On Nothingness and Everythingness…
23 May 2011

On Nothingness and Everythingness…

6 Comments Relationships, Self Development and Transformation, Technology and Change

“I’m Sorry You Weren’t Saved in the Rapture.”

Thus reads the official blog for Judgment Day 2011. The automated blog post was intended to be an “I told you so” to survivors of Judgment Day and an attempt to have us left behind find our way to Jesus and save our souls before the second wave hits.

While Harold Camping, the retired civil engineer turned prophet, still has not officially emerged from seclusion there have been several pastors across the country asking for forgiveness from parishioners due to the misguided information.

Matt Ivers from Idaho offers this apology:

“I am very sorry for wrongly teaching that and it is my best and sincere interest to not mislead, frustrate, or lie to anyone. I hope that you can forgive me and that we can all grow spiritually from this lesson.”

I think it would be wonderful to all grow spiritually from this experience. For starters, I’d like us to become more conscious and responsible about the things we say.

One of the most fascinating things about this whole Rapture business is how many of us sat up and took notice. Like the prophets in the Old Testament, our contemporary prophets are not always dialed in to the exact truthiness of a thing. But, wow, do they have passion. When someone believes something with all of their being, it is hard not to stop and marvel at it, wonder how it came to be that they feel so strong about it and decide for myself if I, too, am of the same mind.

However, many of us push our way into the “fields” of other people and attempt to manipulate their organic decision making processes.

George W. Bush looked very sincere, even earnest, about Iraq’s Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD’s) but he wasn’t passionate. It was Colin Powell, who I actually trusted, that was most convincing because of his character. “Well, maybe they do have them,” said the part of me that wants to trust others…

Renowned scientist, Stephen Hawking, came out publicly last week and suggested that the only reason he is still alive today is due to science. It makes me wonder.

“I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.”

Hawking, the 69 year old physicist, is much like Albert Einstein in the latter years of his life, offering his $.02 about humanity, God and what, if anything, might come beyond this life.

What troubles me, however, is the arrogance that tends to accompany such declarations. Many of us believe that we think a certain way, therefore it must be so. There tends to be a dismissal of the possibility that I may be wrong, that I may be influenced by my emotions, my personal journey, and that, most important, others may believe and “know” things that directly conflict with things that I “know.” And what is more, it tends to be those already in the public eye that have the greatest impact on our beliefs. Yet, with the power of the Internet, we hear from all sorts of folks now.

There is a spiritual pride that many believers assume when they know something. There is also a pride that many non-believers assume when they know something. That pride tends to resemble straight arrogance when we assume that because I know it, you must know it as well. Even more, if you refuse to know it, you are either an idiot, ignorant, or going to burn in Hell.

Whether my computer will simply power down into nothingness at the end of my life or if I return to a conscious state of endless bliss and everythingness, my process of self-discovery and transformation is my own.

If I need you to believe what I believe in order to feel more assurance that what I believe is correct, then I don’t really know what I know.

As one of the old school prophets suggested, “Not By Might, Nor By Power, But By My Spirit – Zechariah 4:6.” Live and let live, people. Trust your heart and live the life you believe is yours to live, regardless of all the chatter that may surround you.

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Educated at Harvard, Trained by the Jung Institute, Perfected in the Kitchen. Changing the World one Relationship at a Time.
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6 Responses to “On Nothingness and Everythingness…”

  1. Reply Liz Farrell says:

    This is my first visit to your blog, and my first introduction to your writing. I love and value good writing and am impressed. More importantly your piece touched me. I agree with you completely – although I do think that George W. Bush did have a bit of passion. I did not vote for him nor support him, but I think he was fiery about his beliefs – at first! I do think he became aware of information he was wrong sooner, then the fire of his conviction left him. Having said that – I do understand what you mean. I love this piece and referred it, I hope it gets read, I think it’s worth being read. I’m looking forward to reading more.

    • Reply Jeffrey Sumber says:

      Thanks for stopping by, Liz! Yes, I agree that “W” had some passion. I guess as president, folks try to rely on being earnest as a demonstration of their belief that they are acting in our best interest. However, for preachers and prophets, it seems that passion and not groundedness tends to be the grease that keeps the wheels turning! Have a beautiful day!
      Jeffrey

  2. Reply Alexys Fairfield says:

    Hi Jeffrey,

    Sometimes it’s hard to separate fact from fiction and fiction from friction and it’s a shame that only people in the limelight are automatically given credence because they are known.

    I am with you in your belief that the “process of self-discovery and transformation is my own.”

    Well said. Enlightenment is a self-fulfilled prophecy.

  3. Reply Maureen says:

    What a beautiful post. If we could all accept that other people’s opinions and beliefs are just as valid as our own, even if they differ tremendously. Only when we don’t have to make people believe the same way we do will we ever be truly free.

  4. Reply Joker_SATX says:

    I can tell I am going to like it here….

    “There is a spiritual pride that many believers assume when they know something. There is also a pride that many non-believers assume when they know something.”

    I agree with this statement as an Axiom that everyone has their own “Unchangeable” point of view. I, personally, have my beliefs and my life experiences that have led me here. To this point. And I wear those battlescars with the pride you speak of. I, however, can be humbled into believing what you believe if you are able to approach me with:

    Logic
    Passion
    and Reason

    I will be the first to admit that the Universe has it’s own set of laws. I will also admit that I am no where near understanding all of them. I have to base some of my beliefs in what other people tell me, scientifically or spiritually as the case may be.

    But God did give me two eyes, and two ears and one mouth. Therefore, I use those tools in direct proportion to the way they were given me. Because it would be a crime and I do think it pisses God off when we don’t use what He has given us.

    And when spewage from the Bible that is clearly intended on preying on the fears of men are brought before me, I question not only what I am reading, but the person bringing it to me and the person who wrote it.

    The hardest and scariest question for any religion to answer is “Why”. Mostly because in answering it, they must divulge a bit of their own intentions.

    Good post by the way…..

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