Peaceful living can be stable only when it is based on understanding the deeper currents of life. Mere reliance on belief systems, no matter how great they may appear to be, would lead to a shaky foundation. It is strange how millions of people move towards that rather than apply themselves to the discovery of what lies behind the façade. Some reflective people, however, release themselves from that proclivity and bring in wider perspectives into their lives. It would be a movement guided by the age-old adage ‘Know thyself’. This knowing is not a matter of accumulating verbal knowledge but one of direct sensing aided by intuition. Sooner or later, they become interested in observing the responses of themselves and others to the movement of life. Then they carry that over to understanding the afterlife too. Certain spirit of adventure and humility keep them company in this endeavor. The Sojourn
While being on the path of discovery as above, we soon discover that life on this planet is a small part of a long journey – a journey that begins well before our birth and continues after we leave our earthly abode. The moment we understand this, everything about life becomes venerable. The ego-based self-importance and its utility approach begin to dissolve. There is deep respect for the movement of life per se. Self-pity and persecution complex no longer play a role in that psychology.
Hypnotic regression and studies on reincarnation bring to light the long journey we are on. It is also corroborated by the messages from pre-birth awareness, terminal visions and NDEs. Soon we see that life on this planet is a matter of sojourn. This expands our perspectives and removes the claustrophobia in time created by the concept of there being only one life. The well known rhetoric ‘Whence we came, who we are and whither we are going’ provides an interesting field to explore. When we see others in the light of this perspective, there is a strange tenderness and unqualified love towards them. One senses clearly the poison behind the fanaticism arising out of identifying oneself with a group and the emotional attachment thereof.
Let us assume that our circumstances require us to visit a relative in a town a thousand miles away and stay there for a month. Our stay at that place would fit the definition of a sojourn. To make it a nice one, the following four principles would serve as general guide lines:
1. Go in harmony, stay there in harmony and leave in harmony.
2. We are going there to make people happy. If we cannot make them happy, at least let us not make them unhappy.
3. Leave people to their conclusions; trying to prevail over them with our own conclusions is a kind of violence.
4. In general, relax and take it easy.
When we apply the same principles to our life as a sojourn on earth, we are likely to feel a sense of completeness in our relationships and in our undertakings. There would be the joy of living characterized by a strange combination of detachment and involvement that the idea of sojourn would point to. Then, when our last day comes, we would be ready to leave and return Home.
When people live with that turn of mind, they will send corrective forces into the collective consciousness to bring about a world of peace and camaraderie while enriching their own lives and moving towards Divinity. Related matters are covered in the website http://spirituality.yolasite.com