The meaning of life is to realize that you a divine being who is here to express its divinity in this world. You are more than who you think you are. You are endowed with a spiritual self in addition to your human self. In other words you have a dual nature; a human self that is your body, emotions and mind, which most of us primarily identify with, and a spiritual self that we also call the soul, spirit, higher self or consciousness, which most of us believe in but have no understanding of. We may think that we are a person who has a soul and the point of the soul, if there is any, is to be our “body” when we’re walking around in heaven talking to everyone we know who has died. But the truth is that we are the spiritual self who is using the human self to express itself in this world.

“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Jesuit priest (1881-1955)

And what does the soul want to express, in other words, why are we here? The soul wants to use the human self to express the divine qualities of love, wisdom, joy, peace, goodwill, generosity, forgiveness, integrity, harmony, etc. as much and as completely as possible in this world during this lifetime. Truly realizing that you are this eternal, immortal spiritual self who is using the human self is the start of enlightenment and expressing the soul’s divine qualities in everything you say, think and do is the meaning of life and the reason you’re here.

Why is this the meaning of life? This is the meaning of life for at least two reasons. First it’s because through this process divinity finds its full expression. It is brought from potentiality to actuality and is therefore complete. It’s like an inventor who takes an idea from his mind, which would unfulfilled if left there, to a physical product that is used by and benefits another. Second, the increased ability of the spiritual self to express divinity through the human self in this world survives the death of the human self. In other words it’s the soul that learns how to better express itself through the human form during the course of a lifetime. The spiritual self then brings this improved quality of character (the origin of the word character is enduring marks) into its next human lifetime. This is the only thing that endures and survives a lifetime. All things of the human self (e.g. possessions, identity, accomplishments, experiences, etc.) end no matter what the immature, ignorant human self cares to believe. All things of the spiritual self live on because it is an eternal, immortal force created by God.

For more about this including some “proof” to support these ideas please read Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life.

Please feel free to add your thoughts, comments and questions below. I am also particularly interested in hearing about what you know of the soul…not a definition…not an opinion…but what you really know - your intuitive understanding - of the soul.

Cheers,

Brendan

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Of course it’s on YouTube and the full video of Jim Gaffigan doing this routine about the virgin birth and Mary, Joseph and Jesus during his Beyond the Pale Tour is below.

But I want to use this as a starting point for a discussion about what exactly the virgin birth is and what it really means. Most people are extremely confused about this and just accept on faith that Jesus was literally conceived without Mary and Joseph having sex. But how can that be? For a human being to be born there needs to be a coming together of a man and woman, right?

Of course! As I’ve written about in Bible: Literal or Figurative, much of the Bible should be understood figuratively. The virgin birth has has nothing to do with Jesus’ literal physical conception. It has to do with His spiritual birth. The spirit, or soul, is “born” into this lifetime, not of a man and woman, but of the One, God. When One brings forth another One then in a sense it’s a virgin birth. God gave birth to the soul and the soul gave birth to the human being.

The allegory of a virgin birth is not unique to Jesus. It is found in many traditions, most relevantly in Mithras, Romulus and Remus, as outlined in this list of virgin births. I think that is it another of the many things that were carried over from the former beliefs of the pagans and gentiles to incorporate them into the growing Christian fold

As promised, here’s the YouTube video of Jim Gaffigan on the virgin birth during his Beyond the Pale comedy tour:

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The three temptations represent the physical, emotional and mental temptations that all of us face everyday. Physically we want to satisfy our “hunger” for pleasure, sex, greed, gluttony and laziness. Emotionally we want to satisfy our desire for security, comfort, pride, excitement and attention and the stimulation that comes from envy, anger, self-pity and depression. Mentally we want to satisfy our desire for power, superiority, criticism and possessiveness.

So Jesus’ three temptations symbolize the desires we face, which we’re well aware of, but how do we overcome them? I mean Jesus was Jesus…he had the power but we don’t, right? Well I think that the Jesus’ responses to the Tempter give us all the information we need to overcome our own temptations.

