fluid, shaped by our experiences and aspirations.

Recognizing Our Bias

Do we see that every thought, every conclusion, every sense of applied worth is subjective due to the experiential bias of the person evaluating the situation?

So any situation, emotion, action, thought or direction chosen is influenced by a perceived value that is heavily influenced by experience.

Checking Our Focus

We need to be diligent about our growth through meditation and service to others, and we should never forget to be present as life unfolds around us.

On Slavery

Slavery by controlling a person’s thoughts and beliefs is the only slavery that is eternal.

Eternal Salvation, and thus liberation from slavery, comes from personal growth, in all it’s forms, and in fellowship with those on an open minded path.

On Wisdom

Wisdom is more than knowledge.

Wisdom is knowledge by experience that is put into practice, coupled with the meaningful insight provided through retrospective analysis that has been discussed with others and with people that possess wisdom.

On How To Learn And Grow

What the child is to the adult, the adult is to the elder.

Wisdom is only cultivated by:

First, realizing that growth is needed in an area.

Second, experiencing the situation.

Third, analyzing the situation in retrospect and drawing meaningful insight that can be used to improve our response to that and similar situations.

Fourth: by applying those meaningful insights to our lives to facilitate growth that improves our lives and the lives of those around us.

On Rationality

Rationality is the ability to overcome self deception in a reliable manner.

On Correct Orientation Of The Heart

Right heart

Compassion over callousness

Concern over indifference

Love over apathy

Honesty with compassion. Harsh words and actions are almost never the correct first choice.

Plant the seeds of love and compassion through your words and actions, even in the face of adversity, and enjoy a life filled with what you sow.

On Correct Orientation Of The Mind

Right mind

Proceed with honesty. Honesty with yourself and your motivations.

How would you like people to treat you?

If you don’t want people to treat you a certain way, then you should not treat people that way.

How To Walk Our Path

Proceed with the right mind,

Proceed with the right heart,

For the path has many branches that leads you astray.

Understand that it is not about what you deserve, it is about how much better you can become.

Remember that the only reliable way of thwarting self deception is through discussion with others.

How do I Structure My Life?

In any given moment, do I ask myself “What can this time best be used for?”

If I find myself filling my time with things or activities that do not help me grow and move closer to where and who I want to be, what can I do to correct that?

What type of person do I want to be?

That should be the guiding principle as I evaluate my actions and motivations.

Heroes, Parental figures, Mentors, Teachers, Friends, they all influence our thinking and therefore guide our lives in a direction.

Do I spend the time needed evaluating my actions and motivations to see when I get off course of achieving my goal of who I want to be? Or do I not have goals to work towards and spend no time in honest self evaluation and therefore are at the mercy of the influences in my life?

The Point of Religion

The point of religion is to give a person hope of attaining something better than what they have,  and to teach them how to live a life that cultivates meaning.

That hope comes in some basic forms. For some, it comes in the form is a savior. A figure that will step in and remove everything from your existence that is disagreeable to you. “Give a man a fish”

Another form is growth. A path to follow that leads to better understanding and therefore the knowledge of how to live a better existence and therefore avoid and alleviate the things in your existence that are disagreeable to you. “Teach a man to fish.”

The former leaves you in a state of dependence upon another, the latter puts you in a state of independence. The former leads to eternal slavery, the latter to eternal freedom.

Which do I need in my life at present? Which do I want to strive for?

What Type of Person Do I Want to Be?

What is the type of person I want to be? This should be my guiding principle when evaluating my actions and motivations.

Sacredness

Something that is sacred should be held above everything else in our lives. The things that we consider as sacred should be those things that continually generate meaning in our lives.

What is it that you consider sacred and why? What things are in your life are sacred, but you are not treating them as such?

A Thought on the Meditations

We are seeking a transformative experience which will break our frame of thought and action so we can rebuild another frame of reference that serves us better. Discussion with others helps with both frame breaking and frame making.

The Self

The Self is not a static notion of personal being. The Self is the current level of growth achieved.

Your self can either improve or regress as you travel your path, dependent upon the sustained effort you put in to your growth and the path you follow.

Avoiding Self-Deception

Reasoning works dramatically better when in dialogue with others.

