The Avoidance of Selfishness:
Living as if in the Presence of God
by Patrick Yesh
General Conference 1990 Snowmass, Colorado
Introduction
As an educator, the main focus behind anything I teach be it art, school curriculum, or Urantia teachings must reflect the supreme purpose of education as stated in The Urantia Book:
"[T]o foster and further the supreme purpose of life, the development of a majestic and well-balanced personality." (*2086)
A key word is "majestic." One doesn't normally think of oneself as majestic, but you can if you visualize yourself as a child of God, an important, evolving morontia being, a unique part of an organic living organism, the brotherhood of man. This concept of self, as majestic, is central to my talk about the avoidance of selfishness and walking with God. We cannot avoid being selfish in this life unless we have a positive and secure self-image, fulfilled in the conviction that we have everything we need in life, surrounded with God's love, and peaceful inside. We know by living faith that we are truly God's children traveling on our way home to Paradise.
Jesus taught in a special way by study, research, and by arranging known facts so they formed new ideas and meanings that would illuminate his spiritual teachings. This presentation is an attempt to coordinate information from contemporary research in education, psychological therapeutic practices, and behavioral change with the Urantia teachings on creativity, problem solving, and personality integration. This combination I hope will contribute to illuminating some ways that show us how to avoid selfishness.
I ask for your consent and commitment to begin to visualize yourselves differently, to begin to make some changes in your perceptions of yourselves. Your new self-image is becoming one of an unselfish servant, a son or daughter of God walking in living faith in the presence of your eternal Father.
PERSISTENCE PATIENCE PRACTICE ACTION REFLECTION
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To avoid selfishness, live as if in the presence of God--identify your self-image as your morontia soul, because your soul always walks in the presence of God.
Definitions and Concepts
From Webster's Collegiate:
o Avoid = to leave, to shun, to annul, to prevent the occurrence or effectiveness of.
o Avoidance = the action of emptying, clearing away, or vacating.
o Selfish = concerned excessively or exclusively with oneself; seeking or concentrating on one's own advantage, pleasure or well-being without regard for others; egocentric.
From The Urantia Book:
o Selfishness = "Unbridled self-will and unregulated self-expression equal unmitigated selfishness, the acme of ungodliness. Liberty without the associated and ever-increasing conquest of self is a figment of egoistic mortal imagination." (*613)
o True liberty = "True liberty is associated with self-respect, the fruit of self-control, and leads to altruistic service." (*614)
o Self. The entire self--the whole self--is material, intellectual and spiritual. These three powers--material, physical, and spiritual--must be in triune harmony of development for a maximum of light and truth to be imparted at minimal risk to the personality--balanced growth. Your mind has to be perfectly poised, housed in a body of clean habits, stabilized neural energies, and balanced chemical functions. (*1209) [And this is not easy, because it takes rugged self-control, and it usually means changing behavior--transformation of personality.]
Further references to the self in the Urantia papers include:
The psychic circles are not exclusively intellectual, neither are they wholly morontial; they have to do with personality status, mind attainment, soul growth, and Adjuster attunement. The successful traversal of these levels demands the harmonious functioning of the entire personality, not merely of some one phase thereof. The growth of the parts [of the personality] does not equal the true maturation of the whole; the parts really grow in proportion to the expansion of the entire self--the whole self--material, intellectual, and spiritual. (*1209)
and
It is the creativity of the inner world that is most subject to your directionSince this inner life of man is truly creative, there rests upon each person the responsibility of choosing as to whether this creativity shall be spontaneous and wholly haphazard or controlled, directed, and constructive. Inner creativity contributes to ennoblement of character through personality integration and selfhood unification. It is forever true: the past is unchangeable; only the future can be changed by the ministry of the present creativity of the inner self. (*1221)
Did you know that your progressive spiritual development is built into your master tissues anyway?
