Thursday, December 29, 2016

passing the test

 How can I know for sure unless I have been tested ? That is a question I have asked myself on many occasions. I offer advice and solutions, I say what I would do, but do I really know ? The answer invariably has to be , only if I have been tested. And isn't that the way with us all ? It is true with everything, especially life. Is life itself a test ? To those of us of a religious bent it certainly is. If we pass the test we get our reward. We are given the answers to the test, all we need do is memorize them. Then why it is so difficult to pass the test ?The answers aren't always what we want to hear. We insert our own answer and attempt to prove the result. It never works out, but that doesn't stop us from trying.
 If there is a secret to life I would have to say it is accepting the answers. Of course the only way to have confidence in those answers is in having been tested. When you apply the answer and see a positive result that is confirmation. Problem is, that doesn't always happen. It depends upon who is grading the test. So should we surround ourselves only with those that know the " correct " answers ? It sounds reasonable enough doesn't it ? Thing is, you are the one grading the test. You know what the answer should be. When it isn't what you want it to be, that causes the problems we face in life. When we expect others to respond in a certain fashion and they don't, that's a problem. So just what then is the answer ? Acceptance ? Tolerance ? Compassion ? Empathy ? That is what we are told but that doesn't work on the test does it ? They are not answers but actions to resolve an issue. Each one a form of surrender. Can I pass the test in that fashion ? No I don't believe I can. I still must answer the question. I can not pass the test by surrender.
 I believe this is what we are seeing today. We have decided to either ignore the answers altogether, or surrender. We do both by utilizing those actions to resolve an issue.  The fact is we should only use those actions to begin the conversation. They are not the answers. The answers are reached by mutual agreement, not by surrender. But if we are the ones grading that test how can we reach a mutual agreement with our self ? We do that by reconciling our conscious reality with our conscience. Those are the two " worlds " we occupy. Some folks dismiss one or the other and seem to get along just fine. That is something I can not grasp. Oh, I have temporarily accomplished that, that is when I make mistakes. Still happens in fact. Doesn't happen as often as it used to, and for that I am grateful.
 Is our conscience the voice of God ? Our conscience always seems to know the correct answer. It is when we choose to ignore that voice that trouble begins. But what forms our conscience ? That is something for a phycologist to explain, although I don't believe they can. I do believe our conscience is inherent. We know right from wrong. That right and wrong is then " adjusted " by the society we live in. We call that morality or virtue. Can society eliminate our conscience ? No, I don't believe it can but it can alter our perception and we become deceived. Evidence of this is found throughout history with the rise and fall of nations. Nations are, after all, people. When a nation discards its' conscience in favor of appeasement or surrender, the end is approaching. That nation fails the test and by extension so does man.
 I began by asking, how can I know for sure unless I have been tested. What is it I want to know ? The meaning of life ? Why I am here ? What is my purpose ? Do I have a purpose ? Does any of this mean anything ? I have the same questions as everyone else. These questions have been asked throughout millennia. Are there answers ? Yes there are. Can I know them ? Maybe, but I will only know for sure when I pass the test. The test isn't over yet. The real question here is, will I know when the test is over ?

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