On Personal Goals

Do you see the need for balance between the Human, the Lion and the Monster in yourself? (Thinking/Reasoning, Social/Cultural motivations and Personal Impulse)

Why Is There Evil In This World

Can you see how the notion of evil is dependent on our particular moral set?

Can you see how the deviation of a person’s or nation’s moral set from the accepted norm, is a product of personal strife and a lack of tutelage, to be able to develop the necessary tools to be able to deal with situations in life in an acceptable manner?

Can you see how the continued growth of our own moral and intellectual state is the only true deterrent to what is considered evil.

Quality Of Life

What is it that actually increases the quality of my life? Not the external things that bring joy to my life for a short time, but the actions I do that generate a long term sense of happiness and fulfillment in my life?

Raising Our Vibration

Do you see the need in being able to listen to another point of view and trying to understand that point of view? Not trying to be right or prove them wrong, just in being able to understand their point of view.

Our Strength Is In The Way We Come Together

Do you understand why discussion of moral values with others is needed? Do you understand the need for this discussion not only with people who have the same values as you, but also with people that have different values than you?

Learn To Listen

Do you understand the need to improve your ability to listen to others? Do you see how that is a skill that needs to be developed with practice? Do you understand the difference between hearing what someone has said and listening to them?

Teaching Moral Values

Do you understand that one of the best ways to teach moral values is through discussion. If you have developed your listening skills enough, you may find that you are the one that learns.

Finding Our Moral Set

What morals and behaviors do we value most in ourselves and others?

You Reap What You Sow

You manifest what you are…

The world is a manifestation of self. If life is less than what you want it to be, change yourself first.

You can’t manifest what you want, you manifest who you are. You manifest what you are…

The world is a manifestation of self. If life is less than what you want it to be, change yourself first.

You can’t manifest what you want, you manifest who you are.

Happiness and Joy

Happiness is not something that can be bestowed upon you. Happiness can only come from personal growth and having a purpose that benefits you and the people around you.

Joy can be bestowed, but joy is fleeting.

Perceived Powerlessness

Do I understand that if I continue my growth, there are no limits to what I can achieve? In time, I can surpass anything, even what was once unthinkable.

What Should I Become

What is the type of person I want to be? This should be my guiding principle when evaluating my actions and motivations.

On Wisdom

Do I understand that wisdom comes not only from intellect, but from experience and how the two are applied to my life? The application of which takes time. So look to and respect your elders, for there can be much to learn if you get to know them.

Following My Path

Do not follow the people in service of the congregation, learn from them. Your path is just that, your path. Sometimes a leap of faith is needed, but most of the time, blind faith will lead you astray.

Truth

Do I understand that I can make no real progress unless I can accurately identify what I need to work on.

Truth with ourselves can often be obscured by many things, so we need to be vigilant.

Do I understand that truth with myself and with others needs to be my highest focus as I travel my path and practice the other actions of Convocationism.

The Good Life

What does it mean to me to “Live a good life”?

The Banner Of Truth

Come together under the banner of truth, no matter it’s origin.

Do not let the closed minded deter you from integrating truth in your being.

Let us not overlook the flowers of wisdom because they reside in a field of ugliness and devastation.

How To Improve Our Lives

Do I see how I can only improve my life by countering the destructive elements of myself?

Always Having A Goal

Write down what it is that you want out of life.

Now what do you need to learn, or do, to make that happen?

Always Having Personal Goals

Write down what type of person you want to be.

Now what do you need to learn, or do, to make that happen?

Looking Beyond Ourselves

What do I think my responsibility is in helping build a better future for future generations?

Weighing The Benefits

When making decisions, when do I find it acceptable to disregard or sacrifice long term benefits for short term gains?

Becoming A Well Rounded Person

What qualities and actions do I think make up a well rounded, balanced person and what changes can I make in myself to achieve that?

The Right Footing

How can I both aspire to be more than I am and be grounded in where I came from? And what does that even mean?

In Finding True Happiness And Freedom

Everyone has blinders on for something. We all have things that we accept without much through, or trauma from our past that guides our actions without us realizing the true cause. The question is: Are you going to let these unperceived forces control you, or are you going to develop a habit of honest and deep self-reflection to find and change that in yourself to which you are presently blind? True freedom and happiness comes from knowing yourself and working to improve yourself.