The possibility of the unification of the evolving self is inherent in the qualities of its constitutive factors: the basic energies, the master tissues, the fundamental chemical overcontrol, the supreme ideas, the supreme motives, the supreme goals, and the divine spirit of Paradise bestowal--the secret of the self-consciousness of man's spiritual nature. (*1229)
The Avoidance of Selfishness
From one of the above definitions, it seems that we can avoid selfishness if we have self-respect and self-control, combined with a desire for altruistic service. If we are to avoid selfishness, we must first understand what is meant by the concept "self." It is no wonder therefore, that the revelators also emphasize and make clear to us their definitions about self, self-identity, and self-worth. There are three pages of derivatives of self in the Concordex, third edition, pages 410-412.
The Urantia Book generally uses the word "self" in two ways: the human ego self and the morontia soul self. The writers make very clear and strong statements about which sense of self our spiritual guides want us to eventually identify with. Choosing to identify with our associated morontia self is our goal if we truly desire to avoid habitual selfish pursuits. In comparing human beings to the Havona citizens, the Divine Counselor of Uversa says that Havona citizens never gain such levels of unselfish experience by the magnificent conquest of a belligerent self. (*52)
What are some methods which can help us to change the selfish behaviors of our "belligerent selves"? Webster defines "belligerent" as "warring, combative, hostile, quarrelsome, contentious, assertive, aggressive, and truculent." One wonders why God would create us human will creatures with such an incredible monster of an ego, that we have to fight through it to get to spiritual illumination. Not only do we have to do battle with the external world, we are created so that we have to temper our mind, will, and soul by conquering our own inner, human mind and creating a link-up with our premorontia soul mind.
According to the above quotes, one method of changing our behavior is to first bridle our "self-will" and then regulate our self-expression. We must exercise an "ever-increasing conquest of self" to attain true liberty, which the revelators and Jesus equate with the conquering of selfishness. We must have self-respect and self-control which lead to our desire for altruistic service. One writer (a Mighty Messenger of experiential survival of a system rebellion) encourages us to think hard about the meanings of true liberty and selfishness and their relationships. Liberty and unselfishness are wedded to social equality, cosmic fairness, universe fraternity, divine obligations, material justice, intellectual fairness, social forbearance, moral duty, and spiritual values.
Rodan said that prejudice is inseparably linked to selfishness. Prejudice can be eliminated only by the abandonment of self-seeking and by substituting, therefor, the quest of the satisfaction of the service of a cause that is not only greater than self, but one that is even greater than all humanity--the search for God, the attainment of divinity (see p. 1774).
A critical method of establishing a supreme self-image along with a modicum of self-control is contained in the following quote:
The material self, the ego-entity of human identityselfhood of survival value is only evolved by establishing a potential transfer of the seat of identity of the evolving personality from the transient life vehicle--the material body--to the more enduring and immortal nature of the morontia soul. (*1229)
Some key words here are "ego-entity" of human identity, the phrase "morontia soul," and the qualifier "potential."
The Urantia Book has come through the field of psychoanalytic theory, which uses the concept of ego. A popular definition of "ego" paraphrased from psychological texts is the following:
EGO = [Id-Ego-Superego] The ego is our conscious transformer which deals with the demands of our outer reality and our inner reality. The ego coordinates our unconscious instinctive impulses, which seek immediate gratification, with our superego, which is our internalization of the morals and standards of our parents and society.
Our superego is something more. According to UB writers, our spiritual contact zone is also located in the superego (superconscious). The writers also acknowledge conscious, unconscious, and subconscious parts of the mind.
According to current psychological theory, your ego is weak or strong depending on how well your ego integrates the impulses of your impulsive id with the ideals of your superego as you confront your outer reality. In reacting to your external world, if many of your inner urges are incompatible with your internalized standards and values, you may experience anxiety, internal conflict, and possibly depression. If you give too much importance to your human ego self, you can become trapped in pride and become egocentric, having too much egotism (exaggerated self-importance). Egoism means self-interest is the valid end of all your actions. A healthy ego, in psychological terms, achieves unity and harmony of all levels. A healthy ego acquires positive self-esteem--feelings of self-worth. These last two ideas are reflected in the definition of a healthy "personality" in The Urantia Book.
