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Thoughts on evil and free will??

deborah

Director Emerita
Staff member
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HI *************************

I am a firm believer in Free Will. I believe that I am responsible for how I choose to feel and how I choose to react. If we look at human history, and the current conflicts within this life time; it is apparent that we work very hard to overcome difficulties and darkness. Some people call it evil. Balance should be the goal. Finding ones center is what enables us to overcome the illusion of opposites.

The scientific law's of energy explain why we work so hard to overcome it - ENERGY FOLLOWS ATTENTION. In other words, if we hate darkness and focus our attention on war, disease and illness -- guess what we are aware of and thus create - life after life?

The key is that while we choose good, and we choose light, we have to also compassionately allow for lights opposite expression. This will lead us to mastering compassion. With it comes responsibilities and personal power. We live in a world of polarities - it is by way of darkness that we come to know -- the light. BUT as Braden states so eloquently below -----------

This is not to say that you will not be witness to other's expressions of darkness. Their darkness does not have to become your experience. Hating Lucifer and blaming others for fear and dark experiences provides just the opposite effect to that intended. - Gregg Braden

A question from a member:
....i was wondering does anyone think there are bad souls who choose to be reincarnated into a life where they know they can do harm

The choice and the change begins in the NOW. There are people who have been raised in the worst of conditions, beaten, starved, neglected, sexually raped. Some of them rise to the occasion - and start foundations, or join organizations to help those who are now living through a similar hell. These people CHOOSE with CONSCIENCE to make a difference, to love and hold out a helping hand. They choose to no longer run the repeat - or rerun the same mistakes - over and over. Nor do they bounce back and forth in extremes opposites from life time to life time.

Others choose to fight, kill, steal, rape and act out what was done to them. This IMO is because they have little conscience. They are stuck in a cycle that will take an extreme amount of Free Will to break free from. They have to choose it. No one can do it for them. ;)

To me, actions speak louder than words. People post words on the internet and point fingers bouncing around conjecture; however, only those that actually take affirmative action to make a difference are creating a better future - for themselves and for others; they are what I call - spiritual activists. The bottom-line is to create a better future for yourself and others. Take action in the moment, in the NOW.

Love, Light and compassion will follow. Balance will manifest within and perhaps past lives will be more readily remembered. The answers are all within. Change happens - one person at a time. ;)

Best of luck on your spiritual journey.
 
Deborah said:
I am a firm believer in Free Will. I believe that I am responsible for how I choose to feel and how I choose to react. If we look at human history, and the current conflicts within this life time; it is apparent that we work very hard to overcome difficulties and darkness. Some people call it evil. Balance should be the goal.Finding ones center is what enables us to overcome the illusion of opposites.

The scientific law's of energy explain why we work so hard to overcome it - ENERGY FOLLOWS ATTENTION. In other words, if we hate darkness and focus our attention on war, disease and illness -- guess what we are aware of and thus create - life after life?

What really astonishes me, is that it's still happening. Didn't anybody learn anything from what happened during World War II?

I wish the Peace movement would heed your words, Deborah. Fighting against war isn't going to bring Peace on Earth. It just gives War another enemy to incite popular hatred against.

I have a quote around somewhere (famous last words, I know) to the effect that in order to gain popular support for War, all you need to do is use propaganda to make it 'unpatriotic' to be anti-war. I will support our troops, but I will not support war. War is pointless and stupid. Or is that something you have to learn the hard way? My father spent his career helping rehabilitate soldiers tormented by having to kill people.

He never talked about his work, or Korea, where he became a veteran. He was a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne. There was a poster that hung on the stairway in our house when I was a child. It said "War is not healthy for children, or other human beings." I have a necklace that had that same slogan on it, it was Mom's. Dad learned the hard way not to support war. They were both civil rights activists, as well.

It's the flashbacks that do it, I think. I believe it was with Vietnam vets they noticed that was a real problem for them. All the worst, most horrible memories of war you can imagine, and things you can't-in full sensory, emotional surround sound and imax video. They can go on for hours at a time.

I would think that might be a good idea to not support war. It does this to all the soldiers, regardless of whether they won or lost. Regardless of whether their cause was righteous or evil.

