Enthusiasm: quality or defect?

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  • #38561
    samuel
    samuel
    Participant

    Enthusiasm: quality or defect? Can one be proud when enthusiasm is sincerely and totally disinterested ?… It is true that enthusiasm leaves no one indifferent: you are considered as a sympathetic or unfriendly illuminator, as a great dreamer with the chaotic concentration of a goldfish, or even as someone inspiring.
    It’s hard to reach unanimous agreement!
    For me, sincere, spontaneous and totally disinterested enthusiasm is the most beautiful of faults, but “the others I love so much” often makes me understand “that I had to take care of myself”, being careful not to fall back into apathetic and melancholy indifference.
    One day, in my previous job, I was summoned to the office of the director who liked me very much.
    Here is what he wrote to me on a piece of paper, asking me to meditate on it regularly;
    “In human beings, a highly developed but out of tune brain is indefinitely more painful and atrocious than that of a simple-minded and foolish human being.”
    In some ways, I look a lot like Thomas Didyme. (Smile)
    “Such a life on such a planet! And yet, because of the ever-present help and urge of the Thought Adjuster, this soul did achieve a fair degree of happiness and success and has even now ascended to the judgment halls of mansonia.”(LU/ 111: 7.5)
    “In certain circumstances”, when I am reproached for something, I answer; yes, but the difference between you and me is that I, I know, would rather be what I am than be the mutation of a sheep that allows itself to drift with an intellectual automaton parrot.
    Nevertheless, this does not prevent me from making efforts to rebalance my human relationships, it is the art of adjustment ; courage is the power of the mind that manifests itself in the love of mental conflict, the spirit of adventure towards new discoveries that make us grow.
    What an adventure!
    Samuel Heïne (Reunion Island)
    https://albanmichon.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/piege-blanc-1.jpg

    https://www.deepl.com/fr/translator

    Friendship enhances joys, glorifies the triumphs of life and fidelity is a treasure of the soul.

    #38566
    Mara
    Mara
    Participant

     

    Life is an amazing process isn’t it?  I know people who, in my opinion, are overly enthusiastic to the point of getting in my face with their enthusiasm.  I do have boundaries about my personal space. I consider myself a very enthusiastic person, but I am not a very outgoing person.   I do not see my enthusiasm as a fault.   There is a discussion in the book about discretion and zeal that might pertain to your topic, but I don’t have it at the moment.

     

    It’s okay for people to disagree. We don’t have to think alike or see things the same way. I am very disgusted, though, when people are disagreeable and attacting other people on this forum or elsewhere. It is important to me to demonstrate the values I propound to live by.   I accept my own imperfections. And no doubt I have many. I am perfection-bound. I have had many *oopses* in my personal and unique life experience.   I thank God everyday for forgiving me of my trespasses.

     

    Maybe this reference can shed light on your topic.

    100:7.12 [Part III]
    Jesus was consistently cheerful, notwithstanding he sometimes drank deeply of the cup of human sorrow. He fearlessly faced the realities of existence, yet was he filled with enthusiasm for the gospel of the kingdom. But he controlled his enthusiasm; it never controlled him. He was unreservedly dedicated to “the Father’s business.” This divine enthusiasm led his unspiritual brethren to think he was beside himself, but the onlooking universe appraised him as the model of sanity and the pattern of supreme mortal devotion to the high standards of spiritual living. And his controlled enthusiasm was contagious; his associates were constrained to share his divine optimism.
    #38577
    Mara
    Mara
    Participant

    “THE experience of dynamic religious living transforms the mediocre individual into a personality of idealistic power. Religion ministers to the progress of all through fostering the progress of each individual, and the progress of each is augmented through the achievement of all.”  This is from Paper 100 Religion in Human Experience.  In posting this information I hope to generate more conversation on this topic.  I believe that you, Samuel, are a religionist – just such a person as is referred to in this link:

     