Rituals Of Convocationism

There are actions we do that give us purpose and meaning in our lives, even if we don’t realize it at the time. These actions should be adhered to diligently, so they can bear the fruit of purpose and meaning in our lives.

In that light, there are Convocational Rituals that should be adhered to so that we may gain their benefit.

We gather together often in celebration.

At least once a week we gather together in celebration. In this gathering, the Pastor should present a short description of the Meditative thought for the following week. Then the rest of the time should be spent in companionship with each other. Our strength is in our companionship.

Meditation

We need to spend a little time each day in contemplation of a meditation. Either one that is laid out in this book, or one that interests the Congregation.

We also need to spend time talking with others in our Congregation about those meditations.

In search of our personal enlightenment, there are those that need a God in their lives to lead and watch over them. Just as there are those that do not. Each person’s path is their own, and each person needs different things at different points on their path.

In that light, the following lays out the moral set of Convocationism in story form for examination and interpretation.

Genesis

The Beginning

In the beginning there was an existence much unlike the one we are familiar with today. Try to imagine freedom from the constraints of our physical form, not constrained by our physical bodies, our five senses.

If we tried to imagine that existence from our perspective here on earth, we would be like a mass of energy able to move about the earth. As this ball of energy we would not need to interact with the world through touch, but simply by thought. Our energy connected with the energy that is in every atom of every thing, living and not, in this world and manipulating that energy to cause action. Instead of reaching out, grabbing the doorknob and turning it to open a door, we would simply will the doorknob to turn. Simply for the purpose of reaching a point of understanding, we could think of it, very loosely, like a person with telekinetic powers, though it is much, much different.

In this spiritual existence, from the perspective we are familiar with here on earth, we would move around as this ball of energy, interacting with the world not by touching it, but by thinking about what we wanted it it do and willing it to happen.

That is the basis of a spiritual existence, rather than a physical one. Even though this example is in the most rudimentary of conceptions, it serves to give us a tiny glimpse of what it is like.

In our spiritual existence, not constrained by this physical world, what we see, what surrounds us, is all about our beliefs, about what we think.

Take that thought, that idea about spiritual existence one step further. In the realm of the spiritual there is no physical, only spiritual. So the example of opening the door to get outside would mean that you wanted to be in a house and then wanted to go outside. Your beliefs lead you to go to the door and open it. Something we do here in the physical realm every day. In the spiritual realm there is only a house because you believed there is one. To get outside you could walk over to the door and open it, or you could simply think that you are outside and the spiritual realm would change to your beliefs. You are outside.

In the realm of the spirit, our beliefs shape reality. So what we see, what we experience is all about our thoughts, our beliefs. It is a realm that adapts itself to us, as we think, or want something, that is what we make our part of the realm into. That is Heaven. A place where what we see around us, what we experience, what we interact with is shaped by our thoughts, our beliefs, our desires.

That is the basics, in the most rudimentary of examples, of our own personal Heaven.

Each individual can create his own heaven. But how lonely would it be to be eternally isolated? Surrounded by nothing but your own thoughts and desires? For a time it would be bliss, but eventually it would seem more like a prison.

There is a place where we all can come together. A sort of group heaven if you will. Where what we see and experience is not only decided by what we believe, but also by the beliefs of every other soul in that heaven.

It is a place where souls can go to meet other souls. To interact, for fellowship. Our own heaven is a wonderful thing, but true joy comes from friends and family. Talking, laughing, loving, learning and growing is what makes eternal existence vibrant and enjoyable.

In the realm of the spirit is a guide. A spiritual being that helps you and every person, every soul, in the spiritual realm, to grow and to understand. For any person that wants his help, he is there. Loving, guiding, comforting. He is always there for people who want his help.

He is a being of pure faith. Born of the faith of all the souls. Of every person, everywhere. A being of  unlimited power, fueled by faith, by the beliefs of every soul. Belief, of any kind, is still belief, and that belief strengthens him. He is eternal, boundless, kind, loving. He is the Spirit of Our Faith.

The Spirit is forever at your side. He is forever loving. Forever helping, forever guiding you in growth and understanding. He is forever helping you improve and grow with love and understanding. He is forever by your side and ready to help when you need it, all you need to do is ask. He is the one thing in all of existence that will never forsake you, for he is of you, and of all souls everywhere that have belief.

