'Obligation' Articles
When you are looking at your obligations, it would be a mistake to invalidate them all. Much of what you enjoy in life comes from an interplay, and therefore exchange, between you and another person, and you may enjoy more of your life than you think you do. In those cases, it isn’t right to declare the situation unfair. The secret of life is not to avoid obligations, but like in any act of creative self expression, recognize the medium for what it is and own your response ability in it. It isn’t the stone that makes your creativity possible. Like clay or paint, it’s you first, then what you will work with. Your life is your magnum opus, your great work.
“I believe that every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity an obligation; every possession a duty.” John D. Rockefeller (American Industrialist and Philanthropist, founder of the Standard Oil Company, 1839-1937)
“The sense of obligation to continue is present in all of us. A duty to strive is the duty of us all. I felt a call to that duty.” Abraham Lincoln (American 16th US President (1861-65), who brought about the emancipation of the slaves. 1809-1865)
“A man said to the universe: “Sir, I exist!” “However,” replied the universe, “The fact has not created in me a sense of obligation” Stephen Crane (American short-story Writer, Novelist and Poet. 1871-1900)
Blind Obligation
Tell me friends, how do you come about your obligations? Onerous ones? No, all. Good question. Training from parents. Yes, parents for me too, and husband. Being born. A lot is programmed for me. Voluntarily. Then you are well set, but is all your voluntary behaviour self chosen? Are there many ways to define obligation? As many as there are people who hold your obligation in theory, but what about your part in that decision? To me it kind of goes with responsibility. Response ability. We all have response ability, because as our life happens only we will make the… Seek More
Obligation As Giving
Not being a part of the system of judgements, which you didn’t yourself create anyway, goes a long way to helping you see the issue of obligation clearly. Ignoring your obligations all together is no more wise than subscribing to everyone anyone passes to you, because other people have held obligations to you as well. Any connection you reject shuts off an avenue of supply as well as demand. Unless the person in question is all demand, because they “have nothing to give”? Who here has nothing to give anyone? We all have time and energy, and talents of one… Seek More
Reaching Out
Do you have a desire to reach out to others? Then you can treat that desire to reach out to others the same as you treat those obligations you hold to yourself, and do it for the same reason. Personal fulfillment. Recognize that you have a use for others, and select those others for your own reasons. They will be equally benefited, because you see in them what they value in themselves. What they spent the most time developing and expressing, that is part of what they need. Creating reality. If you think it’s sick or needs healing, you create… Seek More
Confrontation
These people you dislike, they aren’t your enemies. They have given you the gift of seeing your own definitions. You can accept that special gift from them, and then not hurt yourself over anything else about them. There is attachment, aversions and indifference to everyone we meet. It’s the indifference with which I am focusing on. Attachment and aversion are natural, indifference is not. Indifference is a cultivated attitude acquired as we grow down to size. Do you know children to be actually indifferent about anything? So you can recognise qualities you don’t like and avoid them? Exactly. It is… Seek More
Imposed Obligation
The subject is obligation. I will start with a bit about one of my own obligations. I was sought to do meetings here in Second Life, because they felt I had something to contribute, and I accepted their invitation. This did create an obligation for me. One I respect and honour as the founders of this center show me the same in kind. It isn’t always easy to honour this obligation, but if I do not, the feeling is worse even if remaining to do a talk becomes unpleasant for me, because my obligation to the founders here is a… Seek More
Obliged to Suffer?
Does obligation have to be a suffering? No, it doesn’t. It doesn’t have to be a suffering, but it only ceases to be a suffering when we see that we chose that set of obligations, and recognize why we do. See ourselves in it. But, but, but aren’t we “obliged“ to suffer? Yes. They tell us we are obliged to suffer. If we don’t, we aren’t taking the way and the teachings seriously enough including the teaching of “liberation”, and accept that my path is my path and bettered or worsened based on my choices, including obligation. Suffering is a… Seek More
Joyful Obligation
We shape the future by the choices we make now. Do we choose to meet life’s circumstances via joy or resentment? Very true, and where is the awareness of our own joy? Is it not where we are told petty or evil things lay in our being? Is it not from the animal side that we are supposedly obligated to free ourselves from? There is the path of the Spiritual Warrior. Those who are learning the lessons of the right use of Power. It is these who create and hold “safe space” for others to grow. People have the right… Seek More