If for no other reason, war should be prevented for the sake of the men who must wage it.

Deborah said:
The choice and the change begins in the NOW. There are people who have been raised in the worst of conditions, beaten, starved, neglected, sexually raped. Some of them rise to the occasion - and start foundations, or join organizations to help those who are now living through a similar hell. These people CHOOSE with CONSCIENCE to make a difference, to love and hold out a helping hand. They choose to no longer run the repeat - or rerun the same mistakes - over and over. Nor do they bounce back and forth in extremes opposites from life time to life time.

Others choose to fight, kill, steal, rape and act out what was done to them. This IMO is because they have little conscience. They are stuck in a cycle that will take an extreme amount of Free Will to break free from. They have to choose it. No one can do it for them.

;)

And then there are those who are raised in the best of conditions who choose to fight, kill, etc. I personally don't understand that. I understand the reasons for the Gates
Foundation-they may be the world's richest people, but they've also got the most compassionate hearts.

Like most Linux admins, I used to think that Bill Gates was the Great Satan of the IT industry, but everyone I've known who worked for Microsoft had a high opinion of him. And that was his choice. He didn't have to set up the world's richest foundation, or start transitioning out of Microsoft so he can work at the Foundation full-time.

It's not a choice you expect in a CEO of a company he founded. Maybe after retirement. Most of them stay in the corner office untill they have to retire. I have great respect for such a choice. They also are giving away free software for developers. :thumbsup:

Deborah said:
To me, actions speak louder than words. People post words on the internet and point fingers bouncing around conjecture; however, only those that actually take affirmative action to make a difference are creating a better future - for themselves and for others; they are what I call - spiritual activists. The bottom-line is to create a better future for yourself and others. Take action in the moment, in the NOW.

Definitely. That's why I decided to take the tremendous risk of writing a book that reveals publicly the idenity of my past life self-because the process I developed has been helping people with some of the same stuff I went through. I didn't have to. I could have kept my mouth shut and sat on it forever. The thought of breaking the code of silence absolutely terrifies me.

I just think it's more important to get a healing process to the people who need it most. Everyone else whose past life memories are dreadful flashbacks of the results of conquest, war, famine, and death.

That's why my mission statement is: Use your powers for good.

Imagine what would happen if everyone used their powers for good...

Peace.

Phoenix
 
Hi,

I don’t believe anyone chooses to be born specifically with the intention of doing harm. In other words – I don’t think people are born bad.

Henry Bolduc states:
“I believe that every soul reincarnates in a particular lifetime for one of three reasons. First, we may reap the benefits of grace resulting from the good we have done for others in the past; second, we may correct our faults, thus balancing our good and bad deeds - referred to as karma; and third, we may experience life in such a way that we can contribute to the ocean of life.”

In my opinion – we are born with equal opportunity because the potential for good and bad exists in all of us and it is the choices we make that determine the course of our lives.

We all are Free Will beings. We make the choices (the action) that create the situations around us (the reaction). Some people have a difficult time making the right choice – and the more “bad” choices they make, the more negativity they attract into their lives. As Deborah said – “ENERGY FOLLOWS ATTENTION.” What we focus on, we draw towards us.

That we have Free Will means that each and every soul is capable of making whatever choice it desires in any situation at any time. It has total freedom to exercise its creativity as it chooses -- to create chaos through negativity, or to create peace through transcending our fears and creating with love and conscious intent.

Again, Bolduc states:

"Make good choices and learn good things along the way, such as kindness, patience, and forgiveness. Learn to be joyful and generous to others and everything you need will come to you. ...Be kind and patient. How you treat others will be important to you. Be kind to others and kindness will come back to you. What you do to others, sooner or later, walks through the doors of your own house. And remember to be kind and patient with yourself."

Brightest Blessings,

Ailish
 
I found this old thread and thought it might be of interest to newer members especially since the topic of evil is at hand. ;)


Phoenix - I also had to laugh when I read your post, specifically this part:

I understand the reasons for the Gates Foundation-they may be the world's richest people, but they've also got the most compassionate hearts.
Like most Linux admins, I used to think that Bill Gates was the Great Satan of the IT industry, but everyone I've known who worked for Microsoft had a high opinion of him. And that was his choice. He didn't have to set up the world's richest foundation, or start transitioning out of Microsoft so he can work at the Foundation full-time.