The Spirit of Our Faith watches over every soul, in every heaven, and helps guide us in growth and understanding. He helps us achieve and maintain a perfect balance so that we are filled with joy and love. He is the Watcher, the Keeper and Protector of every soul. He is the loving hand that helps smooth our path as we journey in our pursuit of perfection. He comforts us in times of sorrow, and wipes away every tear from our eyes. His protection and love are eternal, making our time in the spiritual realm full of love, joy, fulfillment and peace.

The Betrayal

Joseph, a spirit in the spiritual realm before the creation of the earth and the material realm, was a man beset with many difficulties and strife. Try as he might, he found every step of growth difficult and struggled continuously, even though the Spirit of our faith helped him.

Joseph would meet his friends and see their growth was far beyond his own and felt ashamed. He desired to grow as quickly as his friends, but did not understand how they did it,  and try as he might, he could not keep up with them.

Joseph would meet his friend Danial, but was always envious of his friends ease of growth. Danial possessed many traits Joseph wished he had, and as they got together and talked about the things Danial had learned, Joseph grew more and more resentful of Danial’s growth.

Joseph, in his shame and resentment, began to withdraw from the guidance of the Spirit and the fellowship of his friends, which lead to his growth slowing even more.

One day, as Joseph and Danial were talking, Joseph, feeling overwhelmed with his lack of growth compared to his friend Danial, began to lash out. Downplaying his friends growth because Danial had to rely on the guidance of the Spirit, where Joseph was growing without the need for help. He belittled his friend Danial for not being strong enough to stand on his own two feet, and asserted that his own growth was better than Danial’s because he attained it on his own. Even though Joseph’s growth was far less than Danial’s.

Each time Joseph and Danial got together, Joseph would repeatedly downplay his friend’s achievements and brag that his own achievements were more fulfilling because he achieved it on his own. As time went by, Joseph’s animosity grew and Danial’s curiosity grew. Danial wondered if maybe his friend Joseph knew something he didn’t. Over time, the belief set in Danial that Joseph may have found a better way.

The next time Joseph and Danial met, Danial was full of questions about how Joseph went about his growth. Joseph, full of false pride over Danial’s interest, explained in great depth all about his false achievements. The more he embellished his false achievements, the more Danial believed that Joseph had found something worthwhile. As Danial’s beliefs slowly changed from what had been working for him to the lies his friend Joseph was telling, Joseph was filled with pride and reassurance. Finally finding a way to not be behind everyone in his personal growth.

As time went by and Joseph and Danial spoke more and more,  Joseph realized that as his friend Danial believed more and more what Joseph wanted him to, Joseph felt a small amount of power over the spiritual realm that he had not had before. It was no where close to the amount of power he gained from personal growth, but it was power he had not had none the less.

Emboldened by this relatively easy increase in power, Joseph went about trying to change more and more of his friends beliefs to the lies he was inventing. And the more he got his friend to believe, the more power Joseph had over the spiritual realm.

Corruption of Souls

Joseph, reveling in his new found power stolen from the structured beliefs of his followers, realized that the more he controlled his followers, the easier it was to dictate what they believed. Joseph’s followers now numbered in the thousands and his power, wrested from the power of his followers’ souls and beliefs, grew beyond what any single person had achieved, and he reveled in it.

But as Joseph traveled from group to group, displaying his power to them, proclaiming he could show them the way, he felt the limitations of his new power. As he used it, the pool would diminish and he could feel the power wain, and it would take time for the pool of power at his disposal to replenish. Joseph threw himself headlong into the converting of souls to his beliefs to grow his pool of power.

Joseph emphasized the belief that he was the only one who could help them, he also introduced the idea that without him, his followers could not achieve the salvation he had found on his own. Joseph went about shaping their beliefs to set himself far above them in power and understanding, which by default set them in a position of relative powerlessness and loss to do anything about it aside from Joseph.

Joseph also started shaping his True Believers faith to include the “Saving” of other souls. Joseph taught his followers to spread their beliefs to every soul they met. To teach these new souls of the salvation Joseph and the True Believers Faith offered.

Joseph referred to his followers as missionaries and their mission was to “save” as many souls as they can by teaching them the beliefs that Joseph had taught them.

