Escapism
Escapism in living for the moment
"We do not say, 'Escape into the moment. There is no future,' because this is merely irresponsible."[1]
"You can be fully present and find temporary escape from your worldly burdens and conflicts. But difficulties will continue."[2]
Escapism as distraction
"This need to escape your own anxiety, your own discomfort, leads to endless pursuits, endless distractions, none of which can resolve your fundamental problem. And your fundamental problem is your mind is not connected to Knowledge within yourself, so the mind and the Spirit are disconnected."[3]
"The personal side is all about fear and survival. It knows that it cannot overcome the forces of nature and that its fight to survive will in time be overwhelmed, and so it seeks comfort and escape."[4]
"When I hear people talking about how they’re waiting around for Knowledge to guide them, that tells me that they’re not doing the work that’s theirs to do. You cannot give over the reins to God. Sorry. God wants you in the driver’s seat. God can sit in the back seat—Knowledge, through Knowledge.
So there’s no repose here really. There’s only responsibility and determination. And with that comes strength and movement, freedom, certainty, true relationship. Yes.
So Knowledge will guide you in important and greater matters. But guidance in the everyday affairs of your life falls within your domain. And actually, the New Message gives you practices here to help you in those domains: how to make decisions, how to recognize things, how to listen to others, how to listen to yourself, how to deal with work, how to deal with friction in relationships, how to deal with disappointment."[5]
References
- ↑ Wisdom from the Greater Community, Book 1, Chapter 8: Preparing for the Future
- ↑ Wisdom from the Greater Community, Book 1, Chapter 21: Enduring Happiness
- ↑ Deepening Your Spiritual Practice: Deepening Your Spiritual Practice
- ↑ Wisdom from the Greater Community, Book 1, Chapter 11: Power and Responsibility
- ↑ Marshall Vian Summers on the power of practice, Steps Vigil 2021, Night 3 (registration required)
See also
Further study
- Wisdom from the Greater Community, Book 1, Chapter 22: Escaping Suffering
- Wisdom from the Greater Community, Book 1, Chapter 25: Escaping Fear
- Preparing for the Great Waves of Change: Escaping Fear, Confusion and Hopelessness
- The Great Waves of Change, Chapter 3: Escaping the Past
- Greater Community Spirituality, Chapter 19: What is religion?