How to Overcome Temptations

Jesus’ responses to each of the temptations gives us a step-by-step guide to how we can overcome the temptations that we face everyday.

1. “One does not live on bread alone,but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God” - What is the “word” from God? The word from God is the divinity with which He created and sustains us and what that means in real world, applicable terms is that He gave us beauty, love, joy, wisdom, peace, compassion, harmony, grace, nobility, goodwill and strength with which we always have readily available to us. The first step to overcoming your temptations is to realize that these divine qualities are real and will satisfy you just as bread will satisfy your physical hunger. The higher, more noble part of you, the soul - your real self, is a wellspring of this divinity.

2. “You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test” - The reason we have these temptations is that, in addition to our divine selves, we have, obviously, a human self or personality. This personality is literally made of the physical, emotional and mental substance that is also what’s causing the temptations. This is why the temptations appear so immediate and strong. This baseness of which we’re made thinks it’s separate from the divine. Therefore the second step to overcoming your temptations is to integrate the divine into your life by developing the wisdom to view all of life from the higher divine perspective rather than the petty, limited perspective of the personality. When you do this you’ll start to see the pettiness of the temptations and, figuratively, you’ll stop testing and questioning God.

These ideas are discussed in the free report Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life which you can directly download by Clicking Here…

3. “The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve” - So you’re realizing that there is such a thing as a divinity that’s real and available to you and that you should integrate it into your life. The third step to overcoming your temptation is to then actually express and serve the divinity which represents the antidote to the temptation. So if you’re tempted by lust you overcome it by expressing the strength and nobility that you’ve recognized and integrated. If you’re tempted by greed you can overcome it by serving the peace and compassion you’ve developed. If you’re tempted by pride you can overcome it by shining the humility you’ve built up. If your tempted by anger or fear you can overcome them with the peace and courage you’ve established. In this way you’re bringing heaven to earth.

So overcome your temptations by realizing the existence of the divine, integrating it into you life and applying it to your daily self-expression.

Please let me know if this makes sense to you and if you have any questions by commenting below.

Cheers,

Brendan

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Below is a video of Art Garfunkel signing Bridge Over Troubled Water, which Paul Simon wrote, during the 1981 Central Park concert followed by the lyrics. Before watching I just want to make two points about how to think of this song which can, hopefully, deepen its impression:

• First, the song is clearly about supporting and comforting another person when they’re going through a particularly difficult period, however I want to suggest that we should keep this desire to be compassionate alive to help in even “smaller” difficulties another may have. These are much more common. So a gentle hug, a supportive word or a little surprise could serve as a bridge over say, a babbling brook.
• Second, again the song is about you being there for another but it can also be interpreted as the divine - God, the soul, spirit - being there for you when you are going through a tough time. The soul is always there for you. You continually have at your disposal the divine’s wellspring of love, compassion, wisdom and serenity. This is the true bridge to the eternal.

Lyrics to Bridge Over Troubled Water:

When you’re weary, feelin’ small
When tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all.
I’m on your side, Oh, when times get rough
And friends just can’t be found.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.

When you’re down and out, when you’re on the street
When evening falls so hard, I will comfort you.
I’ll take your part, Oh when darkness comes
And pain is all around
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind

Sail on silvergirl, sail on by
Your time has come to shine, and all your dreams are on their way
See how they shine, Oh if you need a friend
I’m sailing right behind
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind
Like a bridge over troubled water,
I will ease your mind.

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Two items to understand about the beatitudes are; what a beatitude is and what the rewards for following them are. Beatitude is Latin for happiness or blessedness and it indicates a certain inner contentedness or joy no matter what your life circumstances are. The beatitudes then are a list of the qualities and conditions needed to be truly happy and aligned with the divine plan. Your reward for striving to express each divine quality is, therefore, true happiness and a deep sense of joy. The second half of each beatitude, which state that you’ll get the kingdom of heaven or land, that you’ll be comforted or satisfied, or that you’ll see God, are all different ways of saying this.