    100:6.5   But true religion is a living love, a life of service. The religionist’s detachment from much that is purely temporal and trivial never leads to social isolation, and it should not destroy the sense of humor. Genuine religion takes nothing away from human existence, but it does add new meanings to all of life; it generates new types of enthusiasm, zeal, and courage. It may even engender the spirit of the crusader, which is more than dangerous if not controlled by spiritual insight and loyal devotion to the commonplace social obligations of human loyalties.
    #38578
    Mara
    Mara
    Participant
    samuel wrote:  Nevertheless, this does not prevent me from making efforts to rebalance my human relationships, it is the art of adjustment
    Indeed!
    108:5.6   Your transient and ever-changing emotions of joy and sorrow are in the main purely human and material reactions to your internal psychic climate and to your external material environment. Do not, therefore, look to the Adjuster for selfish consolation and mortal comfort. It is the business of the Adjuster to prepare you for the eternal adventure, to assure your survival. It is not the mission of the Mystery Monitor to smooth your ruffled feelings or to minister to your injured pride; it is the preparation of your soul for the long ascending career that engages the attention and occupies the time of the Adjuster.
    #38713
    samuel
    samuel
    Participant

    Thank you very much Mara and hello to all of you. :good:

    What is a living fraternal association of men and women who intimately believe and live the teachings of Jesus and the fifth epochal revelation, The Urantia Book?

     

    Our society, traversed by serious crises which, under various names, explode before our eyes, is perhaps only the tip of the iceberg of a deep-seated evil, whose roots are rooted in fatalism: a convenient excuse for “not acting”, for turning in on oneself.

    The association is there, more alive than ever, like a bastion.

    It “brings together” women and men who are “happy” to find each other, beyond their differences.

    Happy to weave new social and fraternal bonds; and quite simply to find themselves together, united by the same passion.

    Happy to bring the best of themselves.

    Whether it is a question of studying, communicating, exchanging… Or simply reinventing “living together” in a society that is losing its meaning.

    “Joining forces” for a purpose other than profit is a breath of fresh air, in a world where success in life is too often confused with success in life.

    As spectators of a world that ignores them, many, whatever their age, find with association a new breath of fresh air, a new surge of enthusiasm… And sometimes even the humanity they lacked.

    In this world where everything seems to escape us, the association-cement of social and fraternal cohesion restores the hope of building a different society.

    A stronger society “of its differences”, more tolerant, more supportive.

    Because we believe in the strength of the human being, association is more than ever an elixir of youth.

    It can help regenerate a society without vision, without direction.

    If the association does not have the monopoly to change things, it is nevertheless a space of freedom to understand each other, to become aware that we are all in solidarity with each other.

    An association means planting the seeds of a more altruistic, more supportive and more responsible society.

    One that we will leave to future generations.

    Because it is an integral part of social life, because it draws its roots from the human being, the association deserves to be encouraged and its members should get involved in it to find a real dimension in a “divided” world where everyone aspires to more unity and fraternity.

    TO LIVE TOGETHER!

    ______________________________________________________________________________________________

    The Art of Living

     

    There are just two ways in which mortals may live together: the material or animal way and the spiritual or human way. By the use of signals and sounds animals are able to communicate with each other in a limited way. But such forms of communication do not convey meanings, values, or ideas. The one distinction between man and the animal is that man can communicate with his fellows by means of symbols which most certainly designate and identify meanings, values, ideas, and even ideals.

     

    Since animals cannot communicate ideas to each other, they cannot develop personality. Man develops personality because he can thus communicate with his fellows concerning both ideas and ideals.

     

    It is this ability to communicate and share meanings that constitutes human culture and enables man, through social associations, to build civilizations. Knowledge and wisdom become cumulative because of man’s ability to communicate these possessions to succeeding generations. And thereby arise the cultural activities of the race: art, science, religion, and philosophy.

     

    Symbolic communication between human beings predetermines the bringing into existence of social groups. The most effective of all social groups is the family, more particularly the two parents. Personal affection is the spiritual bond which holds together these material associations. Such an effective relationship is also possible between two persons of the same sex, as is so abundantly illustrated in the devotions of genuine friendships.

