01
"Judge not" doesn't mean "Don't know what's what." It means "Don't find fault." "Don't demean, condemn, belittle, dismiss, reject, abhor..." Distinguishing, recognizing, discerning... are necessary aspects of finding our way. If one house is as good as another who knows where they would sleep at night, or take shelter, or shut out the world? If one book were as good as another... You see the problem. Seeing what we look at is seeing how things are different and how they are alike. Emphasizing the differences or the similarities makes for a one-sided world divided between us and them. Do not judge means do not create sides. Do not play favorites. Do not create divisions. Seek the good of everyone equally. Equality is the given. To disparage equality is to make things worse for some, and the goal is to make things better for all. If you aren't here for that, you are doing terrible damage. and if you don't care about that, you are someone no one can trust, creating disruption and chaos wherever you go. And so, we have Juneteenth.
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02
Living in the moment is making the moment the best it can be, by doing what needs to be done there, when it needs to be done, the way it needs to be done-- knowing that we are the one who says what that is, and striving to be right about it by looking and listening to the point of seeing and hearing, and allowing that to guide us into knowing what's what, and what is being called for and trusting ourselves to respond appropriately-- sincerely and spontaneously-- with the gifts, genius, daemon (sounds like "diamond"), specialties, etc. that are a part of our original nature. Living this way moment-to-moment, makes wherever we are a good place to be for everyone in each moment. If you can do better than that, do so!
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03
Taking stock includes assessing our degree of balance and harmony, which includes our peace and contentment, and the presence/absence of destabilizing influences. A related area for examination/exploration is the degree to which our life-as-we-live-it allows/permits the free expression of our original nature, so that we are able to relate to other people in ways that are natural to us, responding to situations as they arise with sincerity and spontaneity, and living authentically engaged with what is called for in light of the good of the situation as a whole. How free are we to be who we are within the circumstances of our life every day? How fully do we belong to the life we are living? How comfortably do we fit what we are doing? In what ways are our spirit, vitality, élan vital and joie de vie enhanced or diminished by the nature of the life we live? What can we do differently to be more in sync with ourselves and aligned with the way that is truly our way in each situation as it arises day by day?
