The Seven Princples of Spiritualism - part 5

Unbelievable.  It is only 6 years ago, that I first heard of Spiritualism, a religion, that has really captured me.  Studying and contemplating the Seven Principles, that form its basis has become a daily exercise.

Within these Principles I have found a way to live my life and explain to myself and to others if they are interested what they enfold. The beauty of them (for me) is that they are open to personal interpretation.
I must admit, that in the beginning they frightened me, not being brought up in a churchgoing family, they seemed strange and I wanted to stay away, afraid to lose my own being and becoming part of something that would "swallow" me.
Today's truth is, that it has given me richness and openness and ground for standing firmly on my own two feet .. well most of the time anyways.
These coming days I shall publish their interpretation as I saw and felt them four years ago with some addition.

Nr 5. Personal responsibility

At first sight this principle seems rather uncomplicated. As I ask myself “what am I responsible for” or “who am I responsible for” or “why is that so”, it is not so easy after all.

As a child we grow up by learning from our parents the do’s and don’ts of life. By examining it all, we find out about the universal spiritual law of cause and effect. This shows us that we can directly affect an outcome and that our progression depends upon how responsibly we act. By understanding that we play the largest part in our own destiny, we are able to behave and act in a way we feel suitable. We are able to learn and progress in accordance with our own willingness to take charge of our thoughts and actions and to take our life in our own hands.

Personal responsibility also means being responsible for maintaining our role in the community we live in, are part of. By getting to know oneself it should become clear that we are part of that community and that we have the duty to behave according to rules set by that community also.

Here we are confronted with the materialistic view society so often dictates. Where do we draw the line, how do we find our balance, the balance between materialism and spiritualism? These two often feel like two sides of the same coin. We need matter to live our lives, we need food and shelter (and with food I mean a couple of meals a day to maintain our bodies) AND we need spirituality to feed our souls. Because we have autonomy over our lives we should be able to find a way to be part of our community and keep up our own standards and ways of thinking, our freedom of thought, which is often very difficult.

The date today August 12, 2014 

Ha!! It is great to live in a Western society and have the Right to so many things. Remaining true to our own values and taking responsibility for our lives is not easy. 

I must admit that I find it very difficult to watch the news and see scenes of what is on today here as well as in the rest of the world. If I take my personal responsibility seriously I feel I can only survive by staying true to the values I have accepted to live my life. 

These are my values and my interpretation of what a "good and fruitful" life should be and they will be open for discussion ALWAYS. 

I like to end this chapter with a quote by Nelson Mandela:
“I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.” (From "Long walk to freedom: autobiography of Nelson Mandela").