His missionaries were to head out to all corners of existence and teach as many people as they can of the True Believers faith. To spread the word of Joseph’s power and to exclaim his ability to grant them salvation. To teach them that he has the power to do whatever was needed to be done to save them from the difficulties they faced trying to achieve personal growth. Joseph would offer them salvation, and all they needed to do was to believe in him. He would save their souls and grant them eternal life in him.

Thus began the mass swaying of souls from personal growth to a position of powerlessness and loss without one that could save them. Thus began the corruption of the true path to salvation into one of powerlessness and despair without end unless you were saved.

A Shifting Paradigm

Joseph’s followers went far and wide. They spread Joseph’s word to every soul they could find. The majority of people disregarded what they had to say, but enough believed that the True Believers faith grew by leaps and bounds. The more it did, the more Joseph emphasized that it was only through him that they could find salvation. This concept in itself fueled the greatest growth.

For a person searching for a path, to try and find their way through the unknown, to be offered salvation where all that is required is belief, it is a temping offer. Even more so because the ones being offered are not told that what they will achieve is a very pale shadow of what they could achieve.

But through ignorance and control, Joseph’s power grew.

Joseph’s initiative did not go unnoticed. The people that met him could not deny his power, and those that heard the stories of him could not disprove the stories without meeting Joseph. But not all fell into line with his stories. Some, a very few, saw through the facade and wanted to claim some of that power for themselves.

Slowly, but steadily, another religion started to grow. Using the same principles that Joseph employed, but with minor changes in the belief structure. As it grew, Joseph saw the almost endless sea of souls left to convert, and didn’t pay the new belief much attention. There was plenty to go around.

This new religion spread much more easily than Joseph’s, for Joseph had already began instilling in everyone that there may be someone with great power that could save people. So when the second religion came around, the masses were primed for belief in a savior.

Soon, a third religion entered the scene. Then a fourth and more. The stories of the salvation of souls, of being saved from whatever adversity they may be facing were abound and people could hardly turn around without hearing stories of being saved by this higher power or the next.

But through it all, there were the ones who persevered. They stayed true to their own power, never giving it up, and relied upon the guidance of the Spirit. They would never give their power away to another and they saw benefits far beyond those that did. They did not need someone to save them, and their personal growth attested to that fact. In the midst of this maelstrom of lies, half-truths and misdirection, they, through the guidance of the Spirit and the fellowship of others, never lost their way.

Corruption of Eternity

Now Joseph was faced with a different world than he had known before. When he started, the entire spiritual realm was like a clean slate that he could mold and sculpt to his desires through his stories and lies.

It was like getting a child to believe in a story you told. He believes you, because he had never been lied to before and he has no reason to think you would not tell him the truth. Joseph had started with very small “stretches of truth” to his friend and built upon that. But now the lie had grown to outrageous proportions and Joseph’s was not the only story being told.

Each new religion adopted new, and sometimes extravagant, codes of conduct. The realm of the spirit was in a time of change, and old ways of personal growth and rewards from that was now giving way to something easier with far less gains, and in some of the new religions, no gains at all.

Religion after religion sprung up. Each trying to grab a piece of the pie that was the beliefs of people in an attempt to wrest power from them. All the while the number of souls not aligned with a religion was diminishing.

Formation of Convocationism

Joseph was an intelligent man. He could see that despite the immense growth of his religion and the growth of other religions, that there were still a large number of people that did not align themselves to any religion.

These souls stayed true to their own power and relied upon the Spirit for guidance. They would not give up themselves to the false power of another. Josephs follower’s and the followers of other religions could see the personal growth these souls outside their religions were making and Joseph realized that this will eventually become a problem. For up until now, if a soul did not want to adopt a religion they were left alone. There were still plenty of souls that would readily accept the new religions, there was no need to go after the harder task of converting someone that was steadfast. But Joseph saw what was on the horizon.

Joseph needed a way to keep his followers from seeing that the growth these souls that held to the old ways were making was significantly greater than theirs. So he hatched a plan.

Joseph went to each of the leaders of the other religions and expressed his concerns. He convinced them to start referring to the people that adhered to the old ways as Convocationists and to refer to that set of beliefs as Convocationism. The new religions would then begin teaching their followers that the ways of Convocationism prevented a person from finding salvation. Thus the new religions started demonizing the ways of Convocationism. Portraying it in a light that made it repulsive to even think about such ways.

