In this world of rules, ethics and morals we are constantly bombarded with opinions and thoughts on what is good and what is bad, what is right or wrong, what is positive and negative.
But is it?
Who decided that killing someone in self-defence is acceptable, but pre-meditated murder isn’t? We did.
Who decided that Hitler’s extermination of the Jews was bad, but George Bush’s extermination of the Iraqis and Afghans is acceptable? We did.
Who decided that a woman should be a virgin before marriage? We did.
Who decided that 0.079 is an acceptable percentage of alcohol volume in our blood when we drive a vehicle? We did.
By “we”, I don’t mean exactly you and me, but the human race in general, as a collective.
There really isn’t any good or bad in this world, since we all came from the same source. God created us all, and so we all have that essential Spirit within us. An alcoholic criminal is just as good or bad as a doctor of medicine in God’s eyes. But in the world we live in we have rating systems for everyone in their respective professions, and we pay them money accordingly.
Why did God create the homeless, the starving, the struggling AIDS orphans in Africa. Why did God send Hurricane Katrina into one of the poorest states of the USA. For one thing at least – for the rest of us to feel compassion. To realize that all our lives are important, that we should dig deeper, rather than to simply scratch the surface.
If we can feel compassion for the poor black people of New Orleans, the people on whom we would normally tread down, then we can feel compassion for the work colleague we don’t like, that relative that we never speak with or the homeless person asking for a couple of bucks, but who is really asking for some respect and acknowledgement.
The world has made it so easy for us to ignore others, to be so focused on our own selfish goals. Our peers, the media and the community we live in all signal to us that this is how we ought to live our lives. Realizing another option may be available is difficult.
So what is right and what is wrong? The answer is that in the spiritual world, nothing. There is no such thing. Since we all came from the same source we are all here for the same purpose – to fill a slightly different piece of the vast puzzle that makes up the universe. Our individual purposes are different, but our collective purpose is the same and we are all as important as each other.
