The Awakening

AK - Jeff

A time comes in your life when you finally get…when, in the midst of all your fears and insanity, you stop dead in your tracks and somewhere the voice inside your head cries out…ENOUGH1 Enough fighting and crying and blaming and struggling to hold on. Then, like a child quieting down after a tantrum, you blink back your tears and begin to look at the world through new eyes.

This is your awakening.

You realize it’s time to stop hoping and waiting for something to change, or for happiness, safety and security to magically appear over the next horizon.

You realize that in the real world there aren’t always fairy tale endings, and that any guarantee of “happily ever after” must begin with you…and in the process a sense of serenity is born of acceptance.

You awaken to the fact that you are not perfect and that not everyone will always love, appreciate or approve of who or what you are…and that’s OK. They are entitled to their own views and opinions.

You learn the importance of loving and championing yourself…and in the process a sense of new found confidence is born of self-approval.

Your stop complaining and blaming other people for the things they did to you – or didn’t do for you – and you learn that the only thing you can really count on is the unexpected.

You learn that people don’t always say what they mean or mean what they say and that not everyone will always be there for you and everything isn’t always about you.

So, you learn to stand on your own and to take care of yourself…and in the process a sense of safety and security is born of self-reliance.

You stop judging and pointing fingers and you begin to accept people as they are and to overlook their shortcomings and human frailties…and in the process a sense of peace and contentment is born of forgiveness.

You learn to open up to new worlds and different points of view. You begin reassessing and redefining who you are and what you really stand for.

http://elise.com/quotes/webwisdom/awakening.htm

goldensky

What a beautiful quotation, AKJeff! I'm going to cut and paste it and send it to my sister (still a JW) right away. She knows the "nuance" with which I'm sending it to her, but she can't say anything since it comes from a secular source...

OnTheWayOut

Thanks, Jeff. Did you ever get to read this excerpt I posted with you highly in mind: http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/188952/1/The-Wisdom-of-No-Escape-and-the-Path-of-Loving-Kindness-No-need-for-religion-in-spirituality ?

AK - Jeff

Just took a look. I love it. Thanx for pointing me to that Jerry.

Jeff

awildflower

I remember my "awakening" moment. I had to go way, way down into despair for it to happen, but it has since changed my life. I might add you let go of judgments and attachments as well. Funny thing is you can't make it happen, it just does when it does. It's quite amazing and it's like a surrendering. You stop looking outwardly for answers to anything and realize that you have all you need right with yourself and always did. That's the paradox. And to me if you've found the paradox in the matter, you've found 'it'. And all the things that start to come into your life are unbelievable!

goldensky

This thread and the one OnTheWayOut started the other day has sparkled my interest in that book you pointed to about the Tao, Awildflower (hello, by the way!), "Change your Thought, Change your Life". I've just googled Amazon for it and I'll be ordering it soon. Thank you, guys!

PSacramento

AK Jeff,

Very nice quote.

Don't take this the wrong way and I mean no offence, but that SHOULD be the core of Christanity and it is the message that Jesus left us.

The core truth in most faiths that advocate love and accepteance and harmony ( which iw what Chrisdtainity should be) is that the harmony and love we need to have with each other comes first from within.

awildflower

Yes PSacramento, it should be. If people would have taken Jesus message and let it speak to them as individuals like it was meant to do and NOT make a religion out of it like they did, then his words would work. The problem is when the ego organizes any enlightened message into a religion and that's what Christianity did to Jesus words and life. That's what Taoism did to the Tao, that's what Buddhism did to Buddha that's what happens when one man or a group a men or women can get up and make a religion out of their words, it looses it's intention.

PSacramento

well said awildflower, very well said.

AK - Jeff

You learn to open up to new worlds and different points of view. You begin reassessing and redefining who you are and what you really stand for.

This final point resonated with me. I have had a few false starts since leaving Jwism. The 'work' of reassessing and redefining might be a lifetime for me, and having wasted 48 years of it before leaving religion, I am a little behind. I'm catching up fast though.

Jeff

The Awakening

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