'Conversations with God' is a trilogy by Neale Donald Walsch. In an interview with Larry King, Walsch described the inception of the books as follows: at a low period in his life, Walsch wrote an angry letter to God asking questions about why his life wasn't working. After writing down all of his questions, he heard a voice over his right shoulder say: "Do you really want an answer to all these questions or are you just venting?" Though when he turned around he saw no one there, Walsch felt answers to his questions filling his mind and decided to write them down.
The first book of the series, was published in 1995 and became a publishing phenomenon, staying on the New York Times Best-Sellers List for 137 weeks.
The first book of the series, was published in 1995 and became a publishing phenomenon, staying on the New York Times Best-Sellers List for 137 weeks.
The first book (I've only read that yet) stays centered around the Individual, his needs, attitudes and concerns. And, while conceptually pretty abstract, also reads like a humorous satire against existing systems. It pretty much rips through traditional organized religion.....completely does away with concept of right wrong, heaven hell, sin and punishment, and such.
It, in essence, puts the entire power into ones own hands. You create your life..there is no right or wrong....you need to make the choice..it's all about free will...what you believe, you create.
Rather than try to cull out essence, here are some excerpts, so you can decide if you want to pick up the book.
A dialogue from God:
'if God wanted strict obedience to His Laws, why did He create the possibility of those Laws being violated?' Ah, your teachers tell you—because God wanted you to have "free choice.” Yet what kind of choice is free when to choose one thing over the other brings condemnation? How is "free will” free when it is not your will, but someone else’s which must be done? Those who teach you this would make a hypocrite of God.
The irony of all this is that I do not want your worship, I do not need your obedience, and it is not necessary for you to serve Me. These behaviors are the behaviors historically demanded of their subjects by monarchs— usually ego-maniacal, insecure, tyrannical monarchs at that. They’re not Godly demands in any sense—and it seems remarkable that the world hasn’t by now concluded that the demands are counterfeit, having nothing to do with the needs or desires of Deity.
And what, pray tell, forms the basis of your decision? Your own experience! No. In most cases, you’ve chosen to accept someone else’s decision. Someone who came before you and, presumably, knows better. Very few of your daily decisions about what is "right” and "wrong” are being made by you, based on your understanding. This is especially true on important matters.
In fact, the more important the matter, the less likely are you to listen to your own experience, and the more ready you seem to be to make someone else’s ideas your own. This explains why you’ve given up virtually total control over certain areas of your life, and certain questions that arise within the human experience.
These areas and questions very often include the subjects most vital to your soul: the nature of God; the nature of true morality; the question of ultimate reality; the issues of life and death surrounding war, medicine, abortion, euthanasia, the whole sum and substance of personal values, structures, judgments.
These most of you have abrogated, assigned to others. You don’t want to make your own decisions about them. In most cases, you don’t want to make your parents, your schools, your religions, your traditions, your holy scriptures wrong—so you deny your own experience in favor of what you have been told to think.
"Someone else decide! I’ll go along, I’ll go along!” you shout. "Someone else just tell me what’s right and wrong!” This is why, by the way, human religions are so popular. It almost doesn’t matter what the belief system is, as long as it’s firm, consistent, clear in its expectation of the follower, and rigid. Given those characteristics, you can find people who believe in almost anything. The strangest behavior and belief can be—has been—attributed to God. It’s God’s way, they say. God’s word. And there are those who will accept that.
The question is: Do I wish to walk this path consciously, or unconsciously? With awareness or lack of awareness? As the cause of my experience, or at the effect of it? For most of your life you’ve lived at the effect of your experiences. Now, you’re invited to be the cause of them.
That is what is known as conscious living. That is what is called walking in awareness.'
It's simple, yet powerful.....and you understand why it hit bestseller for so long.
A dialogue from God:
'if God wanted strict obedience to His Laws, why did He create the possibility of those Laws being violated?' Ah, your teachers tell you—because God wanted you to have "free choice.” Yet what kind of choice is free when to choose one thing over the other brings condemnation? How is "free will” free when it is not your will, but someone else’s which must be done? Those who teach you this would make a hypocrite of God.
The irony of all this is that I do not want your worship, I do not need your obedience, and it is not necessary for you to serve Me. These behaviors are the behaviors historically demanded of their subjects by monarchs— usually ego-maniacal, insecure, tyrannical monarchs at that. They’re not Godly demands in any sense—and it seems remarkable that the world hasn’t by now concluded that the demands are counterfeit, having nothing to do with the needs or desires of Deity.
And what, pray tell, forms the basis of your decision? Your own experience! No. In most cases, you’ve chosen to accept someone else’s decision. Someone who came before you and, presumably, knows better. Very few of your daily decisions about what is "right” and "wrong” are being made by you, based on your understanding. This is especially true on important matters.
In fact, the more important the matter, the less likely are you to listen to your own experience, and the more ready you seem to be to make someone else’s ideas your own. This explains why you’ve given up virtually total control over certain areas of your life, and certain questions that arise within the human experience.
These areas and questions very often include the subjects most vital to your soul: the nature of God; the nature of true morality; the question of ultimate reality; the issues of life and death surrounding war, medicine, abortion, euthanasia, the whole sum and substance of personal values, structures, judgments.
These most of you have abrogated, assigned to others. You don’t want to make your own decisions about them. In most cases, you don’t want to make your parents, your schools, your religions, your traditions, your holy scriptures wrong—so you deny your own experience in favor of what you have been told to think.
"Someone else decide! I’ll go along, I’ll go along!” you shout. "Someone else just tell me what’s right and wrong!” This is why, by the way, human religions are so popular. It almost doesn’t matter what the belief system is, as long as it’s firm, consistent, clear in its expectation of the follower, and rigid. Given those characteristics, you can find people who believe in almost anything. The strangest behavior and belief can be—has been—attributed to God. It’s God’s way, they say. God’s word. And there are those who will accept that.
The question is: Do I wish to walk this path consciously, or unconsciously? With awareness or lack of awareness? As the cause of my experience, or at the effect of it? For most of your life you’ve lived at the effect of your experiences. Now, you’re invited to be the cause of them.
That is what is known as conscious living. That is what is called walking in awareness.'
It's simple, yet powerful.....and you understand why it hit bestseller for so long.
To the part "the question is" I clearly remember how you insisted on "be aware" when you were leaving Google. So simple but so insightful. It keeps hitting me every now and then and I use it all the times. Thanks to you :-)
ReplyDeleteBtw, well written article.
Saadagi, was happy to see you remembering this from way back in Google. Thanks...feels good :)
ReplyDeleteAnd I must say..."you're one helluva strong girl!"