     

    These associations of friendship and mutual affection are socializing and ennobling because they encourage and facilitate the following essential factors of the higher levels of the art of living:

     

    1. Mutual self-expression and self-understanding.Many noble human impulses die because there is no one to hear their expression. Truly, it is not good for man to be alone. Some degree of recognition and a certain amount of appreciation are essential to the development of human character. Without the genuine love of a home, no child can achieve the full development of normal character. Character is something more than mere mind and morals. Of all social relations calculated to develop character, the most effective and ideal is the affectionate and understanding friendship of man and woman in the mutual embrace of intelligent wedlock. Marriage, with its manifold relations, is best designed to draw forth those precious impulses and those higher motives which are indispensable to the development of a strong character. I do not hesitate thus to glorify family life, for your Master has wisely chosen the father-child relationship as the very cornerstone of this new gospel of the kingdom. And such a matchless community of relationship, man and woman in the fond embrace of the highest ideals of time, is so valuable and satisfying an experience that it is worth any price, any sacrifice, requisite for its possession.

     

    1. Union of souls—the mobilization of wisdom.Every human being sooner or later acquires a certain concept of this world and a certain vision of the next. Now it is possible, through personality association, to unite these views of temporal existence and eternal prospects. Thus does the mind of one augment its spiritual values by gaining much of the insight of the other. In this way men enrich the soul by pooling their respective spiritual possessions. Likewise, in this same way, man is enabled to avoid that ever-present tendency to fall victim to distortion of vision, prejudice of viewpoint, and narrowness of judgment. Fear, envy, and conceit can be prevented only by intimate contact with other minds. I call your attention to the fact that the Master never sends you out alone to labor for the extension of the kingdom; he always sends you out two and two. And since wisdom is superknowledge, it follows that, in the union of wisdom, the social group, small or large, mutually shares all knowledge.

     

    1. The enthusiasm for living.Isolation tends to exhaust the energy charge of the soul. Association with one’s fellows is essential to the renewal of the zest for life and is indispensable to the maintenance of the courage to fight those battles consequent upon the ascent to the higher levels of human living. Friendship enhances the joys and glorifies the triumphs of life. Loving and intimate human associations tend to rob suffering of its sorrow and hardship of much of its bitterness. The presence of a friend enhances all beauty and exalts every goodness. By intelligent symbols man is able to quicken and enlarge the appreciative capacities of his friends. One of the crowning glories of human friendship is this power and possibility of the mutual stimulation of the imagination. Great spiritual power is inherent in the consciousness of wholehearted devotion to a common cause, mutual loyalty to a cosmic Deity.

     

    1. The enhanced defense against all evil.Personality association and mutual affection is an efficient insurance against evil. Difficulties, sorrow, disappointment, and defeat are more painful and disheartening when borne alone. Association does not transmute evil into righteousness, but it does aid in greatly lessening the sting. Said your Master, “Happy are they who mourn”—if a friend is at hand to comfort. There is positive strength in the knowledge that you live for the welfare of others, and that these others likewise live for your welfare and advancement. Man languishes in isolation. Human beings unfailingly become discouraged when they view only the transitory transactions of time. The present, when divorced from the past and the future, becomes exasperatingly trivial. Only a glimpse of the circle of eternity can inspire man to do his best and can challenge the best in him to do its utmost. And when man is thus at his best, he lives most unselfishly for the good of others, his fellow sojourners in time and eternity.