The following are each of the beatitudes followed by the keynote struck by each and a brief commentary. Each commentary will attempt to address some of the confusion and then illustrate how the beatitude should be used as a guide to true happiness.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. - Authority. This shouldn’t be interpreted to mean that we’re supposed stay ignorant and confused about spirit. It indicates that while we are building our relationship with God, we’re to always remember His authority. This means that we don’t become attached to our desires for the things of this world, money, power, fame, etc. (although it’s OK to have these things) but that we always strive for what He thinks is important.

Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. - Wisdom. How could this be about wisdom when it seems clear that this is about those who are grieving over the loss of a loved one? Well mourning is to remember and this beatitude tells us to develop the wisdom to remember that God is all. We need to always look for the deeper spiritual meaning and broader divine perspective of everything that occurs in this world. For example, when someone dies it’s just their physical body that’s gone…their true self lives on.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. - Humility. This is easily misinterpreted to mean that we’re supposed to be wimpy and weak in the face of bullies and problems. This is entirely wrong. This beatitude is a continuation of the first two in that we are always to remain humble in terms of the personality’s (the human self) relationship to the soul (i.e. the spiritual self). Our spiritual growth begins with an understanding of who we are and once you know, you have to keep the human self humble so that it doesn’t take over the daily self-expression with greed, anger, bitterness and materialism.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. - Obedience. Righteousness is often misunderstood to mean a moral superiority associated with people who think that they’re “better than us”. However it simply means a dedication to following God’s will or plan. When understood this way, this beatitude reminds us to obey God’s will and plan. What is God’s will?

For more on this point see the free report Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life which you can get by Clicking Here…

It’s for us to express His love, compassion, peace, beauty, wisdom, joy, nobility, and productivity as much as possible everyday.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. - Compassion. This major confusion with this beatitude is to what degree we’re suppose to show compassion and forgive, particularly as related to the death penalty. Is it compassionate and merciful to execute a convicted murderer? Yes, it’s merciful to protect our society and allow that lifetime to move on rather than wallow unproductively in a prison for the remainder of his life. For all everyday life situations we are suppose to look to infuse our major and minor dealings with compassion, mercy and forgiveness.

Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. - Integrity. To be clean of heart is to be free of the things that pollute our heart - pettiness, jealousy, bitterness, depression and dishonesty. When we act with integrity in all we de we are whole (i.e. holy)…(remember your third-grade math class where you learned that an integer was a whole number?).

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. - Peace. This is also a big area of confusion. What is peace? Can we be peaceful and still go to war? Yes, being peaceful does not preclude going to war to protect yourself. It also doesn’t mean that you can’t be forceful or assertive in everyday life if the situation required it. However we are meant to express a certain peace and patience in our life which naturally follows as a result of the inner contentedness that comes from knowing our true nature.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. - Courage. This is a combined beatitude that echoes the earlier one about righteousness. However these beatitudes remind us, when following the divine plan, to sustain our strength and courage lest our petty selves and others drag us down into the morass of materialism.

Together the beatitudes are a guide to filling our lives with authority, wisdom, humility, obedience, compassion, integrity, peace and courage. Following them will make us truly happy and joyful!

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Paine was a master of the mind. With his writing, Paine explored and explained the abstract ideals of freedom and the rights of man which were used as a basis for both the American and French Revolutions. These ideas literally changed the direction of these Countries and in turn influences all of humanity. Thomas Edison said of Paine’s great mind, “never have we had a sounder intelligence in this republic” and “Paine’s works are a crystallization of acute human reasoning”.

Oprah is the master of the emotions. Her fame and fortune is founded on the tabloid talk-show format where if there wasn’t a tear, it wasn’t a complete show. She starting working in TV news but, according to Wikipedia, her “emotional ad-lib delivery eventually got her transferred to the daytime talk show arena”. Now to be fair, today Oprah’s shows are not so completely drenched in emotion but it’s safe to say that she wears her emotions on her sleeve.

