02
The Hero's Journey and the heroic task await us all. But we are always confusing metaphor with reality, and think, "Oh, but there are no more dragons to slay!" There were never any dragons to slay. All that heroes ever did through all the ages was simply what needed to be done. Simply what the situation called for. Every moment has its dragon and is desperate for its hero to rise to the occasion and do what needs to be done about it. That's where you and I come in. To act as liege servants with filial loyalty in doing what needs us to do it "Without hope, without witness, without reward" (Steven Moffat). Moment-by-moment, situation-by-situation, day-by-day, all our life long. Not what we have in mind. We are here for bigger things than mopping the kitchen floor and taking out the garbage! Come the words of Jesus: "Those who are faithful in small things are faithful in much." Those who can be counted on with the mopping and the garbage can be counted on. Period. Heroes are those who can be counted on period. Come the words of Jesus again: "The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few." We miss the metaphor again and think that Jesus is talking about saying what Jesus has done to everybody everywhere. Jesus is talking about doing what needs to be done in every situation everywhere. Every situation cries out for something! "The harvest is plentiful!" And people everywhere are saying, "Not me, not me." No one wants to do what is asked of them. Everyone is looking for a dragon to slay in order to make the headlines and reap the rewards and be accorded Hero Of The Realm! Superheroes have better things to do than mop the kitchen floor and take out the garbage. The things superheroes spit on need real heroes to do them. Somebody? Anybody?
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01
Nothing is wrong with us that growing up some more again wouldn't help. Growing up some more again is the solution to all of our problems today. And every day. Too few people world-wide ever get beyond the third stage of spiritual development (As devised by the Yogis, Hindus, Buddhists of lore, and which can be found a few days back here). And it's a problem because no one can grow someone else up some more again, or at all. Jesus couldn't do it, and they killed him for trying. They always kill you in one way or another for trying. Growing up is our responsibility. It is really all we have to do. If we are committed to growing up some more again for as long as it takes, we have everything it takes for our life-experience (and our life) to be as good as it can be. Our life is never as good as we would like for it to be, and thus, the need to grow up some more again. But we insist that our life be what we want it to be NOW! And it will never be what we want it to be ever. We have to grow up some more again about it. Which we refuse to do. And here we are. The only "solution" (And it solves nothing, just makes things as livable as they can be) is for those of us who can to grow up some more again as we are able throughout our life and let that be that. Salvation is an individual accomplishment. Nobody can save the world. Nobody can "make disciples of all nations" (And Jesus of all people would have known that, so those words were put in his mouth by those who felt they needed leverage for what they were doing--which is how the entire Bible got to be as it is, but that is for another time). Each of us is on our own. Our life is our responsibility. And growing up some more again is all we have to do. Everything will fall into place around that. It is another term for the spiritual journey, the Hero's Journey, the spiritual Quest. And it waits for us to take it up. Every day. For the rest of our life.
