Although I often find myself shaking my head in disgust at what seems like utter insanity in the world today, I try to remind myself that the incompetence, foolishness, senselessness, stupidity, craziness, whatever it is called, all add up to an adversity that offers learning experiences. I wonder what life would be like if it were one of total creature comforts and hedonistic pleasures, as depicted by Nero playing his fiddle while Rome burned. If not for failures and adversities, how would we learn? If we were to reach the point of pure pleasure and comfort, would it defeat the idea that this life is part of a larger life and that the objective of this life is to expedite learning from our mistakes and adversities? It seems to me that it would. Is life one big paradox?
In the 2024 book, An Urgent Message for Humanity, a group of scientists, including Drs. Melvin Morse and Raymond Moody, report on a controlled study they carried out with a number or credible mediums for the Bigelow Institute for Consciousness Studies. The primary questions put to the spirit world through the mediums had to do with the progress, or lack of it, being made since 1857, when French educator Allan Kardec’s book, The Spirit World, was published. I believe they could have gone back another seven years and started with the works of John Edmonds, George Dexter, Adin Ballou, and Robert Hare, but the exact starting point does not appear that critical. The answers would surely have been the same. The researchers asked if the Spirit World and Mankind have failed to achieve good progress in securing human spirituality. They asked if earthbound spirits have impeded, sabotaged, or distorted human spiritual progress and why the spirit world has not done better in helping humans progress spiritually.
“The consensus, especially among the core trance mediums, is that humanity has failed to make good progress in securing human spirituality since 1857,” the book reads. “All agree that humans are to blame, yet acknowledge that humanity’s failure is the spirit world’s failure, in the sense that when a child fails, the parent has also failed.” However, the spirits pointed to the paradox of it all – that failures, challenges, temptations, and adversity are required in order for us to learn and progress. “You have not failed,” the response came through one of the mediums. “There is no such thing. More and More of you are waking up, and we are so excited. Keep spreading the word and the love.”
Another spirit stated that “what may be perceived at ‘bad’ or negative experiences are crucial for spiritual growth and that challenges, difficulties, and even adversities are not merely obstacles but essential elements in the journey of spiritual growth. These challenges are seen not as hindrances but as catalysts for growth and opportunities for learning, and they are necessary for the evolution of the human spirit.”
When I encounter adversity, I keep reminding myself that it is a learning opportunity. There are many times when I’d prefer a little less learning and more peace of mind, but I then consider that my adversities are small compared with those of so many others. I could be homeless. I could be in a war-torn country. I could have significant physical limitations. A loved one could have died prematurely. Best appreciate what I have and not dwell on what I don’t have. From there, my thoughts often turn to our political leaders and I try to imagine how successful they would be if they told their constituents that adversity is good for them, that their suffering is required for their long-term welfare. In other words, “grin and bear it” for the greater good. It surely wouldn’t work, as materialism, grounded in epicureanism and hedonism, has too much of a grip on the mindset of the vast majority.
Read More – The Paradox of Progress in Consciousness Awakening
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