Blog 2242 -12.09.2021

The Illusion of Control

Peace indeed comes when we finally realize that control is an illusion. I saw today’s picture quote yesterday and knew I wanted to write a few encouraging words to go with it. I even knew which of my cover songs I wanted to attach, “All That We Let In” written and first recorded by The Indigo Girls.

The lines that immediately came to mind are:

For many years we in the United Stated claimed that we had never started a war. Then came George W. Bush’s supposed preemptive war in Iraq to seize Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction that were never found. But the American claim of never starting a war till that one was never really true. As I settlers and invaders of this great land from sea to shining sea we lighter skinned folks were at war with the First People just shortly after they got off the boat all for control of all these natural resources. And after we had foothold we started importing slaves to help us cut down the trees, cultivate the land, and build towns and cities. We emphasize the heroism of warfare and seldom the atrocities on both sides, and there are always more of the latter.

The last line of the above quote, “Beaten into submission in the name of the free” is all about control. Peace never comes, be it the Pax Romana, Hitler’s dream of a thousand year Third Reich, or the supposed last century, the America Century, through control but through resignation. Warring over who has control can never bring peace. Only in realizing and resigning to our higher power, our highest best self, can we ever find lasting peace.

I do not claim to be an expert on anything especially prayer, intention, meditation, whatever you choose to call our connection to the Universe, but this one thing I know, peace comes when we quit struggling for control, surrender our need to be in charge, and accept our need to be ever charged by the one and only true source of power, our loving and infinite source.

The story goes that Saul of Tarsus, whose mission in life was to stamp out a new heretical sect of Jews, met Jesus on the road to Damascus where he had planned to arrest and imprison a group of believers there. I think Saul, whose name was changed to Paul, which means “small”, met his higher best self on that road. Was Paul thereafter a saint? Indeed not, at least in it’s most common use, “perfect saint.” What he was was under new management.

Being “in-charge” is a stressful and thankless job, and also never really true. Just ask any working supervisor or manager of people who is really “in charge” and they will tell you that is way above their pay grade.

A Principal of a large High School in Dayton, Ohio said his dream job would be working as a clerk in a hardware store where his sole authority and responsibility would be helping customers find the right sized screw, nut, or washer that they needed. “How peaceful that would be,” he said.

Your friend and fellow traveler,

David White

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1S_ysLH4hPufXxXOCAbSc9McY3_O0fqmQ/view?usp=drivesdk

All That We Let In