It's not a choice you expect in a CEO of a company he founded.
The man I am dating now is a programmer and was very good friends with Bill Gates - back when the first MAC was under a white sheet in a small office belonging to BG. The stories he tells makes me ROTFLMAO. A compassionate man in his own right...his first hand stories of programmers back in the day - should be a movie. ;)
 
Evil doesn't always win


Good thread bump, Deborah. I'd forgotten all about it, and evil is something I've been seeing a lot of lately in my neighborhood. Real human evil, not philosphical conceptualizing.


We have a serious problem with gang violence being caused by high school students. Assaults, mostly.


It is not their policy to respond to anything that takes outside of the walls of the school building, even if their students try to kill someone just down the street while the buses are loading.


Just last week, right in front of me and my camera, three high school students walked off school property, charged 100 yards down the street and assaulted my neighbor.


While I was one the phone with the 911 dispatcher giving her play by play, they beat him over the head with a section of split-rail fencing, otherwise known as a 'log', and then escaped in a getaway vehicle that pulled up.


It was planned, and the assault took two minutes from the charge to the getaway.


What made it so evil is that the pictures clearly show them smiling and laughing while they tried to kill another human being. Those pictures show the face of evil.


Fortunately, good triumphed over evil in this case. My neighbor has a hard head, and he was treated and released and is doing fine.


Thanks to the pictures and the responsiveness of the BCPD, all three of the assailants were arrested within a couple of hours for "assault with intent to do bodily harm less than murder" and I've already got two of the three subpoenas for their preliminary hearings.


Use your powers for good, it's the only weapon we have against evil. It does work.


Phoenix
 
Phoenix said:
What really astonishes me, is that it's still happening. Didn't anybody learn anything from what happened during World War II?
I wish the Peace movement would heed your words, Deborah. Fighting against war isn't going to bring Peace on Earth. It just gives War another enemy to incite popular hatred against..... War is pointless and stupid. Or is that something you have to learn the hard way? ...
I don't really like too much talk of 'good' and 'evil' or 'light' and 'dark' although I know exactly what you mean Deborah (believe me) and I think these are excellent metaphors to assist people in their thinking and adjust their attitudes towards what they are doing, how they are conducting themselves and why. This is best done in this life in the real world. I absolutely concur.


Most 'evil' in the world, in my view, stems from simple greed, fear and stupidity. Hopefully these are things which we gradually manage to cleanse ourselves of over centuries of painful trial and error? When finally the 'penny drops' and we realise that these behaviours are 'unskillful' (as the Buddha puts it) and only lead to more upset, more pain, more suffering, more war, more greed, more fear and more stupidity. As you say Phoenix, it is 'something you have to learn the hard way', in my view.


It is easy to start pointing the finger and judging others and calling them or their actions 'good' or 'evil'. Most people are 'doing their best' - such as it is. Most people are somewhat misguided and/or ignorant of what that 'best' could consist of in a 'better world', largely because our culture is a very violent and materialistic one which worships wealth and worldly 'success' above pretty much everything else.


Without straying too far into politics, and acknowledging that you acted completely correctly Phoenix by stepping in to assist in putting those young hooligans into the hands of the authorities before more harm was done to your neighbours (well done) my concerns are less with the bad behaviour of the 'little' people of the world than with the bad behaviour of the 'big' ones. It is Heads of State who begin wars, set policies, sometimes abuse their power, reward their friends and ignore the suffering of those they don't need. It is heads of corporations who make decisions about cutting corners, dumping chemicals, stripping resources and exploiting the poor. All this is done in the name of money.


Fortunately though, the right actions of other 'big' and 'small' people also are wonderfully powerful. Some people want peace, happiness and harmony more than anything else and have the courage, strength and resources to work for it. The Gateses, the Buffets, the Ghandis and Mandellas... The list goes on. These people are shining beacons of light in a sometimes dark world - it is true. They deserve our admiration, our praise and our immitation of their examples.


