2006-12-27 01:16:00
Our Friend Scott who has been in prison was hoping to get paroled but was denied and probably has to wait another five years for another chance. He wrote me asking for advice on why this did not happen and I thought my answer may be of use to others so here it is.
I'm really sorry you did not get your parole. It must have been a great disappointment.
I thought I would respond to your concerns that your freedom did not happen when you felt that it would. There is a thing or two missing from your belief system that needs to be corrected to avoid illusion in the future.
I will give you a hard, but true statement, one that I have learned from hard experience.
If you were totally free within yourself then it would not have mattered whether you received parole or not. You would have been completely prepared to accept the decision, either way it went.
If you obtained your physical freedom then you would have allowed yourself the joys that go along with using that freedom.
If you were denied your physical freedom you would give thanks for your internal freedom from which no one can take and then do your part in fulfilling higher Will, whatever it is. If it were important in the grand scheme of things that you be released then you would be. Because you are not this tells us that the best thing you can do for the Purpose of God is to serve in whatever capacity you can and continue to prepare for the future.
Remember this: When the disciple prepares for the future he does so with a vision not only of his present life, but with future lives in mind also. The self-discipline you may learn in prison may be something that will assist you for many lifetimes to come. Eventually, when you reflect over the life of the soul your period of restriction will seem only a small moment, but an important one as far as learning is concerned.
It is true that we make our own reality but there is a lot of illusion connected with this belief. The main one is the idea that all we have to do to get what we want is to change our thinking. For instance, you seemed to have thought that if you set your mind free the freedom of your body would follow.
The truth is not that simplistic. For one thing, if your mind were truly free the denial of parole would have created little disappointment. If the mind is totally free it is free in all circumstances. This is a hard saying and one on which I am still working myself, but a true one that I have proven in imprisoning circumstances in my own life.
The disciple must realize that there are many more forces involved in making reality than his own little will and sphere of influence.
Let us say, for instance, that you want to make a million dollars. Is it true that all you need to do is put yourself in a frame of mind that sees yourself as rich and then wait for the money to come in?
Not exactly. Such is only a first step, but to get the million you must realize that the money is presently in the hands of others. If you had power to just decree the money as your own you would have to force someone out there to give up their money when most probably they do not want to and it would be a painful loss to them.
Would it be fair then for you to get the million at the expense of painful loss to others?
So what is the correct way to get the million? Yes, putting yourself in the correct state of consciousness is a good first step, but only a first step. Next, if you follow the path of harmlessness, you will figure out how to cause others to willingly give up their money to you because they are getting something valuable in return. Maybe you have created a new seasoning that tastes great and everyone who will buy it will be extremely gratified. In this case you not only have the rich mindset, but you have come up with a way to give those who give to you a value for the exchange.
Now in our personal life it is difficult to assess all our true circumstances. In your case, for instance, it is possible that you have a debt from past lives that your soul has deduced can best be paid off by a few more years in prison. Then it could be something else. Perhaps you have a great mission ahead and your soul has concluded that a few more years in prison will sharpen your abilities and better prepare you for things to come.
The bottom line here is that we all have limitations that we have to accept. Even the Master Jesus, when he realized the extent of his sacrifice, asked God to take him out of the circumstance, but he yielded to the higher will nonetheless.
You also want to be removed from your circumstances, but wisdom decrees you must continue in a restrictive mode for a while yet to come. You too must acquiesce and say, "not my will but yours be done."
It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything.
Chuck Palahniuk (1962 - ), Fight Club
Copyright © 2006 by J J Dewey, All Rights Reserved