Changing Our Self-Perception and Behavior
Let us review some contemporary psychological concepts combined with Urantia Book ideas, which could help us to transform our self-image:
o Identify your current self-images
o Identify and heighten your self-esteem
o Identify your supreme value systems which make up your self-image and determine how and why you make the kind of decisions you do
o Goal setting with spiritual self-imagery
o Transformation practice in visualizing your morontia self-image
o Creating and setting personal spiritual affirmations at the intellectual, feeling, and doing levels of personality. [Knowing, feeling, and doing are the foundation of our cosmic educational training curriculum.]
Just how do we effect permanent change in our attitudes, behaviors, and mental processes? If we are to change from selfish individuals to altruistic servants of the brotherhood of man (our spiritual sisters and brothers), are we not addressing one of the most difficult tasks a human being can undertake--personal change, rugged self-control, and self-mastery?
You must first make a deep personal commitment to begin the process of mastery of self. Please make that commitment. Do it now.
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FIRST VISUALIZATION
Close your eyes, relax, and breathe deeply; Jesus asked us to practice relaxed attention.
Please take a moment to visualize in your mind your present self-concepts. What are your self-images?
How do you think you are seen by your family members, by your friends and in your community?
Pause and reflect on these.
How do you feel about each of your self-images?
Internally, do you hold yourself in high self-esteem?
Do you like yourself as a parent, spouse, friend, co-worker, boss or community member?
Pause and reflect on these.
Do you look in the mirror and say, "I like myself, I love myself, I'm terrific!"? Do any of your human egotistical self-concepts really have any value now that you have begun to understand and internalize the Urantia teachings? Or should you be looking at yourself through different eyes--your morontia soul's eyes?
In contrast to your human identity and self-images, now focus on your associate premorontia soul identity.
With eyes closed and your mind focused inward, just imagine your already existing morontia soul-self. It was born when your Thought Adjuster arrived and it has been growing ever since.
It's five years younger than your human self. This is that part of you which unfailingly desires to do the will of God the Father, and that part of you which joyfully does the will of the Father. Feel the presence of your associate morontia soul, which is the dual creation of your Thought Adjuster and you. While you are visualizing your premorontia soul, be aware of the following paraphrased quote from the Thought Adjuster section:
During the life in the flesh the evolving soul is enabled to reinforce the supermaterial decisions of the mortal mind. The soul, being supermaterial, does not of itself function on the material level of human experience[however, with the collaboration of the Thought Adjuster or some spirit of Deity, this subspiritual soul (your morontia soul)] can even function above the morontia level.
This morontia soul can make final decisions while in material association with the mortal mind when and as this material mind [your conscious human mind] willingly and freely delegates such authority to your morontia soul of associated function. (*1219)
Pause and reflect on this.
THIS IS AN AMAZING STATEMENT! THEY ARE SAYING THAT YOU CAN DELEGATE AUTHORITY TO YOUR SOUL-SELF TO MAKE ANY FINAL DECISION AT ANY TIME IN YOUR LIFE. I personally define a final decision as meaning anything that deals with the welfare of my spiritual existence, and that could be just about anything.
If you identify yourself in this life with only your human ego-concept of yourself--your material self--as one normally does, then you will never transcend your problems, nor will you have health or tranquillity, or efficiency, nor can you be a fully functioning personality, nor will you begin to traverse the seven circles of spiritual attainment available to all of us here on Urantia. (*1209)
The methods of changing our self-concept from a material sense to a spiritual one can be found by studying the Thought Adjuster papers, and of course by following the examples of Christ's life and by being obedient to his teachings. We operate within the Holy Mother Spirit's influence when we are "obedient" to Christ's teachings. When Christ finally mastered his human mind, he did it through a concentrated and consecrated act of his will. And the UB writers tell us that mind is about all we have of cosmic reality that is subject to our will. And Jesus said that we can use his mind to do what he did with his mind, simply by accepting his ideas as our own.
