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}