I have hope that one day we will look back upon these dark times, just as we look back upon WWII today, and shake our heads with disbelief that society could allow poverty, starvation, pollution, species extinction and so on to be conducted for the personal enrichment of a minority of very greedy and rather stupid people. We have the resources to fix these things. We just, somehow, are too busy doing other 'more important' things to get around to it.


Perhaps, if we all wish for it, imagine it, dream it and work towards it, it won't happen overnight.....
 
Good post, Tanguerra. :thumbsup:

tanguerra said:
Most 'evil' in the world, in my view, stems from simple greed, fear and stupidity.
I think these all come down to fear in the end, also greed and stupidity.


Karoliina
 
Deborah


Reading your original post reminded me of an old saying of my grandfather's:


"That there is a devil there is no doubt. But is he trying to get in us or is he trying to get out?"


I thought I had forgotten that saying I heard as a child.


I agree with you. Good or evil? It's our own free willed choice.
 
Deborah,


Yes, many people do try to work to overcome darkness, at times, to overcome darkness in themselves.


I personally am not in love with balance, but that's just me. I disagree however, with this statement- "The key is that while we choose good, and we choose light, we have to also compassionately allow for lights opposite expression." Where is compassion in allowing darkness? To me, if we have compassion for people, we would want to protect them from harm. And from this darkness you speak of, comes harm. If you see a man beating a woman because he wants to feel powerful, is it compassion to walk by? Compassion is stopping such acts, and if possible healing both the victim and the perpetartor. However, I do believe we need to learn to be more understanding of the dark side of others.


I definitely agree with you that wishing for good isn't going to get us anywhere without action to back it up. An important point, indeed, and one that people need to be reminded of more often- we could all take note of that.


As for bad souls- I don't know if bad souls would be allowed to choose to reincarnate into a life where they could harm people. For the most part, I believe people have free will while in body, but I am not so sure that there aren't laws governing what life we will return to.


Do I believe in evil? Yes. I certainly do. Do I believe in free will? For the most part, BUT when it comes to a "truly evil" person, I think free will is a seriously blurry issue. Let me give you an example.


Sociopaths generally are not serial killers. The number of sociopaths in the world is surprising to me, but most of them don't go around killing people left and right. I assume this is in part, because many of them have little to no desire to kill. However, I'm pretty sure that many serial killers are sociopaths.


Let's take those that do want to murder. Let's take someone who for some reason is attracted to the idea of murder. Maybe they have anger issues. Maybe they were beaten and it's all they know. Maybe they feel the need for control. Whatever the reason, this individual craves to murder someone. Let's say this person is also a sociopath. As a general rule, we can presume (to my knowledge) that as a sociopath they are SERIOUSLY lacking in empathy (even compassion) and remorse. They also tend to experience less fear than the average person. Further, feeling less would be rather boring, and feeling less fear and less of a lot of things might leave them looking for stimulation or a rush.


So, let's examine that. This person lacks compassion and empathy- so such things as sympathy will not sway them from murder. They have no conscience. No compassion, no remorse. It won't bother them to murder someone. They don't care about them. They also know- since they don't have remorse- that they aren't going to regret it, unless they get in trouble...and then they might. But they have subdued fear, so the thought of getting into such serious trouble won't be as disturbing or off putting. They have little reason to want to avoid murder- yet they have a reason to want to murder....those reasons are to satisfy desires, warped psychological needs, and to get stimulation it is hard for them to find elsewhere. Now, tell me why such a person would EVER choose not to kill? They desire to kill, they have nothing in them making them want to not kill. The choice is obvious...it's hardly a choice at all.


Now, I'm not completely denying that they are responsible. They commit the acts, and they could choose not to. But due to their makeup, which many have no choice in, the choice will be so obvious to them, I can't see why the majority of them would even consider any other course of action. Also, given that some have terrible impulse control, this makes it even more difficult for them to do otherwise. And morality, is not just what we are taught. Morals aren't just learned. Some are innate- instinct- this instinct in these people, is busted.


I honestly don't think there is any hope for a truly sociopathic serial killer (not saying just a sociopath or serial killer, but someone who is both sociopathic and desires to murder) to ever be rehabilitated in said lifetime. The body is damaged- set up to be set off by environmental triggers, in my opinon- and then the environment was.........not suitable, not nurturing. Born into a safer body, or even into another damaged body, but a good environment, this person may have a better chance to exercise good free will in another lifetime.