     

    I repeat, such inspiring and ennobling association finds its ideal possibilities in the human marriage relation. True, much is attained out of marriage, and many, many marriages utterly fail to produce these moral and spiritual fruits. Too many times marriage is entered by those who seek other values which are lower than these superior accompaniments of human maturity. Ideal marriage must be founded on something more stable than the fluctuations of sentiment and the fickleness of mere sex attraction; it must be based on genuine and mutual personal devotion. And thus, if you can build up such trustworthy and effective small units of human association, when these are assembled in the aggregate, the world will behold a great and glorified social structure, the civilization of mortal maturity. Such a race might begin to realize something of your Master’s ideal of “peace on earth and good will among men.” While such a society would not be perfect or entirely free from evil, it would at least approach the stabilization of maturity. https://bigbluebook.org/160/2/

     

    ______________________________________________________________________________________________

    “Religion must become a forceful influence for moral stability and spiritual progression functioning dynamically in the midst of these ever-changing conditions and never-ending economic adjustments.” (99:1.2)

    «La société Urantia ne peut jamais espérer s’installer comme par le passé. Le navire social s’est enfui des baies abritées de la tradition établie et a commencé sa croisière sur la haute mer du destin évolutionnaire; et l’âme de l’homme, comme jamais auparavant dans l’histoire du monde, a besoin d’examiner attentivement ses chartes de moralité et d’observer minutieusement la boussole de la direction religieuse. La mission primordiale de la religion en tant qu’influence sociale est de stabiliser les idéaux de l’humanité pendant ces temps dangereux de transition d’une phase de civilisation à une autre, d’un niveau de culture à un autre. » (99: 1.3)

    «Au grand jour du jugement du royaume, beaucoup me diront: ‘N’avons-nous pas prophétisé en votre nom et par votre nom fait de nombreuses merveilles?’ Mais je serai obligé de leur dire: «Je ne vous ai jamais connu; éloignez-vous de moi, vous qui êtes de faux docteurs. Mais quiconque entend cette accusation et exécute sincèrement sa mission de me représenter devant les hommes, tout comme je vous ai représenté mon Père, trouvera une entrée abondante dans mon service et dans le royaume du Père céleste. » (140: 3,20)

    «Enseignez à tous les croyants que ceux qui entrent dans le royaume ne sont pas ainsi immunisés contre les accidents du temps ou les catastrophes ordinaires de la nature. Croire à l’Évangile n’empêchera pas d’avoir des ennuis, mais cela vous assurera que vous n’aurez pas  peur  lorsque des ennuis vous envahiront . Si vous osez croire en moi et que vous vous engagez de tout cœur à me suivre, vous entrerez certainement sur la voie sûre du trouble. Je ne promets pas de vous délivrer des eaux de l’adversité, mais je promets de vous accompagner à travers chacune d’elles. » (159: 3.13)

    Friendship enhances joys, glorifies the triumphs of life and fidelity is a treasure of the soul.

    #47985
    Avatar
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    i’mma lad w/enthusiasm; be as a little child. it’s not a request it’s a demand.

    124:3.6 (1370.4) About the middle of May the lad accompanied his father on a business trip to Scythopolis, the chief Greek city of the Decapolis, the ancient Hebrew city of Beth-shean. On the way Joseph recounted much of the olden history of King Saul, the Philistines, and the subsequent events of Israel’s turbulent history. Jesus was tremendously impressed with the clean appearance and well-ordered arrangement of this so-called heathen city. He marveled at the open-air theater and admired the beautiful marble temple dedicated to the worship of the “heathen” gods. Joseph was much perturbed by the lad’s enthusiasm and sought to counteract these favorable impressions by extolling the beauty and grandeur of the Jewish temple at Jerusalem. Jesus had often gazed curiously upon this magnificent Greek city from the hill of Nazareth and had many times inquired about its extensive public works and ornate buildings, but his father had always sought to avoid answering these questions. Now they were face to face with the beauties of this gentile city, and Joseph could not gracefully ignore Jesus’ inquiries.

