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A Call for Leadership
This seems to do with our culture’s growing rejection of organized religious teachings. We see the manipulation that was wrought against people in the past, and ousting this, we set out along our own paths. But there is just as much peril in that as there is in any group, and we can witness the results of such peril around us. After all, if a group has a leader of great integrity, then those lacking integrity, or who are just confused about truth, are not going to mislead the entire group. Meanwhile, in an area of thought without organized form, anyone has the chance to be a leader. No group comes together to elect the wisest among them as a spokesperson or compass (though the more famous teachers and practitioners may be representative). If the group is to survive, integrity must somehow be built into the system. This integrity is naturally built into those realms of thought we call science, and the harder the science (i.e., the more clearly we can measure a thing), the more integrity is naturally built in. This doesn’t mean that science has all its answers — for we do not have all our answers in any realm of thought — but merely that one must make a scientific claim with evidence to support that claim or risk being thought a charlatan. Of course, this may mean that it takes science a while to catch up with our intuitive perceptions of a thing, but such confirmations are what can bring subjective experiences to the objective whole. It is why our brains are set up with a marriage of subjective and objective halves — because we are at once individuals and parts of a whole. In the area of spiritual thought, however, there is no such integrity already built in. When we speak of spiritual truths, we speak from one perspective. Some of us may have more talent to speak universally, but even the greatest cannot speak from the perspective of the whole, for there is only one Unity with such a perspective. It becomes worse when one has done nothing to study or train in universal principles, and yet makes universal claims. Or again, there are those reading a book or two on a given subject, then claiming to be experts. And, there is no one in place to stop such claims. As the untrained or uninitiated make such claims, there will be those even less trained who listen; and as groups gather and influence spreads, it doesn’t take long for an entire area of thought to look absurd from the outside. That is just what the spiritual movement faces today. And then, how can we reach the rest of the world? If we are ever to make this subjective realm of spirituality something that all people can enter into — and will want to enter into — we need to take it upon ourselves to each be leaders of integrity. There are a few things that teachers and practitioners alike can do to bolster the integrity of our entire movement. First, we need to make sure that when we make new claims, we understand the context into which we’re making these claims; for instance, when we consider that this is a special age of transition, do we consider how many times and cultures have also held that belief? Why is our time any different? If we seek to really show that it’s different, we must understand such context. That means we must thoroughly study those areas in which we work to know as best we can both what has worked and what has not. All the better if we can see where our ideas fit in against those accepted around the globe in every culture. Such omnipresent thoughts should not be passed over lightly! Second, we need to understand that we are each but one perspective, and that our claims may be absolutely true for one level of consciousness, but not for another; very few claims can hold true throughout one’s evolution, because very few are without some spin. It is no crime to teach with passion, so long as we dwell in compassion. Let us believe in what we teach, while honoring other paths as well. This absolutely includes an honor of science; one irony I continually witness is that many in the spiritual movement use science on one hand to back up their claims (how nicely it supports ideas of energy!), yet on the other hand, they scorn science for taking so long to see the truth. Let us not fall into that trap! I believe that scientists perceive a great deal regarding spirit, just as any of us may; but they will not make a public claim until there is evidence, and there is much to be said for that! Finally, I believe we should be open to — and even desirous of! — scrutiny. Authors and teachers ought to be ready with some evidence to back up their ideas, whether this be as hard as science or as relative as individual experience. Mere theories are easy to produce, and of course can range anywhere between truth and falsity. The more evidence to back up a claim, the more others can readily follow that path. Meanwhile, practitioners and those with various spiritual talents could welcome observation and testing, for if their talents are legitimate, they will pass through such testing. And if tests are properly run, they may provide information to bring spirituality closer to the realm of objectivity, which again means letting more people enter in. If we indeed wish to be part of a movement bringing greater light to all, we will welcome any opportunity to pass the torch. It was the priests of old — the ones we purport to have broken away from — who held power for themselves alone. As I observe world trends, and especially those in spirituality, I cannot help but believe that we are rushing toward a day when science and spirit hold hands openly, and thunder us along our evolution. But I also believe that any lack of integrity from either side slows us in reaching that goal. Science can look to spirit for theories to pursue; spirit can look to science for practical application — which truly means spirit enters into this world. But if there are pockets of the spiritual movement providing false leads, then we trip up potential confirmation of the deepest truths. Let us each become leaders, then, taking our parts among the whole with great integrity. Let us listen and study before we speak or act; let us honor others as we would be honored. And when we do speak, when we do act, let us open our arms to others who would study us, that our words become more than individual truths; that our actions become more than individual healings or empowerment. Through such integrity, let spirit spread out into the world so that the heavens finally find a special marriage with our Earth. Steve has been The New Times’ reviews editor for the past year. He and his wife Ana are now moving to Michigan to be with family as they begin a family of their own. They hope to stay with The New Times’ community by joining them in this effort for integrity. Steve can be reached at <writer55@aol.com>. |
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In any organization there are selected leaders who determine, in many ways, the path of the group. This is true of countries, businesses, sports teams, churches, and more. If the group indeed follows the leader, then integrity or a lack thereof is born at the top and filters down, whether consciously or not. If false teachings are given in a church, for example, then members of that church are misled, and they are apt to have confusion in their lives.