Thanking GOD for “ Un-Guides ” – an Introduction … ( 09 / 01 / 2014 )
Thanking GOD for “ Un-Guides ” – an Introduction … ( 09 / 01 / 2014 )
We all have hundreds of interactions with others every day of our lives . Many of these meetings occur via mass media & social media , while some happen " in the flesh ". And during quite a few of these interchanges ( during most of them , in fact ) we end up hearing various " facts " or receiving various tidbits of " truth "; the open echoes of the beliefs & devotions of those with whom we share ideas .
Now , most of the people we encounter share a mixed bag of information , with some of their opinions being a bit biased , and others being more " objective " … And yet a few of our everyday interactions involve folks who reside primarily at one of two extremes : namely , our " True Guides " -- those rare people with whom we speak or to whom we listen who give out information that bears the " Good Fruit " of Peace & Joy -- and our " False Prophets ": those very few who spout off opposing views that promote division , judgment & fear … And while it is easy for us to be thankful for the former and to denigrate the latter , I am here today to offer a different way of dealing with life ' s " False Prophets "; a different way that allows us to use their maladjusted ( and sometimes even malicious ) misinformation ; a way that allows them to serve as a help rather than as a hindrance ; a way that allows us to set aside our reasonable feelings of loathing for their lies and hatred for their hatred , and embrace them instead with grace & gratitude … It ' s actually a pretty simple process -- Here ' s how it works :
First , we identify our " False Prophets " -- namely , those people whose values & beliefs directly contradict those of our conscience ... Note : These " Un- Guides " are not necessarily the people who make statements that we find to be uncomfortable or " radical " or " insulting " or " heretical ", or even those who advocate beliefs that contradict our own . No , the " False Prophets " of whom I speak are those who advocate division & judgment & fear & hatred instead of harmony & acceptance & Love & Peace . They are those who champion accumulation over generosity & self-safety over selfless caring …
And even though such individuals are not that common , there are a few very-well-known figures who are currently fulfilling this invaluable role for many of us ( I ' ll mention three of them in the pages that follow ) ... In addition to these more famous examples , each of you will have more-personal relationships with individuals who are only " False " for you ... These folks aren ’ t that hard to find -- oftentimes taking the form of a co-worker or even a family member .
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