I guess, to me, sociopaths have something I would compare to an autoimmune disease. In autoimmune diseases, sometimes a person is genetically predispositioned to getting said illness, but an environmental trigger sets it off. That same trigger wouldn't cause the same illness in a person without those genes. Also, someone with those genes who didn't encounter the trigger, would also not develop the disease necessarily. I think sociopaths are born genetically susceptible and then are triggered by environment. Many sociopaths show symptoms in early childhood, but I don't think they chose that life.


I personally think most kids are a mix of potential as someone else posted....to me they have the potential to be extremely good and terribly evil, but as time goes on both aspects seem to dull somewhat in most people. And I DO think genetics makes some kids more likely to go one way or the other.


As for light and dark- I think of darkness as a positive thing, so the comparison doesn't work very well for me, but I understand most people see light as good, dark as bad, so I get the implications.


GreenKnight- love the quote from your grandpa
 
HI Cloacina,

As for bad souls- I don't know if bad souls would be allowed to choose to reincarnate into a life where they could harm people. For the most part, I believe people have free will while in body, but I am not so sure that there aren't laws governing what life we will return to.
I don't embrace the idea of "laws" or being "allowed." I think the responsibility.... the cause and effect of our life (lives) lay with-in each of us. I am a believer in the power of consciousness and the ability of our thoughts, feelings and emotions to create. Maybe that's just me.. however..... : angel


If our thoughts, what we hold in consciousness at the time of our death determines our next ‘life experience’ then maybe this is why there are no set rules. Maybe this is why some souls are born into the same families, and some are not. Maybe this is why some souls do not reincarnate for decades, or even centuries, while others are born into another life almost immediately.


Each individual is unique. This of course opens the doors for endless possibilities. This means each of us may be right because we believe certain things! :eek::rolleyes::laugh::cool


It's a thought anyway. All I can say is Life is good. And - even though I joke around saying this - I also believe it; I am the master of my own Universe. :)


But then - so to is everyone else in my mind. :)
 
I'm very interested in the topic of Light and Darkness (as you can see from my signature quote). I don't really think that there are real, tangible 'entities' that can be called light or dark, and also don't think that people are only one or the other. I feel like the terms 'light' and 'dark' are used to represent different levels of energetic or thought vibration and that we all have the choice, like Deborah said, and the responsibility to become self-aware, awake individuals. I also believe that those who wish to become bearers of 'light', or more practically, positivity, must experience negativity in some form, in order to be able to recognize the difference between the two. This is just my basic personal theory, based on my own personal experience, the experience of friends, and a recent fascination with waking up and consciousness. I am always looking for other people's beliefs, studies, and interpretations in order to learn more.


Cloacina, I definitely agree: "many people do try to work to overcome darkness, at times, to overcome darkness in themselves."


I think that actually sums up what I was trying to say, especially in reference to myself. I feel like once I started to become more aware, to 'wake up' as my friend calls it, I began to battle my own inner darkness, whereas before I was not even aware of it and I just accepted it as a part of me. That brings me to another interesting realization that I had the other day about the mythical figure of 'satan' and 'demons': If beings such as these exist, then they are sentient beings just like us and they deserve compassion and love just as we all do. In addition to that idea, I wondered what creatures such as these would feel like, what their lives would be like, how lonely they would feel living in such isolation and darkness, not knowing the interconnectedness of everything in the world and never being able to give or receive love. Maybe it's a little extreme and silly to think of things like this, but it can be applicable to very 'evil' people like murderers and sociopaths, etc.


Tanguerra, I agree with your post. Very well said.
 
Deborah said:
Others choose to fight, kill, steal, rape and act out what was done to them. This IMO is because they have little conscience. They are stuck in a cycle that will take an extreme amount of Free Will to break free from. They have to choose it. No one can do it for them. ;)
I've learned a lot since I wrote my original post. Mentoring street gang members teaches you many interesting lessons, and it also provided data to back up lessons I learned from my own lives.


