Like a Little Child

Are you like a little child?

My Christian friends will be very familiar with this verse from Matthew 18:2-3:

He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them.  And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

But I believe this is not simply a religious verse, and certainly not one that is only for Christians.  All of us who are trying to improve ourselves and the circumstances in which we live should take note.

As we go through life we acquire more and more rules that constrain us.  Those "rules" limit our freedom to be what we are truly capable of being.  They stop us from developing our full potential.

One big difference between an adult and a little child is that the child has very few internalized rules.  A child knows there are certain rules that must be followed, but those are mostly common sense rules and ethically sound rules, not the massive rule book that most of us carry around without even realizing it.  Also, in a lot of cases those rules are not yet internalized.  The child knows that if he or she does not follow the rule, and that this is noticed by an adult, something bad might happen.  But if an opportunity to break the rule arises, that opportunity may well be taken.

I am not, of course, suggesting that we throw our rule books completely out the window, living our lives selfishly and without being concerned at all about the consequences of our actions.  Certainly not deciding that we will only follow a moral code when we are being watched but break every rule in that moral code when nobody will see.  So what, exactly, am I suggesting?

The first step I am suggesting is to recognize the burden you are carrying.  The burden of a "book of law" you are carrying and trying to follow, most of which is simply not appropriate.

Your "book of law" is what is stopping you from growing and bearing fruit in the way you could and should do.  It is stopping you following those dreams and ambitions you had as a little child.  It is stopping you becoming a much happier, much more fulfilled person.  Most of what is in that rule book is simply not appropriate.  In the main it does not consist of rules you have consciously studied and decided are right for you.  It mainly consists of rules that you have "acquired" through your life and which were thrown at you by others.  Many of those rules are hidden deep within your subconscious mind.  Not only were they created for you by someone else, or by the experiences through which you have lived, but you never actually consciously examined them and agreed they were the right rules to follow.  So begin by deciding you will throw away this inappropriate rule book.  Make a decision now that you will not allow it to control you any longer.

Having decided you will throw away the rule book, make sure you replace it with a set of rules that you DO wish to follow.  Spend some time thinking about those rules.  The time you spend doing this is very important, as it will determine the direction your life will now take.  Choose wisely and your life in the future will be very different.

Each of us must make our own decision here.  It is not for me, nor for anyone else, to tell you what should be in your rule book.  For those who are religious it may be whatever is your holy book.  The Bible, the Qu'ran, the Tanakh, Guru Granth Sahib, the Vedas, the Tripitaka or some other holy canon.  For those who are not religious it may be a set of ethical principles you truly believe are important to follow.

I have said I will not impose my own rule book on you, and I will not.  But I will tell you what I have decided should be in mine, and it is then up to you if you find this fits comfortably into your own situation.

My number one rule is the Golden Rule.  "Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law".  Another quote from the book of Matthew in the Christian Bible.  That is my absolute, unbreakable rule.  Any other rules I decide to follow always have to fit comfortably with the Golden Rule.

My number two rule may surprise and disturb some of my readers, but hear me out before you reject it.  This rule is one introduced in the early 1900s by the magician Aleister Crowley and is the basis of his Thelema philosophy.  It begins as follows:  "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law."  Many people completely misunderstand this rule and think it means there is no rule at all and that we should all do exactly what we like, no matter what the consequences for those around us.  But this is not the case.  Read the second half of this rule: "Love is the law, love under will."  This fits nicely with the Golden Rule.  If we truly make love the centre of our rule book we cannot go far wrong.  The real meaning of "Do what thou wilt" is that you should find your own true path in life.  You should discover your true "will" that is hidden deep within you.  Find what it is you really want to achieve in life and go for it!

So, become like a little child.  Remove the fetters that are preventing you becoming what you truly could and should become!  Enjoy the freedom of a little child, but still controlled by rules that you have studied and with which you fully agree.

Independence Day

As I write this article my friends in the United States are celebrating Independence Day.  The day the then 13 colonies in America chose to throw off the shackles of their colonial masters and instead declare their independence from Great Britain.  Well, perhaps not quite the day that happened.  The Declaration of Independence was issued on July 2nd, not July 4th.  John Adams declared July 2nd would be "the most memorable Epocha in the History of America",  but the final revision of the Declaration was not finalized until July 4th, so July 2nd is not regarded as very important at all.  One could argue, in fact, that the true Independence Day was August 2nd, as that is when most of the signatures were appended to the Declaration.  Or September 3rd, as that is the day in 1783 that the Revolutionary War ended.  Or even November 25th, being the day British troops left with their tails between their legs.  But I guess, given the different possible interpretations of exactly when the United States gained its Independence, the choice of July 4th is as good as any!

But when is your Independence Day?  Not the day your country, wherever it may be, became independent from whichever colonial power tried to insist it was an owned colony rather than a free state.  But the day you personally became independent?  The day you personally freed yourself from shackles and became your own man or woman.  When was that?  Or have you not yet gained your independence?  Is this something for which you must still fight?

Independence from what?  Independence from all the rules that are stopping you from being who you really want to be and achieving what you really want to achieve.

And who imposes those rules on you?  A king in a far off land?  No.  The government in your own land?  No.  Your parents, your spouse, your teacher, your boss?  None of these.  The person who imposes and enforces these restraining rules on you is none other than yourself!

What is stopping you from being who you really want to be?  A voice inside you telling you that it is wrong to want to be that person.  A voice that says it is too difficult.  A voice that says you don't have the right to be that way.  A voice that may have originally arisen because of something your parents, teachers, "friends", or maybe other "authorities" through the subtleties of hidden messages in the books you read and films or dramas you watch on TV.  But a voice that is now a part of you and that is determined to stop you changing in any way.

So in order to become what you want to be, to live the kind of life you want to live, first you must claim your own Independence from the colonial power within you.  The power that arose from somewhere outside of you, but is now an integral inner part of you.  Just as there were many colonials born and living in 18th century America who wanted to maintain the colonial rule of King George III (or, more accurately, of Lord Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guildford, who was the real power behind the throne).

How do you obtain your own Independence?

First, by recognizing that at the moment you are not a free man or woman.  That there are voices within that do not want you to succeed, that do not want you or your life to change for the better.  Recognizing this is your July 2nd.  A day that will be "the most memorable Epocha in the History of [insert your name here]".  Your John Adams moment.

Second, by drawing your line in the sand.  When you say "enough is enough - I will no longer obey or even listen to this voice!"  Your July 4th moment.

Third, by conducting an ongoing struggle against the parasite within you that does not want you to gain your Independence.

The American Revolutionary War lasted 8 years.  Your Internal Revolutionary War will probably last a lot longer, as you will be fighting not against one colonial power but a multitude of powers.  But do not let this depress you, as your first Independence Day will be a lot earlier than this as long as you write your own Declaration of Independence now.  You will have many wins.  With each win your life will become better.  And with each win you will identify another colonial power whose defeat will allow you to have an even better life.  With each win you will become more powerful, and more able readily to defeat all those inner voices holding you back.

Today is Independence Day.  Your Independence!  Make your Declaration of Independence right now and claim the territory that is rightfully yours!