The Thought Adjuster section is filled with twenty-first century spiritual-psychology and the Christ section holds our essential spiritual education. It is in these sections that we can find the practical tools to avoid the twentieth century's greatest illness: too much concentration on the self and too much material gratification. It is here we find out how to avoid selfishness in the unselfish service of family and the brotherhood of man. In these sections we find real methods of how to transcend the selfish human ego-self-image.
Our Premorontia Soul
A Solitary Messenger of Orvonton says that, "During life the mortal will, the personality power of decision-choice is resident in the material mind circuits; as terrestrial mortal growth proceeds, this self, with its priceless powers of choice, becomes increasingly identified with the emerging morontia-soul entity; after death and following the mansion world resurrection, the human personality is completely identified with the morontia self. The soul is thus the embryo or the future morontia vehicle of personality identity. The soul partakes of the qualities of both the human mind and the divine spirit but persistently evolves toward augmentation of spirit control and divine dominance through the fostering of a mind function whose meanings seek to coordinate with true spirit value. The mortal career, the soul's evolution, is not so much a probation as an education [in faith in the survival of supreme values; the union of supreme values and cosmic meanings as a realization of universal reality]. (*1219)
The Qualitative and Quantitative Levels of Soul Growth
The qualitative level of soul is our value level of awareness. "Quality" (value) is felt! That which feels (your soul) is the mutual creation of mind (your mind) which knows, and the associated spirit (your Thought Adjuster), which "reality-izes." The qualitative level of soul is in every decision you make which impedes or facilitates the function of your Thought Adjuster. Likewise do these very decisions determine your advancement in the circles of human achievement. The qualitative growth of the morontia soul is wholly dependent on the grasp of living faith upon the Paradise-potential fact-value that mortal man is a son of the eternal God.
The quantitative growth of the morontia soul is the comprehension of supreme meanings, plus the number and frequency of spiritual decisions. The quantitative aspect of soul growth is the number of decisions, frequent repetitions [of decisions], and persistent repetitions [of decisions] which are also essential to the habit-forming certainty of such reactions. (*1210)
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SECOND VISUALIZATION
According to current psychological research and Urantia Book teachings, to begin to make effective changes in behavior and personality, one must place his or her visualizations at the feeling level (not just the intellectual level) of one's being.
the material (personal) self must choose to co-operate with the indwelling Adjuster in creating and fostering the morontia self, the evolutionary and potentially immortal soul. (*1216)
Please, relax, visualize and feel your partially subspiritual-morontia soul self (no matter how slightly) for a few moments, while I guide your thoughts further.
Feel your morontia self. It doesn't matter how slightly you sense your soul, within or without, whether you see it in a shape or light or color, or hear it in music or sounds. Just sense and feel the presence of your soul. Your material body is just the cocoon--inside and outside your body exists your associated morontia soul.
Pause silently.
Take this opportunity to delegate, right now, willingly and freely to your associate morontia soul, the right to make final decisions about any matter in your life. Your morontia soul is that part of you which is essentially who you really are--that part of you which you can trust to unfailingly do the will of God.
Pause for meditation; dedication.
Take this opportunity to make the following affirmations:
o I am my morontia soul.
o I feel my morontia soul.
o Every decision I make facilitates the function of my Thought Adjuster.
o With full conscious awareness I delegate freely and willingly full authority to my morontia soul to make any and all final decisions in my life.
o I yield increased cooperation to my Thought Adjuster's spiritual mission.
o I permit my Thought Adjuster to complete the association of my human identity with my morontia soul here and now.
o I feel the loving presence of God. I feel my love for him.
Pause silently; worship with your soul.
After meditation and communion with your self and after joint worship of the Father, gently return to your earth consciousness and your normal awareness. Happy soul birthday!
