"Looking Deeper into the Nature of Things"
Part 2
Purpose
Purpose is not only where we must begin in describing
the ideal 'nurturing' environment for the healthy
development of the human being. It is also one of
the most difficult qualities of that environment
for many parents to deal with. The difficulty has
to do with two important issues or questions. What
is the nature of the human being? And, what role
do birth parents play in the creation of a human
being? Let me use the History of the Beginning based
on the West African traditions of Yorubaland as
a metaphor to answer these questions.
In the beginning there was nothing but the Ase (Life
Force; see Part I);
the black material of the darkness from which all
things come. The Ase represents the Realm of Infinite
Possibility. The first 'energy form' to manifest
from the Realm of Infinite Possibility was 'consciousness';
the Ase became Self-Aware. We call this manifestation
of consciousness within the Ase, Olodumare, The
Lord of Consciousness. Once the Ase became Self-Aware,
IT experienced the first emotion ever experienced
by a Sentient (Conscious) Being. That emotion was
Self-Love. Olodumare experienced ITSELF as the Ase
and gave Life to Love. And from this Love, a Determined
Idea was born. The Idea was To Experience The Fullness
Of The Realm Of Infinite Possibility; the Fullness
of the Ase.
This Determined Idea in turn gave rise to the Creative
Impulse. The Sentient Force called Olofi-dumare;
the One Who calls to the material of the darkness,
the Ase, and says to IT, "Come forth, willingly
or unwillingly!" So, the process of creation was
set in motion; and all things have come into being.
And all things were of the Ase, the Essential Energy.
Now, let me jump ahead in our metaphor or History
of the Beginning. At a certain point in this process
and history, it was determined that in order to
make the Creative Process more dynamic, Olofi-dumare
would create BEINGS who would be more than a mere
reconfiguration of the Ase. More than simply energy
in the form of 'matter'. This new kind of creation,
these BEINGS would also share in the Consciousness
and Creative Impulse of Olodumare and Olofi-dumare.
They would be material and immaterial. They would
have Self-Motivation and Will. And they would come
into the material world with a Purpose.
There is more to say on this subject than there
is space to say it. But let me make a few important
points. One point can be made by quoting Khalil
Gibran's book, The Prophet, "Your children come
through you; not from you!" Did you get that? Too
often parents think of their children as their possession,
or property, or as a vehicle for the realization
of their own unfulfilled dreams and ambitions. It's
an error that can create serious imbalances in the
'nurturing' environment. Too often parents and society
force children into the well-travelled, tried and
tested paths of life. It's an act of love; a desire
to give the benefit of our knowledge and experience.
But as and even after we share our knowledge and
experience with our children, the question still
remains whether our 'directives' are On Path for
that BEING (our child) of Pure Potential who came
into the world THROUGH us. You see, we are born
Humanoid and then we mature to become Human BEINGS.
This maturation process involves socialization [instruction
and learning], observation and discovery [trial
and experience], and remembering [reflection, inspiration,
intuition, and insight]. When parents forget or
disregard the fact that their children come into
the world with their own Purpose, they wittingly
or unwittingly undermine the observation, discovery,
and remembering elements of the human developmental
process.
More Americans die from heart attacks at 9:00AM
on Monday mornings than any other time of the week.
Can you imagine why or how such a fact could come
about? Well, one reason is because so many of us
are getting up on Monday mornings to go places [work]
that we don't want to go; to do things that we don't
want to do; with people that we don't want to be
around. Too often the best intentions of love force
our children into lifestyle choices and career decisions
that offer security at the price of misery. If you
accept the notion that every BEING comes into the
world with its own Purpose; then you will begin
to look at your children with a greater sense of
mystery and discovery. You will begin to learn from
them. You will grow with them and because of them.
You will become the Parent and Friend that they
can always come to when they simply need someone
to LISTEN as they try to REMEMBER why they came
into the world. Be there to reassure them that no
matter how confused or uncertain they may feel in
any particular moment; They Will Remember! Teach
them the morals, values, and social protocols that
will inspire and encourage them to choose their
Higher Purpose; and then you let them choose. Why?
I'll offer some answers to that question in our
next installment and future articles in this series.
This article will continue with
Part 3: Universal Consciousness
"Looking Deeper into the Nature
of Things"
Pt 1 Pure
Potential
Pt 2 Purpose
Pt 3 Universal
Consciousness
Pt 4 Remembering
By A.S. Umar Sharif, MA
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