Philosophy

Table of Contents:

Becoming, not obeying: rethinking spiritual advice

The advice given by spiritual teachings, such as being generous to others or self-sacrificing, might be better understood as future goals rather than immediate guidelines. They may not always be right for us right now.

Take generosity, for example. If we force ourselves to act generously before we truly feel ready, we may physically give to others but inwardly feel resentful or experience a sense of lack. This actually distances us from our inner light.

Self-sacrifice is similar. It may become attainable when we realize that our physical form is temporary, like a piece of clothing worn by the soul. To reach that level of understanding, a person might first need to build a healthy ego, set strong personal boundaries, and achieve material success. Only then might they realize there's something far more important beyond all of those.

This also means that:

1. No advice, no matter how good, is applicable to everyone at every moment. It might be right for Person A, but not Person B. It might have helped Person C in the past, but not anymore.

2. There is no single spiritual path.

3. Don't push yourself too hard to follow certain advice before you're ready, as it might do more harm than good. It's like muscle-building: don't try to lift 100kg before your body is prepared. Instead, set the intention to grow toward your goal, and trust that the Universe will guide you on the path.

The human journey is about LEARN and UNLEARN

Written by Razhiel, posted on 15 May 2024 also on theearthforce.tumblr.com and Instagram.

At various parts of our human journey, we have to learn and focus on different things. Sometimes, we even have to unlearn what used to serve us.

For instance, when we were kids, we were taught to obey authority, such as our parents and teachers. We might even be subjected to some merit and reward systems that reinforced us to behave in certain ways. If we were under the guidance of good teachers and caring parents, the teachings—in other words, the "programs"—that we received from them could serve us well, as we were encouraged to gain knowledge and learn important values from them.

However, when we get older, this kind of programming can push us to blindly obey authorities, resulting in harmful situations for both ourselves and the people around us. In history, there were many cases where people followed orders from authorities that had detrimental effects. For example, East German border guards were commanded to shoot people who tried to escape East Germany. Not only were the people who got shot killed, but some guards were charged with homicide and sentenced to prison after Germany was reunited.

Therefore, as we progress in our human journey, it is important to review what we have learnt and been programmed before, and determine whether it still benefits us or if it's time to let go of it.

Our Amazing Physical Experience

Written by Razhiel, posted on 24 March 2023 also on theearthforce.tumblr.com and Instagram.

We are spiritual beings having a physical experience, and our experience in this physical world has merits.

The physical world certainly puts a lot of constraints and inconvenience in our lives. For example, manifestations here are slow and require much effort; we are limited by time; we can’t travel at will; we have to do a lot of work to sustain a healthy physical body. However, because of our limitations in this world, we can learn lessons, and experience beauty that may not be available in other worlds and dimensions:

1. Faith and devotion
In a world where the future is hidden, it requires faith to commit to a path we can’t foresee the outcome, and devotion to stay with it for years. It is especially beautiful when one continues devoting themselves to an important cause or something higher than themselves despite everything seemingly going against it. It shows the true character of a person.

2. Courage, willpower and selflessness
It is not hard for Superman to save someone from a burning building, but for a human it requires courage, willpower, and selflessness. That kind of courage—born from vulnerability—is uniquely human, and deeply beautiful.

3. Focus, patience and determination
Dreams here don’t manifest instantly. A house is built brick by brick. A mountain is moved stone by stone. To achieve our goals here, we learn to stay focused, be patient and practice determination.

4. Prioritization and planning
Here, time and energy are finite, which means we must learn to choose. What matters most? What can wait? In this spacetime of limits, we grow wiser with how we spend our time, and our lives.

5. Precision and meticulousness
Because we can’t move at will in this world, humanity innovates: we build airplanes. A plane, made of millions of precisely placed parts, rises into the sky. Here, we learn the art of detail—the discipline of crafting something that truly works.

"A law that can be stated is not a universal law. A name that can be named is not a universal name."

"A law that can be stated is not a universal law.

A name that can be named is not a universal name."

— 老子 (Laozi), founder of Taoism

Interpretation written by Razhiel, posted on 15 September 2022 also on theearthforce.tumblr.com and Instagram.

The universally true essence of everything in the world cannot be conveyed verbally. Fundamentally, everything is energy that cannot be described properly by any human language.

A pineapple is called “pineapple” in English, but “ananas” in some languages, such as Arabic, French and Hindi. What is the universal name of pineapple?

Similarly, the universal law that governs the world cannot be stated. The first reason is each of us can only grasp a part of it to a certain depth and from our personal angle, which is bound by our beliefs, backgrounds and abilities to perceive. The second reason is due to the impossibility to describe something universal with a tool – our languages – that has limitations. 

Humanity will never fully understand the creation of ALL THAT IS, but there is beauty in approaching the answer, even when it requires an infinite amount of steps.

Above is my interpretation of Laozi’s famous quote “道可道, 非常道; 名可名, 非常名”. It is not intended to be the solely valid interpretation of this renowned sentence. Perhaps, the universal interpretation is beyond words!