Two Simple Questions: Life-Changing Answers

My drive, energy, and force for posting every day as I have derives from my Heart. I appreciate and value others who know core Self and express it every day as much as I value what I do. Some are way more practical. Some I would rather be at times because it‘s wonderful to look on finished jobs every day. I enjoyed that when I employed physical skills as a painter and antique restorationist. Not so clear cut with this writing.

But I know I am walking in life Purpose. I remember, though, when I did those other jobs, I was seeking, and at the time, I couldn’t have told you what I wanted to do, be, and even sadder, who I even was at core Self. All of my life experience and my transformational, spiritual path has prepared me for this. I know not very many people of any age, wonderful people, can answer these simple yet soul-shaking questions: Who are you, and What is your purpose here?

I know because I talk to others; I ask them. Furthermore, I know what complicates these crucial life issues for virtually all of us. Ego. Why? Society, overall energized by ego, clearly communicates expectations and acceptable behaviors, and heaven help anyone who steps outside of the expectations.

This applies on a more personal level when we consider our close social circles and professional and work arenas. We tend to choose friends in part based on similar feelings about things like politics and religion because if we believe the same, we won’t experience censure. All of this is the work of ego, my friends. No matter where we are in terms of awakening, we will still be subject to it; ego is part of us.

Let’s, however, think a little further. These expectations, whether of society at a national level, the prevailing zeitgeist, or at a more personal level are all limits, limits the other would force us to mind. Stepping over the lines is viewed as a threat. Some limits are very prescribed, and we are to condense self to fit. Others are very broad, and we are to expand self to fill them. Those are the ones folks will really nail us on, especially politics and patriotism. Little variance is tolerated. Bullshit.

And I will take this further. Ego feeds off of the limits because its job is to keep us safe emotionally and psychologically by making us conform to society, macro or micro. Ego takes these somehow accepted limits and creates limitations in our souls. Limitations never serve us, ever, but we become stubbornly convinced by the rationalizations of our mind under the processing commands of Ego that limitations are our truth. Again, we come to believe Ego limitations are our personal truth, and we will vehemently defend them. Overcoming limitations presents extreme challenges emotionally, and sometimes interpersonally.

While some therapy or inspiration might free us for awhile, I believe we find a real answer, an emotionally, psychologically, and mentally sound solution by answering the questions I posed earlier: Who am I? What is my purpose here?

When those answers are known, limits cease to have any effect on a person — sometimes it takes awhile. I am going to express core Self by living my determined life Purpose, no matter who or what disagrees with me. It’s immaterial. This is deep. It is simple, though, but not easy. The only way to answer those questions is to acknowledge Heart, speak to it, and find our answers there.
When we hear Heart, discover Self, create life Purpose, and live it, then macro- and micro-societal expectations be damned. I’m not advocating offending people on purpose; that would be Ego at work. I’m saying opinions and expectations of others are limits, and they mean nothing when I live my purpose.

What are the deep, cutting, detrimental effects of those limits? They deny Self to express gift, talent, ability, and love to a needy world. So when I say I am sickened by intolerance, I am thinking far more intensely than I’m right and you’re wrong. I have to be right wing or left wing, pro second amendment or against it, blah, blah, blah. When those moronic insistences are made, my response is simple: screw them, screw those forcing them on others without listening or discussing, and screw opinions and rationalizations that are intolerant or unsympathetic of others’ views. I will listen to the opinions of the intolerant and discuss with them, but I strive to model to them the irrationality of forcing beliefs on others.

When we arrive at our personal truth, we need to move onward and upward, leaving those who operate via ego to their own limitations. And to be honest, I am not interested in judging who operates according to ego or heart. Doesn’t matter. My truth says to live my purpose and love others.
I am thinking about this today because in The Fellowship of the Heart, Eric Lafarnge, a protagonist, is faced with limits, expectations, and opinions of society, especially his personal one. The more money is at stake, a lot or a little, the more those with overt ego concerns will apply pressure for conformity.

Carl Jung said, “The best political, social, and spiritual work we can do is to withdraw the projection of our shadow onto others.” Live and express core Self, and leave others to do the same. Now, since we will never live in an ego-free world, not anytime soon, at least, we need legal limits, with which we can disagree and work to fix the broken ones. However, legal limits are not the sort that become personal limitations. Those shadows projected onto others do that.

The greater number of people who awaken and can answer Who am I and What is my purpose, the greater blessings will we know in this amazing, complex, rich Earth. The more beauty will we see. The more peace will we know.

​Pretty life-changing results from answering two questions!