Many stories and movies have played off the idea of a small, street-smart guy teaming up with a big, strong, dumb guy and the first guy saying something like “with your brawn and my brains we can really go places”. Well the variation here is that with Paine’s mind and Oprah’s emotions you can really accomplish a lot.

We’re meant to think with our mind and emote with our emotions. However, most people “think” with their emotions. They state what they like or don’t like and make decisions based on how something “feels”. They substitute opinion for thought. Thinking involves reason and logic. If stopped by a TV reporter on the street and asked about the state of the economy, the emotion-based person will state how they feel and how they’re impacted by the economy but the thinking person would say that they don’t know anything about the economy (assuming they have not studied it) and that the reporter should ask an economist.

How to Reach Your Goals with Paine and Oprah Power (POP)

With this background I can now give you the steps to choosing and reaching your goals with POP, Paine and Oprah Power!

1. The fist step, and this a main point to POP, is to understand that the mind should come before the emotions. In other words thought comes first and the emotions follow. And more precisely the emotions are to support thought. Emotions are like the cheerleader that supports thought with enthusiasm! Paine conceives the idea and Oprah follows with the pom-poms (after all Oprah seems to be a good cheerleader for Barak Obama and his Presidential campaign.)

2. Use your mind (Paine power) to establish what goals you want to pursue. Most of us “think” we want to pursue the goals of getting rich or losing weight however these are typically emotion-based goals, actually they’re wishes, that appeal to our petty selves and are intended to make us feel better or more secure. Instead we should think through our goals and settle on some that will better suit our actual lives. Mostly likely the best goals to pursue are things like improving our self-discipline and dedication so we don’t slack off at work, bettering our patience and tolerance so we’re not stressing out over minor inconveniences or strengthening our goodwill and cheer so we can minimize our dour moods. So, to help pick more enlightened goals, ask yourself:

• What type of negative moods (i.e. annoyance, depression, impatience, anger, bitterness, etc.) do you often find yourself? Decide to make the expression of their antidote your goal; so cheerfulness overcomes depression, tolerance supersedes anger and patience supplants impatience.
• Do you have problems staying motivated, focused and dedicated at work? Choose make being more productive and dedicated a goal.
• Could you be contributing more goodwill, compassion or tolerance to your relationships?
• Are there any skill or talents that you should improve to make your self more productive?
• What projects should you get involved in that would be more about contributing to others than gaining for yourself?

3. Use your emotions (Oprah power) to “get behind” the thought-filled goals you decide to pursue. This is where the emotions shine. Build up an enthusiasm and excitement for these goals by imagining how your life will be improved when these goals are reached. Imagine the positive impact they’ll have on your family, friends and co-workers. See how your accomplishments will be an example for others to follow. Consider the impact that your more enlightened goals, particularly the productive work you do, will benefit society. Allow yourself to be excited about being “being a force of Nature” which, as George Bernard Shaw says is “the true joy in life“.

To Your Enlightened Goals,
Brendan

P.S. Get an immediate download of your FREE copy of Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life by clicking here.

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Lyrics to Green Day’s Time of Your Life (Good Riddance)
Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go
So make the best of this test, and don’t ask why
It’s not a question, but a lesson learned in time
It’s something unpredictable, but in the end it’s right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

So take the photographs, and still frames in your mind
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial
For what it’s worth it was worth all the while

It’s something unpredictable, but in the end it’s right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

It’s something unpredictable, but in the end it’s right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

It’s something unpredictable, but in the end it’s right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

Cheers,
Brendan

P.S. Get an immediate download of your FREE copy of  Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life by clicking here.

