As we continue to explore EB's theology of non-resistance, let's see what one of Unity's foremothers, Imelda Octavia Shanklin, says about non-resistance in her classic book, What Are You?, first published in 1929. The last chapter of this book is titled, "Nonresistance." Here Shanklin specifically defines what nonresistance is: "Nonresistance is stronger than resistance; its practice requires more mind capacity than is required for resistance; its appeal is to the divine thing in you. It is the essence of God (p. 142). . . . The essence of nonresistance is unity. You are not isolated from the rest of the universe. You are an indispensable part of the universe . . . . The practice of nonresistance becomes easy when you take the attitude toward the universe in entirety and toward each entity of the universe in particular that the universe takes toward you" (p. 146).
In Unity of All Life (UAL), EB explores this idea in the chapter "From Futility to Meaning." In a discussion about the question Why, EB explains what he calls "the why of resistance." He says that this why is an "expression of rebellion against some undesirable situation. It does not really want to know the Truth. It prefers to consider itself the victim of an evil 'frame-up.' There may be a feeling that a thing came about by God's will for some inscrutable reason of His own. Or there is the feeling that great injustices are perpetrated on helpless humanity by the forces 'they say' are out to get you. This 'Why?' is a loud 'how dare you to do this to me' directed against life in general" (p. 33). EB goes on to say that the resistance is implicitly criticizing God. But by criticizing God, if such a thing were actually possible, EB says that those who resist just don't understand the nature of "the Infinite" and their own ability to be one with life. Thus, if a person accepts his/her part of a divine universe, as a divine being in it, then there is nothing to resist. The belief that God did something to us implies that God is "out there somewhere" (many people point upward) who is capricious and might be angry at us if we don't obey the rules (whatever they are). EB says, "The question. 'Why doesn't God . . .?' presupposes a duality, God 'out there' and man 'down here'" (p. 34).
And yet many of us realize that God cannot "do" anything. It is we who make choices and decisions about how we will live and more important, how we will deal with what happens to us. One aspect of resistance could be seen in the concept of failure, which EB also discusses in this same chapter of UAL. For some, success, as they define it, is a benchmark in itself. Goals just become stepping stones on a road to the ever-undefinable success. So as EB points out, people see failure as not achieving their goals and believe that they have failed themselves and/or others. But as EB also explains, modern research has been called 'the art of successful failing'" (p. 37). How many of us have been resistant even once to trying something new because we might fail. This is almost being resistant to success. If I do not try, I cannot succeed. Or as we know the popular phrase: "Nothing ventured; nothing gained." What if Edison had given up after the 500th time the lightbulb did not work?
As EB further explains, "Experiences are not good or bad of themselves. They become to us what we see them as being. We always have the choice tediously to go through them, or victoriously to grow through them. And, more than we know, meaning in life comes from our right of choice, the choice to have faith, to believe in deeper realities, to see the larger horizon" (pp. 39-40). Perhaps you've seen the motivational poster of a boat out to sea with the caption, "To explore new horizons, we must first lose sight of the shore." We need to be nonresistant to change, the unknown, rocking waves, turbulent seas and yes, even, metaphorical seasickness if we want to achieve our own level of success, as we define it. We would be foolish to believe that the sea is against us in a storm, when the sea is just being the sea. We decide whether we are getting into the boat and whether we will heed the weather reports. EB says, "The 'Why?' of a thing is never in the experience. It is only in the person" (p. 40). We decide how we will steer the boat and to which place we will sail. And, most important, we can change course anytime we want because we can choose not only how we will live, but how we will react to what happens to us.
Near the conclusion of this chapter, EB explains that life is lived from the inside out, and that life cannot be lived the other way. Yet, he believes, people are resistant to their experiences because this is how they live and furthermore because they "try to endow life with meaning through seeking meaning in experiences" (p. 41). When we focus on what we want and then do not receive it, we often make this "failure" mean something. And then we may get caught up in what EB calls the 'whirling circumference of life,'" (p. 41) to which we also endow meaning. But just as Shanklin does, EB also reminds us that we are the ones who in and of ourselves have meaning. As we see ourselves as part of a divine, abundant universe, we see ourselves, as EB says, "in the unity of all life. This means that we must find ourselves in the whole, must realize that the whole of Spirit is within us. It is not just a matter of 'finding God.' . . . It is more a matter of finding ourselves at the point of our own divinity" (p. 42). And this is exactly where non-resistance comes in, for if I accept my divinity in this great and wonderful universe, it follows that I also must accept those moments when I have forgotten this inherent divinity and made choices or taken action that are not for my highest and best good.