The new strategy worked better than Joseph had hoped. More and more people flocked to the True Believers Religion and to the other religions that had sprung up after. And the beliefs in all the new religions was stronger than ever.

The Oppressive Landscape

Growth in the religions was booming. Each religion taught the need to spread their beliefs and missionaries of all forms were scouring the world in search of new souls for their religious machine. And admittance was at an all time high in every religion.

The labeling of Convocationism and its subsequent demonization was a staggering success. Joseph’s followers took to the scorning of Convocationism with zeal and it was a marvelous success at keeping his followers from seeing the personal gains others were making outside his religion.

The other religions saw the success of this tactic and quickly put it to use. Soon, every religion instilled the belief that theirs was the only way to salvation and actively scorned the others.

Then the inevitable started happening. As religious affiliation grew, the idea that someone could not belong to a religion became unbearable to those that followed a religion. Followers of a religion started referring to anyone not in their religions as heathens. As ones that should be converted and looked upon as “less than” themselves because they did not adhere to the same beliefs.

Thus, due to the natural progression of ideals, most religions adopted the policy of saving someones soul by any means necessary. ..and if they could not be saved, then they could not be allowed to continue their heathenish ways.

The rights of the individuals was being subverted by those of the religions, and those not affiliated with a religion found the need to isolate themselves from those that were. Thus began the isolation of the individual.

The Loss of Self and Fellowship

As the religions become more and more zealous in their attempts to convert souls to their religious machines, They put more and more pressure on others to join their religions.

An air of superiority of the religions and oppression for those not in their religion settles upon the world.

The growing religions and their unabashed race for more souls brings with it not the salvation that they profess, but a loss of the power of the individual and individual growth. It fosters instead the belief of individual powerlessness and the use of fellowship to propagate that belief.

The concept of personal growth and self improvement are driven to the brink of extinction and almost all that is remembered or understood is the need for a person to join a religion because they are powerless and need protection. And all under the guise of “I want to save your soul because I love you.”

The Exile

In this time of spiritual strife there was much suffering. The religions were not delivering on their promise of salvation, instead turning their attention to the collection of souls. All the while blaming the lack of growth of their flock on the shortcomings of the members of the flock themselves. It was a vicious cycle of failure because the system is flawed, but blaming not the thing that is flawed but the people following that system.

The Spirit watched as soul after soul decided to join this religion or that. He knew the consequences of such a decision, but when he tried to help, his efforts were rejected. So he was forced to let them make their own decisions and learn from their mistakes. But now the times were changing. The knowledge of the old ways of personal growth with help from the Spirit had diminished to the point that most souls did not really have a choice at all. They were all but forced to choose one religion or another with no real knowledge of how things should be. The Spirit knew that people needed to trust in the power of their own spirit and in the fellowship of what has come to be known as Convocationism, but saw that they had no real way of attaining that realization.

Around this time Joseph and his religion The True Believers was quite prosperous. Even though the other religions warred for souls, his was the oldest and the largest and won almost every time. So his collection of souls, and therefore his personal power, was growing well.

Joseph was quite pleased, but decided it was time to go after the one thing that has proven most troublesome for his religion’s growth. …The Spirit of Convocationism. Joseph knew that as long as the Spirit protected the souls that trusted in him, Convocationism would always win against the false promises offered by any other religion. Joseph called upon thousands of his most loyal followers, knowing that having them close would bolster his power, then they set off to sway the Spirit of Convocationism.

Joseph met with the Spirit and talked. He tried all forms of half-truths, misdirection and lies to sway even the smallest amount of the Spirit to favor the new religions, and Joseph’s True Believers in particular. But to no avail.

Joseph called upon the power of the souls he brought with him along with his own power to try and sway the thinking of the Spirit. But all attempts failed because the truth and power of the Convocational ways was far too great to ever be corrupted.

Joseph sent word to the leaders of the other religions and called upon their combined power to sway the thinking of the Spirit. Each leader, to a man, arrived with thousands upon thousands of devout followers, and used their combined power to try and sway the Spirit of Convocationism in the slightest. Days, then weeks, then months went by as they relentlessly assaulted the Spirit to try and sway his thinking. But to no avail. For what they did not realize is that the power of one free soul is greater than billions upon billions of enslaved ones. Their combined power was not nearly enough to sway the Spirit’s thinking.