    Enthusiasm: quality or defect? Can one be proud when enthusiasm is sincerely and totally disinterested ?… It is true that enthusiasm leaves no one indifferent: you are considered as a sympathetic or unfriendly illuminator, as a great dreamer with the chaotic concentration of a goldfish, or even as someone inspiring. It’s hard to reach unanimous agreement! For me, sincere, spontaneous and totally disinterested enthusiasm is the most beautiful of faults, but “the others I love so much” often makes me understand “that I had to take care of myself”, being careful not to fall back into apathetic and melancholy indifference. One day, in my previous job, I was summoned to the office of the director who liked me very much. Here is what he wrote to me on a piece of paper, asking me to meditate on it regularly; “In human beings, a highly developed but out of tune brain is indefinitely more painful and atrocious than that of a simple-minded and foolish human being.” In some ways, I look a lot like Thomas Didyme. (Smile) “Such a life on such a planet! And yet, because of the ever-present help and urge of the Thought Adjuster, this soul did achieve a fair degree of happiness and success and has even now ascended to the judgment halls of mansonia.”(LU/ 111: 7.5) “In certain circumstances”, when I am reproached for something, I answer; yes, but the difference between you and me is that I, I know, would rather be what I am than be the mutation of a sheep that allows itself to drift with an intellectual automaton parrot. Nevertheless, this does not prevent me from making efforts to rebalance my human relationships, it is the art of adjustment ; courage is the power of the mind that manifests itself in the love of mental conflict, the spirit of adventure towards new discoveries that make us grow. What an adventure! Samuel Heïne (Reunion Island) https://albanmichon.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/piege-blanc-1.jpg https://www.deepl.com/fr/translator

    #47987
    samuel
    samuel
    Participant

    I had forgotten that I had written that, thank you for reminding me.
    Excellent weekend with you my spiritual brothers and sisters!
    Samuel Heïne (Reunion Island) :good:

    Friendship enhances joys, glorifies the triumphs of life and fidelity is a treasure of the soul.

    #48285
    Avatar
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Kay Redfield Jemison wrote a whole book on enthusiasm, when she reminded us all that the rootword is Theus, the feeling of God within.  You ask if pride contradicts enthusiasm, could pride lead to indifference (which I believe you use in order to draw contrasts).

     

    But I will suggest, since the universe was created by myriad Beings acting in concertion with the First Source, that not every form of pride is divorced from the en-theus.  Only personal pride is separated.  The urantia book has indicated that there is a universal form of pride, pride in one’s family, that certainly cannot be divorced from it.  And Jesus coached his brother James in this issue before he had declined to join with the Zealots Band.  Jesus affirmed the legitimacy of pride when he stated, that there is no greater love for others of one’s flesh and blood.  I am unsure of the truth within those bonds since in my life I have yet to become a parent, but I imagine it is such that one either virtually or directly experiences the same trials and tribulations as does the child of one’s flesh and blood.  The parent doesn’t always give advice, right or wrong, but experiences the karmic repercussions as though he himself had committed the same acts.  That’s my interpretation.  But in an eternal sense, it is difficult to fathom who is a parent and who is a child in eternity, but rather every being would coexist somehow within an ageless enduring extant.

     

    #48342
    Mara
    Mara
    Participant

    Isn’t pride part of the vanity thing?

    68:2.10 [Part III]
    If vanity be enlarged to cover pride, ambition, and honor, then we may discern not only how these propensities contribute to the formation of human associations, but how they also hold men together, since such emotions are futile without an audience to parade before. Soon vanity  associated with itself other emotions and impulses which required a social arena wherein they might exhibit and gratify themselves. This group of emotions gave origin to the early beginnings of all art, ceremonial, and all forms of sportive games and contests.
    And. . .
    149:2.11 [Part IV]
    Jesus transcended all the teachings of his forebears when he boldly substituted clean hearts for clean hands as the mark of true religion. He put reality in the place of tradition and swept aside all pretensions of vanity and hypocrisy. And yet this fearless man of God did not give vent to destructive criticism or manifest an utter disregard of the religious, social, economic, and political usages of his day. He was not a militant revolutionist; he was a progressive evolutionist. He engaged in the destruction of that which was only when he simultaneously offered his fellows the superior thing which ought to be.
    Best to look for the superior thing – that which ought to be.
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