transparency

you and I we're like 4 year olds
we want to know why and how come about everything
we want to reveal ourselves at will and speak our minds
and never talk small and be intuitive and question mightily and find god
my tortured beacon we need to find like-minded companions
- Alanis Morrissette in Joining You.

I believe in a life of utter visibility. That means complete transparency. Nothing hidden, nothing denied. Not even the part of myself tht I didn't want to look at, much less acknowledge. [V]isibility is the key to authenticity, and that authenticity is the doorway to your True Self...
- Neale Donald Walsch in Foreward to Debbie Ford's book "The Dark Side of the Light Chasers"

I came upon this passage the other day and was stopped in my tracks. I have never read any of Neale Donald Walsch's stuff but that is what I've been saying all along about radical honesty and transparency and just laying it all out there on the line because we are all human. We have all been ashamed, and embarrassed, and we all do things we are not proud of, but how can we truly move forward and progress as a society if we as individuals hide ourselves from even ourselves?

Well I have to keep this short but I'll just say even though it seems like commonsense, its not. This world is so full of people with a lot of pride, greed and selfishness. In fact I believe that is what is meant by original sin. The worldview of a baby and a child is that the world outside is only there to serve their needs. As a child grows, that view should open up and broaden and one gains perspective and compassion for others and sees how one's actions affect others, and hopefully modify behavior as a result.

Not everyone does develop less selfishness though, and some (most even) continue to seek their own needs above others throughout their adult lives. We do well to treat others as well as we do ourselves - and not just our friends and family but strangers and even our "enemies". This is the golden rule. I see some who treat others better than themselves, and in the process neglect their own needs (eg. parents who pour their whole lives into raising their children and once their out of the home the individual feels so empty because they have neglected their own callings), and I don't think this is good either. I think we are to love both ourselves and others, putting God above all. What does it mean to put God above all? To me it means following the spiritual laws laid down in Scripture so that we don't end up thinking we are following God when we're really following our own ideas. There are a lot of people who claim to be religious who have some pretty screwed up theologies like KKK and GodHatesfags.com types (no kidding the guy has a website - this guy is so full of hate). Oh how funny I just read that some people hacked into his website and stole the domain from under him and changed it to godlovesfags.com - See an article on it.

There's some scary stuff out there folks.