THE GOD PERSPECTIVE

 

#1:  See Children Everywhere You Look

Children are mostly unaware of how the world works. Their inability to see long-term costs for short-term gains (like a rough day at school after going to bed too late) largely eludes them. Although this lack of awareness comes with frustration, for both kids and parents, being somewhat ignorant of the world is part of the innocent bliss of childhood. But in a larger sense, childhood immaturity is not based on age alone. There are plenty of adults who act out and misbehave in ways that are objectively childish. When you encounter a misbehaving adult, you’re seeing someone who has - at least for the moment - reverted to an immature state of mind. In those instances, instead of seeing them as an adult who should know better, try seeing them as a frightened and confused child throwing a tantrum. This reins in your emotional reactivity and increases the compassion, patience, and benefit you can offer them.

Whether we’re talking about an 8-year-old child or an 80-year-old child, reality will eventually burst the bubble of ignorant, childish perceptions. And whenever that happens, it’s reassuring for them to have a wiser, calmer adult nearby for both comfort and advice. As mature adults, in our best moments, we embody a soothing presence of truth and love. But truth and love aren’t things we invent or create. Their source is found deep within the fabric of life itself… within a preexisting storehouse of intelligence that simply knows what works and what doesn’t work. Some call this intelligence, God. But you don’t have to call it that. You can simply see it as a framework of unchanging “spiritual physics” that is discoverable through trial and error.

#2:  Know That Everyone Eventually Grows Up

From our limited human perspective, we have many unanswered questions about why people are the way they are. But there’s a much higher perspective out there. It’s a perspective that sees all misbehavior - including every horrific act in history - as perpetrated by young, deluded souls, at an early stage of evolution, who have some very tough lessons to learn… usually through the consequences of their choices. This viewpoint on the human soul’s experience could be called a “God perspective.” And, true to the term, it’s not easy to grasp and instantly overloads the morality circuitry in many of us. As you may have gathered, this is a spiritual philosophy podcast, not a religious one. But to wrap our minds around this “God perspective,” it may help to describe it using religious terminology. So, let’s give this a try: God loves a brutal dictator just as much as he loves a selfless social worker. But God knows the dictator has a long road of lifetimes ahead to evolve into the selfless social worker consciousness. He also knows that the social worker achieved their loving consciousness through many lifetimes of learning and evolution that no doubt included less than loving (or even brutal) behavior. Throughout eternity, while learning how to love, we all come from a starting place of ignorance to love. But as our lives unfold, the “spiritual physics” of the Universe persuades us to evolve using the stick of unpleasant turmoil and the carrot of joyful peace. It’s prudent to recognize, though, that the reasons for difficult experiences in anyone’s life are sometimes shrouded in mystery… a mystery that, without a spiritual perspective, our intellect cannot reconcile.

I know this “God perspective” is a big leap for many listening to this episode. But if even for a moment we can entertain this perspective, it will remind us, when observing each other’s bad behavior, that we’re really just seeing examples of our own forgotten past childishness. Of course, misbehavior brings consequences in life. But misbehavior is just another word for confusion, and it never reflects anyone’s true nature. When we forget this truth, our own inner peace falters; but that peace is never further than one compassionate thought away.

#3:  Don’t Try To Grow Up Too Fast

Many well-meaning ministers, priests, and pastors encourage their followers to ask themselves when facing a choice, “What would Jesus do?” In certain circumstances, this question could inspire one to act with greater kindness or more integrity. But ultimately, referencing anyone else’s theoretical choice (much less a Godlike archetype) cannot be completely accurate for you and your life. The simple reason is that you are not them. As such, there’s no way to flawlessly overlay their theoretical choice onto your uniqueness as an individual. Trying to do so is an attempt to copy something that was never meant to be copied, but instead was meant to guide you into becoming your own person. What’s appropriate in any given scenario varies from person to person and is even different for the same person at different stages of their life. Choosing what to do or how to live is a process of self-discovery that is chiefly found within. If you try to replace that process with someone else’s, it’ll be difficult to discover who you are.

Having said all that, there’s no harm in looking up to someone else’s example. But you might not be ready to have an historical figure - whom many regard as perfect - as your everyday model. That’s the metaphorical equivalent of the Mt. Everest summit, representing the “finish line” on the road to self-realization. If you’re metaphorically working your way up a country hillside, while wrestling with intense fear and doubt, it could make you feel overwhelmed and discouraged to think about the snow-capped Himalayan peaks of human perfection. Instead, embrace where you are, and then take a step forward from there. Once you climb one hill of effective decision making, you’ll be ready for the next higher one… and then the next higher one after that. Step by step, you will eventually find yourself further along than you may have imagined… and what once appeared impossible will start to look attainable.

Because life is engineered for the benefit of our growth, and because growth is synonymous with greater love, the ultimate reflective question we can ask ourselves is, “What would love do now?” This is the only guidance we ever really need. And although how we define love changes over time, it’s enough to be true to our current definition of it. Incrementally, each greater loving choice you make will lead you to higher and higher definitions of love. And as your experiences of love become more profound, your answers to “What would love do now?” become more and more magnificent.

 

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