Theos-Talk Archives (January 2007 Message tt00082)

Hello Carlos,
I agree, M Scott Peck's book emphasize the importance of facing 
issues squarely and honestly and examines some of the neuroses that 
can arise from avoidance of honestly facing important issues.

He speaks of what he calls "legitimate suffering" which is the often 
painful process we may go through when acting on our conscience.

The `new age' mindset and popular culture can often focus on how to 
avoid suffering and seek pleasure for self by avoiding or ignoring 
feelings of guilt.

However Peck argues that valid feelings of guilt are important as 
they are what hone our spiritual sensibilities and conscience.

Of course there are neurotic and inappropriate forms of guilt but by 
working carefully through these issues we can learn to discern what 
areas in our life may need fine tuning and what psychological rackets 
we may be still perpetuating,

 this process can be painful and troubling as we have been programmed 
into a societal mindset that seeks pleasure and avoids pain.

Some feelings of guilt can simply be religious or parental 
programming that when we look at them are actually inappropriate and 
harmful but we need to go through our own process to determine that 
for ourselves.

Some of the attitudes that I have seen towards homosexuality on this 
list for example I would consider to be uncompassionate and 
unenlightened but many people still seem to consider homosexuality to 
be unnatural and a sin.

I would argue that this comes from a societal and more than likely 
religious program that sexuality has to manifest in a certain way and 
that it is only for procreation.

However for me this is simplistic and narrow reasoning and stems from 
the seeming inability of religion to deal with sexuality in any kind 
of reasoned, sensible and expansive way.

Life is diverse in the way it manifests itself and so are different 
ways we can examine and process things however if we are to try and 
look at things freshly and with an open mind we need to try and 
determine what is simple programming and what is actually a truer 
point of view.

Cheers
Perry

--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, "cardosoaveline" 
<carlosaveline@...> wrote:
>
> 
> Perry,
> 
> Thanks. 
> 
> I guess Scott Peck's writings are rather compatible with
> esoteric philosophy,  and useful as to explain probationary
> processes. 
> 
> By the way, tests are unavoidable from the very 
> first step in the search for truth. 
> 
> Probation, or tests, is not exclusive to those who are 
> "taken on probation" as disciples.   
> 
> Probation, seen  as tests,  occurs at all levels of life 
development. 
> 
> A very good quotation, this, below.
> 
> 
> Carlos. 
>  
> 
> --- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, "plcoles1" <plcoles1@> wrote:
> 
> "The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when 
> we  are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For 
it 
> is  only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are 
> likely  to step out of our ruts and start searching for different 
ways 
> or truer  answers." M Scott Peck
>  
> Perry
>