Urantia Method of Spiritual Goal Setting and Achievement
To make yourself feel more at ease about accomplishing such a difficult task as changing your own human behavior and mental operations, know that our spiritual teachers have a great affection and understanding of the human predicament. Note the following, that they ask us to "evolve" to our new selfhood, our morontia soul, and that our actions are a "potential" transfer of the seat of identity of our evolving personality. We do not have to do it all at once. It seems, in any case, that our human condition inhibits us from doing anything all at once in any case.
o It is not so much what the mind comprehends as what the mind desires to comprehend that insures survival.
o It is not so much what mind is like as what mind is striving to be like that constitutes spirit identification.
o It is not so much that man is conscious of God as that man yearns for God that results in universe ascension.
o What you are today is not so important as what you are becoming day by day and in eternity. (*1217)
o Doing the will of God is nothing more or less than an exhibition of creature willingness to share the inner life with God--with the very God who has made such a creature life of inner meaning-value possible. Sharing is Godlike--divine. (*1221)
Also remember that you are not alone in this struggle for self-control and the avoidance of selfishness. You have quite a bit of helpful companionship, namely:
o Your Thought Adjuster.
o The gifts of your own creative personality, your soul, your will, and your faith, plus your awareness of your awareness [which, I suspect, is really all there is that we can truly label as our "I"]. Your awareness of your awareness can also exercise your will; your superconscious has access to incredible will-power. Your soul has will-volition.
o Your adjutant mind spirits, access to the Holy Mother Spirit's mind.
o Christ's Spirit of Truth; you can always substitute Christ's mind for yours by the simple human technique of other-mindedness, whereby you accept another's ideas [Christ's] as your own. (*863)
o The ministry of two guardian seraphim (who represent the presence of the Holy Mother Spirit), plus a sanobim and cherubim. And as you become involved in the various service areas of life, you also may connect with and consciously cooperate with the different orders of angels.
o Visiting spiritual beings such as midway friends, students, and celestial artisans, and
o The integration of all these in the presence of the evolving Supreme Being.
Finally, in considering the difficulty of personal change from selfish to unselfish behavior, the UB writers tell us, "Don't take your self too seriously." This is good advice in any case, even though the writers do make it implicit that we should take our "selves" seriously sometimes. We should develop a good sense of humor about our human selves (I imagine that means one's ego self, one's nonreal self.) We must begin to laugh at our "selves," our cultural roles, at our sometimes outrageous, animalistic, primitive, human, creature-like behaviors.
What is that part of the self-image that we are to take seriously? I think it is our morontia surviving self, the nonselfish self, secure in the Father's grasp of loving mercy, that part of ourselves which is overflowing with love and with the burning desire to serve.
SUMMARY: Methods of Overcoming Selfishness
1. Become increasingly busy about the work of unselfish service to your brothers and sisters within and without the spiritual brotherhood, so you won't have too much time to think about yourself.
2. Daily practice bearing the fruits of the spirit. Jesus said, "the fruits of the spirit are the essence of the highest type of enjoyable and ennobling self-control, even the heights of terrestrial mortal attainment--true self-mastery." (*1610)
3. Learn how to problem solve by Rodan's and Christ's methods. Study the teachings; become a knower. (*1772-74) Walk as if in the presence of God, solving your problems with an eye single to the glory of God. Take time daily to frequently bond with him through joyful worship and communion to gain strength for your struggles at self-discipline and problem-solving; and subject and yield your creature will daily to his will, thus consecrating and perfecting your human will.
4. When you worship and bond with God, do it at the feeling level to make quality changes in your personality. Become a feeling child of God--feel his love--feel your love for him ever increasing.
5. Get into an intimate relationship with someone fast, get a partner, get married, be around lots of children, join a service club, become a doer of love. Do not be alone in your thinking or your living. Intimate association with your fellows and family and community helps you to avoid selfish pursuits. Solitary life is fatal to happiness; even families and nations will enjoy life more if they share it with others. (*1776)
6. And Jesus said, "Your secret of the mastery of self is bound up with your faith in the indwelling spirit, which ever works by love. Even this saving faith you have not of yourselves; it also is the gift of God. And if you are the children of this living faith, you are no longer the bond slaves of self but rather the triumphant masters of yourselves, the liberated sons [and daughters] of God." (*1610)
A service of
The Urantia Book Fellowship