Upon trying everything they could, and applying the combined power of all the religions, they realized they had failed. They knew then that no matter how many souls they wrested power from, it would never be enough to sway even the smallest part of the Spirit and that Convocationism would endure forever.

The leaders left with all of their followers, empty handed, and threw themselves even more into converting souls to their religions.

The Spirit of Our Faith knew that he had to do something, or the souls would not have a choice but to join one religion or another. He knew that every soul needed a place to go and learn to trust in their own power and the power of the fellowship of Convocationism. To this end he creates a place for souls to grow and learn where their beliefs will have minimal impact on the spiritual realm.

Earth and the material realm thus comes into being and souls are sent there, without memory of the religions of the spiritual plane for a lifetime of learning and growth. To give each soul a chance to learn to trust in the power of their own spirit and in the power of the fellowship of Convocationism.

The Shifting Fields of War

When the material world was ready, each person, in his own time, was sent there, without memory of the spiritual realm and its plethora of religions trying to make them believe they are powerless while stealing some of that power for the self proclaimed “Gods” that started the different religions. The souls were sent there to live a lifetime and have the chance to learn to trust in their souls power and the power of the fellowship of Convocationism.

Upon seeing this, Joseph saw great potential. If he could figure out a way to influence the material world, even in the slightest, then he could possibly start converting people without the ever present truth of Convocationism pointing out his religion’s failings.

Joseph knew he had only one chance, if he failed the Spirit of Convocationism would block him forever. To this end he called upon the power of every soul he had enslaved. Joseph also called together every God of every religion of the spiritual realm, who mustered every ounce of power from all their combined enslaved souls. Joseph used this combined power and pressed with all the might of every religion and God to effect the material world.

Upon seeing what Joseph and the other Gods were doing the Spirit of Convocationism blocked them, but the damage had been done. The seed of religion had been planted, ever so slightly onto the material world.

As the people encountered things they did not understand, or could not explain, they felt that seed, manifested as need to explain it, and attributed it to a higher power. Thus satisfying the underlying desire to make sense of the world. To feel safe in the face of adversity and rather than grow personally, to take an easier route and believe in a power greater than themselves that would take care of them.

Over time, this need grew into many different religions, both past and present, that served to condition souls into an existence of powerlessness and servitude. The ideals of growth of personal power and the fellowship of Convocationism were corrupted in the material realm. Though the ideas of such still lived on.

Even with the corruption, every soul now had a chance to learn to rely upon their own power and the power of the fellowship of Convocationism.

Complacency and the Shift in Power

In the early days of the material world there sprang up many different religions. Along with the belief structures of each. As each new religion sprung up, it either fought for its place in the material realm or was wiped away by the missionaries of the established religions. In this manner many religions rose and fell in the material realm.

The Spirit of our Convocationism saw the rise and fall of many of the religions, and knew that it would serve to show the souls that lived in the material realm that giving up of ones own power to another can only lead to destruction and servitude. But many of the inhabitants persevered through and learned nothing except blind perseverance in the face of adversity.

As time drew on, and more and more souls spent their time in the material realm, more and more religions rose, gained power and then gave way to another, just as the different empires rose, gained power and then fell to another.

The Spirit of Convocationism watched and had faith in the power of each soul to realize the pattern, but more and more the religions grew and fewer and fewer believed, choosing rather to give up their own power in place of powerlessness and servitude.

The Faithful on a Mission

As the religions again grew to oppressive proportions, the Spirit of Convocationism decided the time had come to give people a choice again. To this end he sent knowledge of Convocationism to the material realm. He calls upon his people to stay true to their own power, to experience the power of the fellowship of Convocationism and to go into the world and let every soul know that they have a choice.

They no longer have to believe that there is no choice but to give up their power and become powerless. They no longer have to live in servitude only to fuel the greed and power hungry desires of another. They can follow the guides of Convocationism and grow in their own personal power.

There are those among you that follow the path. Seek them out and enjoy their fellowship. Spread the word of Convocationism in everything that you do and let others make an informed decision as to their own path. Your mission is not to convert them, but to let them know that there is something out there that is better than anything they know.

Convocationism and the Spirit of Our Faith can fulfill the promise that other religions have failed to deliver. It can set you free from servitude and protect your everlasting salvation.