When There's Nothing More To Do (Neale Donald Walsch)

I am definitely moving more towards stage 3 than stage 1 or 2 these days.

When there's nothing more to do
Sunday, November 22, 2009
THE READERS' FORUM
Much is made in the world of New Thought about this thing called "consciousness." Is it possible to acquire Consciousness --- that is, to achieve it? And if so, how?
That is a question that has intrigued --- if not to say, plagued --- humankind from the beginning of recorded history.
I am told that the answer is yes. Indeed, all of Life is a process by which Consciousness is achieved. And it begins, I am told, with an innate, inner impulse toward the Divine --- which is the Source of All Consciousness, and which is Consciousness Itself. One might call this impulse "desire." It is a yearning. It is a reaching for, a movement toward, a different way of living, another way of being. Indeed, a different reason for living.
It starts there, I am sure. My life has taught me that. It starts there. I observe that as I have grown older, my reason for living has changed...and not a little bit. It has changed dramatically. I have moved through what I call the Three Stages of Personal Growth.
When I was a youth, and in my early adult years, my reasons for getting up in the morning, and the things that I did during my day, were largely centered on my body. Matters of the body, desires of the body, activities of the body. I see now that this was the First Stage of Personal Growth.
When I matured into my middle years I saw my reasons for living shift a little (and more and more as the years went by) to matters of the mind, desires of the mind, activities of the mind. This was the Second Stage of Personal Growth.
Now, in my senior years (what I am able to call my Final Years), I observe with interest that my reasons for living have shifted again, this time to matters of the soul, desires of the soul, activities of the soul. I have labeled this the Third Stage of Personal Growth.
I suppose this is all a natural progression. When we are young we are so new, so gosh-darn new, to our bodies that we want to try everything out. Once we see how everything works, we what to know what to do with it --- and how. This is where the mind comes in. Finally, after "doing stuff" with our bodies at the behest of our minds for decades, we ask ourselves, why? What is the point of all of this? We also are faced with the Old Person's Question: What is there to do when there is nothing more to do?
If we see life as a largely physical experience, that question will have few satisfactory answers. The fact is that there is nothing to do once you have done everything; once you have searched for and found yourself, searched for and found your mate, searched for and found your Right Work, created your role in the world, had your children, raised your children, said goodbye to your children as a part of your day-to-day life...
What's left? From a physical perspective, not much. Oh, there is traveling. You could get on a boat or a plane or a train every few months and get out and "see the world." But after 45 Passport Control lines, even that glamorous and exciting idea loses its luster. Which leaves stamp collecting and television watching --- neither of which promise much stimulation or reward.
If we see life as a largely mental experience there is reading, of course, but soon we will ask, What is the point of that? What am I gathering all of this knowledge for? What am I going to do with all this information I am gathering?
Yet if we see life as a largely spiritual experience, suddenly vistas open up, the future spreads wide before us. There is --- once again --- much to do. And, unlike all of our other endeavors, with these activities you can never be done...
And we will look at more of this in our next entry!

(Neale Donald Walsch)