I love teaching the Science of Mind classes. I have been studying the Science of Mind since 1985. I must say that when I first read the textbook, I did not “get” it. The writing seemed redundant and even nonsensical. I probably wasn’t ready to understand it. Since that time, I have become a much better student of the Science of Mind and I am still learning. I have come to treasure Dr. Holmes’ words and appreciate the wisdom behind them.
I also learn from my students. I learn from the brand new students..from their honesty, their persistence and their passion to fully learn to use this science. I learn from their frustration and remember my own frustration when I was a beginning student. I also learn from the more-experienced students, who bring wisdom and love for the teaching to the classes.
In my current class, there are twice as many students who have taken this course before than there are beginners. It is a wonderful opportunity for everyone. The beginners benefit form the insights of the experienced students. The experienced students benefit from the joy and enthusiasm of the beginners.
One of the things I was surprised to find was the hesitancy of some of our mature students to tell the truth about the process of accessing their wisdom. Last night we were looking at our difficulties in relationships, and how we could make different choices about how to think, feel and act. My observation is that some of the experienced students didn’t want to tell the beginners about their natural tendencies to react in anger, blame and gossip. They wanted to show that they knew they had choices of wisdom, kindness and compassion.
I am grateful for the wisdom in everyone. And I have a bias toward telling the truth even if it makes one appear petty, small-minded or weak. There is so much to be said for the willingness to be vulnerable and authentic.
Most of us have had an ethical upbringing. We KNOW what is the right thing to do, but we don’t always choose it. If we were not free to choose all kinds of reactions including unskillful behaviors, we wouldn’t be free at all.
I will agree that it is uncomfortable to confess to small-mindedness, to becoming emotional, to reacting to a situation. But even the Master Teacher Jesus, lost his temper, and kicked over the money-changers tables in the temple!
I love Google! I love the quick access that the internet brings. A moment ago one line of a lyric came to my mind. Within seconds, I had found the whole song and the musical from which it came. The line was, “…much too high a cost.” From the song, “Defying Gravity” in the musical Wicked, the whole line is:
“Too long I’ve been afraid of
Losing love I guess I’ve lost
Well if that’s love
It comes at much too high a cost.”
I believe that when we do not tell the truth, we have paid much too high a cost. The cost is to our own integrity and self-esteem.
For me, telling the truth is NOT about making someone else wrong. It is not about blaming anyone for my situation or circumstances. It is about taking complete responsibility for my life and the freedom that brings does let me “try defying gravity.”.