One thing I learned about evil is that it is not something you are, but something you do. Evil is doing something wrong because you believe (at that moment) it is the right thing to do. Evil is also convincing someone that what is wrong, is right. It is also convincing someone that what is right, is wrong.


I've seen that happen over and over, not just in past existences, but right here and now on the streets of my town, where young men deal crack cocaine, assault and even kill each other, because someone has taught them what is wrong is right. We had 11 homicides this summer, mostly young men, and nearly all of them drug and/or gang related. We had another shooting just last night where two young men were gunned down and may not survive, and word on the street is we are going to see another cycle of retaliatory shootings like last summer.


Are they evil? Some of them are so deep into what they are doing that we could call them evil, and be not far off from the truth, because they know that what they do is wrong, but they do it nonetheless, because they don't feel that their life has any value and they are going to die anyway.


The rest, do it for various reasons, and our whole community is working together to help these young men stop that cycle of bad decision making and learn to value themselves so that they will value others.


Not easy, when you've spent your whole life being treated like so much garbage. And that's evil.


Phoenix
 
Phoenix said:
It's the flashbacks that do it, I think. I believe it was with Vietnam vets they noticed that was a real problem for them. All the worst, most horrible memories of war you can imagine, and things you can't-in full sensory, emotional surround sound and imax video. They can go on for hours at a time.
I would think that might be a good idea to not support war. It does this to all the soldiers, regardless of whether they won or lost. Regardless of whether their cause was righteous or evil.


If for no other reason, war should be prevented for the sake of the men who must wage it.
I remember doing all sorts of terrible things. I have repetitive blood curdling battle memories of doing all sorts of things...and having such things done to me not from this century or the one before (or even the one before). War is hell, make no mistake. It is gut wrenchingly horrible and I look forward eargerly to the day when it is a distant memory for humanity.


I have long since eschewed the way of violence for the way of love as a better way of being. Howsoever, at the time, what I was doing seemed absolutely 'good' to me, or at least 'normal' or 'right' or something. Sometimes I was defending my village and my family from attack (rape, murder, etc) and that's just how life was back then. That was 'life' as we knew it. If you were not strong and agressive, you were overwhelmed by others who were. I remember (in full technicolour and Imax with 'Senosoround') the 'bad old days' when these things were a very necessary part of life (lucky me). Life was very brutal not so long ago. It's easy to forget this (for most people).


HomoSapiens, despite how far we have come in many ways, is still in a very primitive form of life on a Universal scale of 1 to 10 at this point in history. That is not an excuse for violent, (or fearful or greedy or stupid) behaviour. Life is not like it was 500 or 5000 years ago. But sometimes, in some parts of the world certainly to this day, life is just 'like that'. Yes, we should know better. Yes we should do better. Is it good, is it evil, is it neccessity?


Yes, Phoenix, you are doing the right thing trying to lift up those kids to a higher way of being, trying to show then another way they might not have thought of. Yes, this behaviour of 'uplifting' others, to the best of our ability is 'good' (not 'evil'). Keep using your considerable and extensive powers for good and all will be well (eventually).
 
It is an older thread - but one I find particularly interesting.
 
Ahh, I see... I just read a fantastic book about it: To Kill A Mockingbird. Very interesting article, thank you Deborah.


Anyways, there are good in people and there are bad. I've seen murderers kill others just for their own pleasure. I've seen politicians make the wrong choice in their careers. And I have to say, it is free will why we make those evil decisions.


Mankind has made the world in black and white. If you think this way, you're evil. And that's what usually causes wars, especially Holy Wars. Honestly, I may be biased because I'm a huge fan of Atticus Finch but mostly we have to walk a mile in their shoes and skin to understand how it feels.


I can almost get a serial killer who has been abused almost his entire life. He would surely feel angry as he has only seen the worst of human behavior. But that doesn't mean he can go out and kill them. He could have done good things in his life and make the world a better place but he made a bad choice. And that's his fault. But evil leads to evil, no other way. You mishandle a person, you can bet he or she will mishandle you back someday.


I believe in evil, but its not permanent. I would be really happy if an ex-convict turns his ways and changes for the better and yes, the choices in life are your own free will. No prophecy or anything of that sort can change it.


