Earth School 101

Basically, there are two theories of the universe: the reason behind it and there isn’t one. I don’t pretend to know which is ultimately valid, I have doubts anyone really does. I come from a civilization where anyone can talk to God, but if He talks back, it’s psychotic. I also have trouble with those who think of God as someone stuck in the terrible twos. I grew up with some people like that, and don’t care for more. If those people think they are made in God’s image, I suspect they returned the favor—on steroids.

Without forcing an answer to the “I don’t know” question of whether there is a reason behind it, I took a logical tact. If there is no reason, I am free to make my own; if there is a reason, it should become clear in time. That’s empowering. The most beneficial theory seemed to be “Earth School.” We are here to learn and get to repeat the course as often as needed, usually at higher tuition—meaning with less subtlety and more pain. Also, when one later backslides, the course gets repeated. I also seem to notice that once one masters a lesson, the lesson seems to disappear. It doesn't continue on to some arbitrary end-of-course time. Whether this is the universe or my mind working, I’m not sure, but it’s worth watching.

As you astutely now surmise, this version of Earth School is not ecological although that can be a part if one desires. For many, Gaia has become their religion, but my Earth School is spiritual. It is the concept that I am here to learn with massive on-the-job training. This course or series of courses have lots of lab time, with the labs fully equipped and staffed. The instructor to student ratio is tremendous and there is no chance the instructors will not know one—grading will be accurate with no chance of being diminished or enhanced. Further, any lesson or class infinitely repeats until passed—and is easily, if not automatically, administered again should one’s learning regress. It can be a tough school.

My fellow students include everyone. The faculty, too, for everyone is my teacher. This allows me to think everyone is doing their best, even when their best may not be very good, yet I am free to react as I think best. It frees me, however, from even having to forgive them. The operative phrase is “frees me.” Forgiveness is a concept more beneficial to the forgiver than the recipient. Anger and resentment harbored for a suffered misdeed is a punishment of self, not the perpetrator. To not blame at all means one does not feel the destructive anger or resentment at all, but does not preclude action or reaction in any way. It frees it to be more appropriate, if anything. This is “Judge not!” but can be “Discern all!”

Finally, it allows me to continue working into my sunset years. It remains of use, even up to and through my last minutes. That becomes increasingly important, for having nothing useful to do is being already dead. This time, retirement will be merely a change of professions, well, maybe with a more casual work pace.