The Paradox of Existence

On By Stephen Andrew Waller-DelarosaIn Philosophy

We are always being torn in two. We live within the tension between opposing forces. Life involves both the processes of living and dying happening simultaneously: Some live to die, and others die to live.

We live a paradox and we are one. We both desperately want to be free but are paralyzed by the true totality of what freedom means. We want to find love but find it terrifying once we are actually truly in love with someone whose well-being directly dictates our own. We seek truth at all cost, except when the truth is far more unbearable than the majesty of our fantasies.

We live this way because existence comes with the knowledge of knowing that we may someday not exist (or, at least, exist in an entirely different form). In the forefront of our minds, we live; but, in the background, we know that we may cease to exist someday. To some this may scare, while others don’t care; but, nonetheless, the thought is ever presently there.

Guide My Soul

On By Stephen Andrew Waller-DelarosaIn The Bible

“As a man thinketh in his heart, so he is.” – Proverbs 23:7

Lord, please forgive my heart for ingesting so much evil under the claim of righteous indignation. It is not my call to rid this world of evil, but to have faith and to grow in my relationship with You. I have drifted from the way of You by being consumed in the politics of this world and letting my heart overflow with arguments, defenses, justifications and distractions. All of which serve to distract me from consuming myself with You — in the form of Love, Beauty and Grace. Such words are only given meaning through the Word made flesh Christ Jesus.

Redirect my path and prune me of the compulsion to look at the entertainment, to be consumed by half-truths and meaningless distractions. Lord Almighty, shield me from the business and trivialities of this life. Grant me serenity  through asylum in your garden. Let me visit the eternal springs and be overtaken by the ripples of calmness that resonate within my spirit. Instruct my hands to open up from their tense clasp onto reality and worldly knowledge and direct my gaze upon you and your fathomless nature.

You are the mystery which should consume me. Nothing of this world will last; so, too, will be the fate of me, if I let this world overtake me.

Lord,
Guard my heart;
Guide my mind;
Gild my soul.

Missing The Point

On By Stephen Andrew Waller-DelarosaIn Philosophy

If religious laws and piety produce nothing more than judgement and elitism, then they are not from the spirit but rather the ego. They are societal parameters to regulate appropriate decorum determined by individuals crudely attempting to construct their ideal reality.

Aspects of the true spirit will produce fruit that manifests in forms of love, freedom and peace, not judgement, rigidity and angst. No man made laws, institutions or religious righteousness will bring you to God, but they certainly can distance you.

When you find your religious perspective is one from a high vantage, you should reevaluate what it is that you believe and what it is that you want from others. We are all equal in the eyes of God. We are all imperfect in our own ways, and to judge others for their specific imperfections, only deepens our own. And, deepening our own imperfections, deepens the chasm that divides us from God’s absolute perfection.

We should shift our eyes from societal things and the eqoic mind which feeds off of comparison and judgement, and instead turn inwards to gaze upon ourselves. Not from the point of view of judgement, but simply from the perspective of an impassive observer.

We should focus more on who we are and what we are becoming in relation to the absolute source that is God, and less about the faults of others in an attempt to falsely build ourselves up.

Tuning Your Frequency

On By Stephen Andrew Waller-DelarosaIn Poetry & Prose

Use your eye to peer into the river of consciousness and pick out from the floating debris only the fruit that is in likeness to Goodness, only which that is alive and illustrates the living, only something that is rejoicing in the divine dance that is an eternal self-sustain cycle of life, ebbing and flowing, waxing and waning, moving – but going nowhere – creating only the energy potential waiting to be harnessed and creatively used by the individual receiver.  We hook into this energy potential, but there is a password. And the password is Love.

You will not be granted entrance by mere semantic utterances of words, but rather by the heart itself. The gate will not open and allow access to the totality of potential that lies behind it, if not the heart is truly in likeness to the true password. . . and the password is Christ. True selfless living, strength, bravery, truth and conviction. He is the greatest of all time. The greatest because of his meekness, blessed because of his servitude and wonderful because of his presence and semblance of God. He was a vessel and a receiver so in tuned with the frequency of God that there was no difference between the source and the receiver: they walked step by step, stride for stride.

We too can live such a life. We too can become the perfect tuning fork to the frequency of God. The challenge is the tuning doesn’t stay long. We are constantly facing resistance on a daily basis. We  much constantly be flexible and adaptable to maintain such a standard of upkeep that we may be able to resonant such a magnificent frequency.

Proof of Life

On By Stephen Andrew Waller-DelarosaIn Philosophy1 Comment

Have you ever had a moment where you questioned your own life – no, I don’t mean like existentially question your life, but rather experience something that makes you question whether you’re alive or not?

If you have, then think back to that moment (or a similar one), and, if you haven’t, try and imagine.

So, you have this thought of uncertainty about whether you’re alive or dead, nothing too strange with this experience. What is strange is that we determine that we are indeed alive. You might say, “Why is this strange?” Well, it is strange because what is it that caused you to quell the idea that you are dead? What signs did you look for? What evidence did you need to verify that you were in fact not dead, but alive?

I don’t know the answer to this. My answer is simply that I know, which sounds tautological (and is), but it’s the best explanation I have.

What are your thoughts?

Leap of Faith

On By Stephen Andrew Waller-DelarosaIn Philosophy

We separate ourselves from Christ by emphasizing his divinity and undermining his humanity. Instead of seeking to imitate him, we are actually avoiding him by alienating ourselves from him.

We choose this because it is easier than wrestling with the paradox that is Jesus: man and God, meek carpenter and savior of the world, blameless but convicted. We struggle with gray areas, and we are hardwired for dualistic – black and white – thinking.

We logic our way into believing in God instead of surrendering our way to having faith in God. The former is a test of memory, facts, evidence and proofs, while the latter is one of pure intuition – fear and trembling in the face of the reality of what existence is truly about.