{To Be Continued}
Friday, April 30, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Does Butterworth's Theology include a Theme of Non-Resistance?
As I have been reading and re-reading Eric Butterworth's writings, I notice a recurrent theme of non-resistance. So, I want to explore this further. While the answer outright could be, "Of course, he does. He includes a chapter on it in Discover the Power Within You (DPWY)." But one chapter does not a theological bent make; hence, some exploration.
In DPWY, EB includes a chapter called "Your Thought is Your Life" (pp.73-87). One of the main ideas of this chapter is that through our thoughts we know and express our own divinity. Thus, we can improve and enhance our lives by keeping our thoughts spiritually centered. When EB explains Matthew 5:14-16, he recommends that we accept our own divinity and how we express it now. As the writer of Matthew says, Jesus urged those who listened to the Sermon on the Mount to "so shine [their] light" rather than placing it under a bushel. How sensible! It makes no sense to put a light under a bushel for it diminishes the power of the light. Thus, we diminish our own power by resisting our own light. EB says, "You cannot hide spirituality. . . . 'Let your light shine'" (p. 77). He further recommends that "being" is more important than "talking," referring to Ralph Waldo Emerson's belief that what we are speaks louder than what we say. And how many of us resist who and what we truly are? Don't many people fear that they are the "light of the world"? How often have we ourselves hidden our own light under a "bushel" because we it was easier to resist our own nature and follow the crowd instead?
In In the Flow of Life (IFL), EB explains how we should allow ourselves to flow with life and to live in life's flow. He says in the chapter, "The Art of Getting Along": "There is a flow of harmony and love everywhere, whether you are aware of it or not . . . . This is what the 'omnipresence of God' means. You do not leave the presence of God or the flow of life and love when you are negative or resistant. You leave the consciousness of the Presence. But you are in the flow and the flow is in you every moment and in every experience. . . . If you [feel as if you] are being pushed around, you are out of it. . . . [T]he desire to retatilate or incriminate is a state of your consciousness. . . . Jesus said, 'Love your enemies . . . that you may be sons of your Father' (Mt 5:44-45). Which is to say: Stop resisting and start loving. Get yourself back in the flow" (p. 84).
If we considered these ideas from an Non-Violent Communication (NVC) perspective, for example, we might understand that we have forgotten to connect to our own feelings and needs. Often we don't know what we need or how we feel, because we have put our light away and forgotten who it is we truly came here be. We get out of our own flow because sometimes we are so busy following someone else's path. Then we feel angry, upset, despondent, depressed even, and feel unhappy with our lives, often declaring at the breaking point, as Peter Finch does from a balcony in the movie, Network: "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore!" And one could almost imagine EB right out there in the audience saying, "Good for you. Get back into the flow. Stop resisting your own nature."
Furthermore, if we look more closely at the quote from Matthew, we could "love" our enemy because s/he has shown us that we are disconnected from ourselves. EB points out further on pages 84 and 85 of IFL that our feelings came about because there was chaos within us. He uses an example of someone taking a seat that we wanted, but if we are out of the flow, this could easily be the same as someone cutting us off in traffic, taking a parking place or grabbing the last loaf of rye bread off the shelf. The thing in itself isn't important; it is our reaction to it. If we are aware of our light and are in the flow, we might say, "Oh, well, s/he must be in a big hurry this morning and need to get to work faster than I do." If we imagine that the other person, as is suggested in Matthew, is also a child of God, we might realize that s/he is trying to fulfill his/her own needs and probably has nothing to do with us. If we realize that our light is still shining brightly and that we are in the flow, how interesting it is that we still get to work on time, or we find another seat on the train, or we find another kind of bread that we like even better. EB says that we could figuratively say, "'Thank you, for you have been instrumental in revealing to me that I am out of the flow'" (p. 85). This is our opportunity, once again, to recognize the divinity within ourselves, and in everyone else, too.
In addition, EB suggests that while the "creative nonresistance" of St. Francis, Jesus or Buddha may not be easy, our reaction or over-reaction to a person's behavior or a situation could lead to more serious consequences. In IFL, EB encourages us to do as Jesus did and pray for those "who despitefully use" us (p. 86). And of course, the truth is, they did not use us. They were completely focused on themselves. If we can change our thoughts about the person and/or the behavior/situation, chances are we will recognize our need to get back in the flow and into a greater awareness of our own shining light. Then we become non-resistant and allow things that might upset us to flow right on by.
