MISTAKES?

Dr. Bob Gibson Washington DC 1978

            There’s no way you and I can ever say we made a mistake; because you don’t know what the outcome would have been if you had done something else. It’s very easy to say, “I really goofed up.” “I should have bought that stock.” “I should have done that.” That’s only the A side [complaining, sticking up for rights, and blaming] and B side [pleasing, quoting authorities and trying to be different] having a little fun with us. [The A-side says it would be good to do one thing with a promise or threat attached. The B-side tells us to do something else with a different promise or threat attached; thereby creating a state of conflict within]  But do you know what would have happened if you had made one turn different that you have in your life? You may have been a basket case in a matter of seconds if you had turned right instead of left. If you had gone to some other city rather than the one you did, you don’t know what would have happened. You might have been a millionaire, you might have been a basket case, or it may have turned out the same way. We don’t know.

So can you tell me truthfully that you ever made a mistake?

I can look back and say “Oh, it would have been so much different had I done so and so; but do you really know that?

So let’s not beat ourselves over the head that I should have acted on it.

Screw guilt! (My words – d)

SELF-PITY

Dr. Bob Gibson

            Pity is one of the most common things that people come talk to us about. The person is feeling very, very “sorry for themselves”. They will never use the words that they are “sorry for themselves. They will use words like depressed, “I’m very depressed”, and that they’ve given up hope–they can’t see any way out.

 “Self-pity” is possibly the most dangerous luxury that anybody ever deals in.

Question: (What is the self-pity a symptom of? Where do you go from there?)

Self-pity is resisting living, and Life comes along and says, “You have some experiences”, and the person says, “I don’t want to listen, so I’m going to bellow and cry over it instead of getting up and experiencing it.

And we sometimes use a little story that Life is a great schoolroom; and that they give you classes here; and when you get through the first grade, you’re promoted… but not until. So, you resist going through the first grade class for 25 years. So if you are not free to experience this particular challenge, it will stay in front of you as long as you live or until you are free to experience it!

You can say, “Let’s turn that off”. Turn the “pity” bit off. It’s not going to get you anywhere. Mama picked you up and kissed your bumps when you were two-years old, but you’re not two-years old now. Now let’s talk about what you can do about the situation instead of all these “why did this happen” and all this stuff. The past is not here, that’s gone. Here it is right here and right now-What can we do about it.

THE BIBLE AND THE INNER MAN #9

(Excerpt from Headlines p.  )

            Luke Chapter 8 16-18:  “For there is nothing hidden that will not be made manifest; nor anything concealed that will not be known and come to the Light.  Take heed, therefore, how you hear, for to him who has, shall be given; and from him who does not have, even what he things he has shall be taken away”.            A lighted lamp makes light and enables one to see what would otherwise be in the dark to one.  An unlighted lamp is useless for giving light—the function of the lamp.  The lamp that has been lighted is the function of observing the inner feelings and reactions and of the ‘self” in relationship

To him who has lighted his lamp shall be given untold spiritual wealth, wealth of understanding, wealth of love for his fellow man, wealth of peace, wealth of being able to re-evaluate all his old values and thus be regenerated—made new—be in a new place in his spiritual world.

ONE-LINERS FROM DR. BOB

A misconception:  That circumstances determine my state of being.

The only thing we complain about is that things are not like we think they ought             to be.

Misconceptions:  I know what I need;  I know what ought to be;  I know the             cause; I know the future.

Any judgment I had yesterday is not valid today.

Now is not then.  Be conscious and alert in this moment instead of working with             accumulated data of the past.

Everything we do is for the Host.

One way of being harmless is to never put a person under an obligation.  To be             harmless is to not be a threat to anyone.

Pain and discomfort have value.

A STORY:   A few weeks ago my somewhat controlled sinus infection decided to expand.  After a week of pure wretchedness and death seemed inevitable, it was time to seek some medical help.  Three years earlier I had had this same post-nasal drip issue with the same wretched symptoms.  At that time Doc had given me an anti-biotic and sent me home. The anti-biotic, of course, would not treat a virus infection.  Darn it!  The body must have dealt with it because I’m still here.

But ‘now is not then.” So I tried again.  This time Doc plunged a vial of steroids into my bottom, hoping that would speed things along.  It is sometimes called “speed.”  I had never been exposed to steroids and had no clue what to expect. Within an hour I was in orbit. I was hard-wired and three days later I hadn’t landed yet and had not slept even ONE minute. To go 70 hours without one minute of sleep was impossible.  Yet, that is what happened.  Yes, sleep deprivation IS TORTURE.  Whine.  Whine. Complain.  Complain.  I was sitting very close to the bank of the river.

I play a lot of Bob’s tapes when I can’t go to sleep.  In fact I told him once that the Science of Man 48-tape series was priceless because they would put me right to sleep!

This was different somehow. I turned the player on one more time and this is what I heard:

            “Now most everyone sees what is true, or a fact that a given event is taking place. But let’s observe that the self immediately begins to evaluate that event, and very frequently says it is bad.  It is not good.  And then becomes the struggle to change that ‘what is’ into what ought to be.  We can also see that it is in a constant state of expectation that it will be what it calls good.  And when ‘what is’ comes along to give one an opportunity to evolve, immediately there is the self judging it as bad.  I will observe this and we will write and carefully observe, all through the week, our ‘what is’ so frequently seen as something bad and how seldom it is seen as valuable or good.  And only as a man sees what’s true and what’s good, does he see the Truth.  And they’re always in agreement…… You see, X doesn’t operate upon anything just because you say it is.  You also must see its value. Then you are reporting the Truth to X.   There is never a conflict in Truth.  ‘What is’ does have a value when one is awake and sees it.  (Science of Man Lesson Eleven)

So what is Life Teaching me in this awesome experiment?  Everything as value!  There can be nary a cell in my body resisting “what is.”  Every thought and feeling must be clean, free of judgment and condemnation. I had become careless in observing self…and gobs of judgments and criticisms were contaminating my thoughts and feelings.  All of that toxic stuff had to go.  So,

“Am I at peace with this moment?”

MIND TICS

It may not be worthwhile, but it still has to be done

Most of my faults are not my fault.

Single-handedly I’ve fought myself into this hopeless mess.