Responsibility

This is the text of my talk delivered Sunday, November 17, 2013

Last weekend I was at a workshop at the Unity Church in Hammond. During a break I walked by some people in conversation and I head this one sentence, “Well, it’s not my responsibility.” I heard that in a way that I thought they were saying, “I’m not supposed to do that, someone else is.”

So let me ask you, “What is your primary responsibility in life?” Is it protecting your kids from harm, or perhaps educating them to be good citizens, or maybe it’s making enough money to provide not only food, clothing, and shelter, but a cell phone and cable TV.

But then, what if you don’t have kids; is your primary responsibility for the well-being and happiness of your spouse/ partner/ significant other, etc.? And if you’re not in a relationship, what then?

Is your primary responsibility the planet; or maybe it is humanity and social justice?

Our loved ones and our planet and the rights of oppressed people can be big emotional issues for us, and they are important. So, as the saying goes, “What is yours to do?”

I am pretty confident in giving you two answers. One is: I have absolutely no idea whatsoever what is yours to do in the world.

I do, however, have a clearer idea of what is yours to do in life: “Know thyself.”

This is the self we see when, as Jim Tallman talked about last week, we take off our “Clark Kent” disguise to reveal our true identity, Superman/Superwoman; in other words, to reveal ourselves as a powerful being.

We will come to know ourselves by taking responsibility for our state of consciousness. Your state of consciousness determines which kind of world you create.

This is our primary responsibility. Not to the exclusion of others, but always ahead of any other.  Everything you make yourself responsible for, in the world, is greatly enhanced by knowing yourself.

(Tolle) “If you see a diseased or dysfunctional world out there it’s because a diseased or dysfunctional consciousness creates a diseased or dysfunctional world “out there.” The world I’m speaking of is the human made world.  Your state of consciousness determines what kind of world you create, what kind of actions you take, and what consequences your actions have.”

 If you look at history it’s pretty evident that there has been a deep-seated dysfunction in the consciousness of humans. Have you ever seen an animal that’s chained up constantly? It walks the same path over and over again. The human race has lived from the beginning of time like a chained animal constantly walking the same path over and over again: On a global scale I’d describe it this way, “I’m in conflict. How do I resolve this? War.” On a personal scale I would describe it this way, “I’m in conflict. How do I solve this? Fight back.

I recently heard a talk show host say – and by the way this is a talk show host who seems to have a kinship with the Jesus of the Bible – I heard him say, “When someone attacks me I don’t turn the other cheek. I fight back and I fight back until I crush them.”

          So this talk show host has a propensity to fight back when he feels he’s been wronged. What about you? What do you do when you feel you have been wronged whether it is on a grand scale or a small scale? As you contemplate your answer remember every time you feel anything other than peace you are in some way, shape or form fighting back. Remember, too, that you have the choice to continue or to stop.

If there is no shift in our propensity to fight back, whether it’s fighting back on a global scale or its unleashing anger within, the dysfunction stays alive and we inflict suffering upon ourselves. Case in point: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAqBitV574c

          In that film clip Jim Carrey’s character is trying how to get out of something rather than take responsibility.

This is your primary responsibility: take ownership for your state of consciousness now.

(Tolle) “Am I generating disturbance, am I generating negativity, am I generating suffering and conflict for myself and toward others? Am I generating inner pollution with continuous absurd thought producing negative emotions…?

          For there to be a personal awakening you say, “OK, I will take responsibility now.” Some people don’t even know there is the possibility of taking responsibility, this is why you are so important. You are the beginning of the transformed world. And it’s not primarily about what you do, there is something more primary than about what you do and that’s how and what you express through your state of consciousness. What you do flows through your consciousness.”

          Transformed consciousness is your primary responsibility. If you were unaware of that before, now you know it.

          (Tolle) “Even though there are others who remain unconscious, that’s ok. It’s enough for you to transform your own consciousness…” In case you’re thinking you can’t I will help you by letting you know unequivocally that you are up to it – otherwise you wouldn’t be here today, you wouldn’t be attracted to the transformational message of Unity.

          Sometimes we get upset about what we perceive other people do not know, but should. Jesus reminds us to “Forgive them Father for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34) When other people are bound by unconscious streams of thought… forgive them, for they know not what they do.  It’s not like they get off scott-free for being unconscious. They will reap the consequences of their unconscious sowing. We think they are happy idiots, but cause and effect are never separated. Unconscious thinking begets suffering. We have a choice: to suffer and take the long road home or to work to awaken our awareness to not just the Presence of God but to that power within us.

I will close with some words written by Sandra Bilotto. She write these words knowing the experience of taking responsibility (or, ownership) for her consciousness, “I came to experience that I am an eternal being who is profoundly loved and has always been connected to God.

As I have allowed this connection to be a part of my everyday life, the more elegant, serene, and simple it has become… Sure, all the stuff of life goes on – flat tires, sick parents, mortgage payments, broken cell phones – [but I know] even in the midst of intensity, I am able to be still, quiet, and connected…

I was gradually liberated from the chains of a confusing existence into a beautiful world that I know see all around me, and I know that I am held in great loving arms forever.”

As we awaken humanity awakens and we are responsible for nothing less than awakening humanity.

We do it by awakening our own minds.

What could be simpler?