{To Be Continued}
In DPWY, EB includes a chapter called "Your Thought is Your Life" (pp.73-87). One of the main ideas of this chapter is that through our thoughts we know and express our own divinity. Thus, we can improve and enhance our lives by keeping our thoughts spiritually centered. When EB explains Matthew 5:14-16, he recommends that we accept our own divinity and how we express it now. As the writer of Matthew says, Jesus urged those who listened to the Sermon on the Mount to "so shine [their] light" rather than placing it under a bushel. How sensible! It makes no sense to put a light under a bushel for it diminishes the power of the light. Thus, we diminish our own power by resisting our own light. EB says, "You cannot hide spirituality. . . . 'Let your light shine'" (p. 77). He further recommends that "being" is more important than "talking," referring to Ralph Waldo Emerson's belief that what we are speaks louder than what we say. And how many of us resist who and what we truly are? Don't many people fear that they are the "light of the world"? How often have we ourselves hidden our own light under a "bushel" because we it was easier to resist our own nature and follow the crowd instead?
In In the Flow of Life (IFL), EB explains how we should allow ourselves to flow with life and to live in life's flow. He says in the chapter, "The Art of Getting Along": "There is a flow of harmony and love everywhere, whether you are aware of it or not . . . . This is what the 'omnipresence of God' means. You do not leave the presence of God or the flow of life and love when you are negative or resistant. You leave the consciousness of the Presence. But you are in the flow and the flow is in you every moment and in every experience. . . . If you [feel as if you] are being pushed around, you are out of it. . . . [T]he desire to retatilate or incriminate is a state of your consciousness. . . . Jesus said, 'Love your enemies . . . that you may be sons of your Father' (Mt 5:44-45). Which is to say: Stop resisting and start loving. Get yourself back in the flow" (p. 84).
If we considered these ideas from an Non-Violent Communication (NVC) perspective, for example, we might understand that we have forgotten to connect to our own feelings and needs. Often we don't know what we need or how we feel, because we have put our light away and forgotten who it is we truly came here be. We get out of our own flow because sometimes we are so busy following someone else's path. Then we feel angry, upset, despondent, depressed even, and feel unhappy with our lives, often declaring at the breaking point, as Peter Finch does from a balcony in the movie, Network: "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore!" And one could almost imagine EB right out there in the audience saying, "Good for you. Get back into the flow. Stop resisting your own nature."
Furthermore, if we look more closely at the quote from Matthew, we could "love" our enemy because s/he has shown us that we are disconnected from ourselves. EB points out further on pages 84 and 85 of IFL that our feelings came about because there was chaos within us. He uses an example of someone taking a seat that we wanted, but if we are out of the flow, this could easily be the same as someone cutting us off in traffic, taking a parking place or grabbing the last loaf of rye bread off the shelf. The thing in itself isn't important; it is our reaction to it. If we are aware of our light and are in the flow, we might say, "Oh, well, s/he must be in a big hurry this morning and need to get to work faster than I do." If we imagine that the other person, as is suggested in Matthew, is also a child of God, we might realize that s/he is trying to fulfill his/her own needs and probably has nothing to do with us. If we realize that our light is still shining brightly and that we are in the flow, how interesting it is that we still get to work on time, or we find another seat on the train, or we find another kind of bread that we like even better. EB says that we could figuratively say, "'Thank you, for you have been instrumental in revealing to me that I am out of the flow'" (p. 85). This is our opportunity, once again, to recognize the divinity within ourselves, and in everyone else, too.
In addition, EB suggests that while the "creative nonresistance" of St. Francis, Jesus or Buddha may not be easy, our reaction or over-reaction to a person's behavior or a situation could lead to more serious consequences. In IFL, EB encourages us to do as Jesus did and pray for those "who despitefully use" us (p. 86). And of course, the truth is, they did not use us. They were completely focused on themselves. If we can change our thoughts about the person and/or the behavior/situation, chances are we will recognize our need to get back in the flow and into a greater awareness of our own shining light. Then we become non-resistant and allow things that might upset us to flow right on by.
{To Be Continued}
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Welcome
This blog will explore some of the wisdom and wonder of Eric Butterworth, a 20th century theologian in the Unity Movement.
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