No soul is born to do evil. They just made those choices along the way. For souls who were born in an abusive family, I'm not entirely sure on that. But once I cross over, I hope to get the answer.. But most probably I'll forget once I come back...


But that's just my opinion.
 
Deborah said:
The scientific law's of energy explain why we work so hard to overcome it - ENERGY FOLLOWS ATTENTION. In other words, if we hate darkness and focus our attention on war, disease and illness -- guess what we are aware of and thus create - life after life?
I saw a quote not too long ago that said,


"War against something is still war."


Unfortunately I don't remember where I saw it, nor do I remember who said it. So instead I'll give you another one. This one is by Mother Teresa in which she said,


"I was once asked why I don't participate in anti-war demonstrations. I said that I will never do that, but as soon as you have a pro-peace rally, I'll be there."


She understood the laws of the universe. Energy flows where attention goes, what you focus on expands, the Law of Attraction, etc.... Focusing on what you do not want is inviting it into your experience. If you want peace, CHOOSE peace. If you want compassion, CHOOSE compassion. Change your focus to what your desires are and invite THAT into your life. Instead of focusing on war and perpetuating the problem, Mother Teresa chose to focus on what she desired, and that was peace. To put it another way I'll quote Gandhi,


"Be the change you want to see."
 
Phoenix: If for no other reason, war should be prevented for the sake of the men who must wage it.
This would be so nice - not only on the physical level, but on the spiritual one as well.


...saying from experience.
 
Deborah said:
I am a firm believer in Free Will. I believe that I am responsible for how I choose to feel and how I choose to react. If we look at human history, and the current conflicts within this life time; it is apparent that we work very hard to overcome difficulties and darkness. Some people call it evil. Balance should be the goal.
The choice and the change begins in the NOW. There are people who have been raised in the worst of conditions, beaten, starved, neglected, sexually raped. Some of them rise to the occasion - and start foundations, or join organizations to help those who are now living through a similar hell. These people CHOOSE with CONSCIENCE to make a difference, to love and hold out a helping hand. They choose to no longer run the repeat - or rerun the same mistakes - over and over. Nor do they bounce back and forth in extremes opposites from life time to life time.
Others choose to fight, kill, steal, rape and act out what was done to them. This IMO is because they have little conscience. They are stuck in a cycle that will take an extreme amount of Free Will to break free from. They have to choose it. No one can do it for them. ;)
I don't really have anything to add to what has already been said here - other than WELL SAID DEBORAH! :thumbsup: Everything you said there rings completely true to me, I wish more people thought this way!
 
This thread has given me pause...to what extent does it appear we can prevent evil from affecting us in our lives? Since attention brings action (i.e. law of attraction), if we do not pay attention to "evil/dark", is it possible to coexist on this plane without having to experience evil/dark?


As an example, I have been in several situations wherein a critical level of the evil/dark has been present around me and has simply treated me as if I wasn't there. Once it was an armed robbery and the guy with the gun walked passed me seemingly without noticing me. Another time I entered a bar in which the people walking in behind me were immediately accosted by the gang inside...I was dressed the same, but I apparently disappeared before the group who was attacked. Another time a group passed me from behind and accosted a larger group of similarly unlikely victims ahead of me. These and other occasions wherein I was overlooked tends to almost give me a sense of invisibility to some level of dark/evil...at least that intent on physical harm. An image of a bubble of protection has come into my head.


So, does anyone think that through free will, we can be aware of the dark/evil in our environment, but choose not to engage with it...to choose not to become involved in the experience, to remain focused on love and light?
 
One of the rubs about the Law of Attraction that people don't like is that you have to take responsibility for everything in your life, both the good and the bad. Have you ever noticed some people are always in a good mood and things just seem to work out for them. Other people are always complaining and nothing ever seems to work out for them? Coincindence? Funny, the people I know who are always looking for a fight always seem to find one. I've haven't had a need or desire to fight anyone in years and haven't.


Whatever your dominent emotions are; love, gratitude, fear, hate, anger, you attract people and circumstances that continue to feed that emotion. So many people never understand this continue to be trapped on this carousel, not only in this lifetime, but lifetime after lifetime.
 
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