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Earth School, Power and Responsibility
By Stephen Proskauer MD | August 15, 2007
A prominent theme yesterday was the Earth School concept and its implications for our attitude about events in our lives. Wondering what I mean by “Earth School”? See the first section of Chapter One in my Karmic Therapy book, printed above following the book description.
For believers in theistic religions, there is a tendency to view happy events as divine rewards sent by God as blessings for being good and to interpret events that cause great suffering as divine punishments for doing evil. This attitude gives rise to guilt and self righteousness, two very disagreeable states of mind. People don’t usually question God’s judgment when it comes to the rewards they receive, but sometimes a seemingly senseless tragedy feels like the random act of sadistic or indifferent deity, one who has turned his back on us and doesn’t care how we feel, like a neglectful and punitive parent. This way of giving meaning to tragedy allows us to cast blame but also leaves us feeling punished or victimized by a wrathful or cruel deity. Either way, we are disempowered by shirking our responsibility for all that happens in our lives.
If instead we were to see ourselves as students in Earth School who have designed the curriculum we are taking, we might then look at all events, whether pleasant or unpleasant, as teachings. Having signed up for this course, we need to take responsibility for doing our homework, which means to discover the lesson hidden in the event and in our reaction to it. Some circumstances, such as being raised by neglectful or abusive parents, challenge us throughout our lives to learn the series of lessons we set up for ourselves by choosing a difficult upbringing.
Notice that this attitude has nothing particularly to do with notions of good vs. evil or reward vs. punishment. We are beyond kindergarten now. This is graduate school, where we become more conscious of being the playwright and less identified with the drama.
Preparing for each life course in Earth School , we select circumstances that will especially challenge us in the areas where we decide we are ready for some new learning. For instance, if we want advanced level training in how to give and receive unconditional love, we don’t choose loving parents. If love were to be handed to us on a silver platter, we would miss the chance to learn to love unconditionally from scratch and make that skill truly our own. Then we can love equally well in hell as in heaven.
If we aren’t sure of the curriculum we’ve designed, all we have to do is look back at our lives and observe the recurring challenges. What do these experience ask of us? Whatever it is, that’s the very issue we have taken on this time around.
I know two mothers who suddenly lost their sons to accidental death in their teens not long ago. These boys were both exceptional souls, much loved by everyone who knew them. Their radiance grew strong beyond their years, especially in the last months of their lives. Hundreds came to their funerals. They had such bright futures, their mothers thought, how could they be snuffed out like that, so young? What a meaningless waste!
Imagine the shock, anger and bitter grief these mothers had to overcome to make peace with themselves and their view of existence. Their sons had completed their journeys right on schedule and accomplished what they came here to do, but their early deaths certainly didn’t meet anyone’s expectations.
What a challenge these mothers took on, to receive as a teaching the hardest blow that life deals to a parent! What if both mothers were advanced souls who chose this harsh path in collaboration with their sons on the spirit level to strip away layers of attachment to old identities and to come face to face with themselves at the deepest level? Taking this point of view, they could rise above bitterness and victimhood to face the penetrating question, “Without my son, who am I?” No single event could thrust this existential crisis on them more forcefully.
The greater the blow, the greater the opportunity to learn a deep lesson. When that has been accomplished, in place of bitterness gratitude and peace arise, along with the confidence that comes from mastering the toughest teachings. It’s a hard and lonely path to take full responsibility for everything that happens to us with no one else to blame. It takes immense courage to empower ourselves like this.
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