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1. You mostly talk about yourself self. Somehow every conversation you’re in becomes focused on you and the events of your life. Now of course you can talk about yourself but you should also make a point to express a sincere interest in others.
2. You litter. The self-centered arrogance of a clod who litters, even those who throw a small cigarette butt out their car window, is saying that the world is their trash can and that someone else will take care of it.
3. You don’t consider the impact of your actions on others or, if you do, you don’t care. These people are so into their world that they have no idea of their rudeness. Examples include people who talk loud on their cellphone in public, who put bags on the seat next them on the train or bus, who drive too aggressively without following the rules of the road and who talk loud in their office cubicle.
4. You see the world through “you-colored” glasses. You only relate to how any local, nation or world event effects you personally. If your town wants to raise money for more public space, you only focus only on what it will cost you rather than how it will benefit the community. You insist that the government help the “little guy” only so that the “little guy” isn’t so impoverished that he has to mug you when you go downtown.
5. You have an entitlement mentality and expect to reap without sowing. Without getting too political, this is the general mentality of the how-can-the-government-fix-this crowd. If you are somehow inconvenienced, your first thought is how you can sue and win money. This story about a bride who is suing her florist epitomizes this and Elana Glatt (nee Elbogan), David Glatt and Tobi Glatt seem to be feverish selfish little clods.
6. You don’t fulfill the responsibilities or commitments that you’ve made either consciously or unconsciously. You agreed to take a job to help a company or organization fulfill it’s purpose and it has either stated or implied time and duties and you slack off. You agreed to marry and have children with all the responsibilities implied in both and you don’t live up to them.
7. You only see extremes in every idea, person or organization. For example you believe either that republicans are totalitarian dictators who will destroy the US with their arrogance or that democrats are wimpy losers who will destroy the US with their impotence.
8. Your understanding and perspective of life are limited. You think that anything that causes discomfort is bad and therefore you’re entitled to complain, worry and bitch. With a broader perspective you would realize that what you thought was “bad” turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to you.
9. You think that people who are different from you are the problem with the world. You have established a “bad guy”, either a race, religion, political persuasion, people in power or who are rich. This holds true from the black man who thinks that the white man is holding him down to the groups like Al Qaeda who think that the United States is the cause of all the world’s problems. Osama Bin Laden is the epitome of the feverish selfish little clod.
10. You give only when you expect to get. Your immediate reaction when you are asked to give for some reason is how it will impact you. You look for either a direct benefit or an implied benefit such as an increased social status everyone knows that you gave and how much.

The antidote to this is to maturity, compassion, tolerance and wisdom. Children are allowed be be somewhat self-centered but we’re meant to grow up and realize that we need to be sensitive to our actions on others. Also we need to remember that all our desires are not meant to be fulfilled. Most of our desires are base and we’re here to rise and shine!

Cheers,
Brendan

P.S. Get an immediate download of your FREE copy of  Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life by clicking here.

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This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.
George Bernard Shaw
Epistle Dedicatory to Arthur Bingham Walkley
“Man and Superman: a Comedy and a Philosophy”

The following is an elaboration on the four points that George Bernard Shaw makes to finding the true joy in life:

1. “Be used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one” - This quote could easily be mistaken to mean that we should have some elaborate goals to save the world and unless we do we are worthless. This is not true. We are children of God who are here to express God’s divinity (as explained in Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life) and we should go about our lives with this in mind. We should infuse everything we do with joy, compassion, peace, love and wisdom. This is the “mighty purpose” which we should recognize.
2. “Be thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap” - We should be productive! However, again, this could be misunderstood to mean that we must be busy, busy, busy all day and collapse in exhaustion by nightfall. It’s good to be active and have things to do but realize that we’re divinely productive when we infuse whatever we do, even just conversing with others, with good cheer, goodwill, courage and beauty.
3. “Be a force of Nature” - This could be misconstrued to mean that we should run roughshod over people who get in the way of what we want to do. To be a force of Nature (notice that it’s with a capital “N”) is to be a person who is in control of themselves and has a higher perspective on life. This person is mature, wise, serene and joyful and understands the meaning of life.
4. Not be “a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy” - This is a continuation of the previous point and it emphasizes the idea that we need to learn how to control the impulses and desires of our lower self. Specifically we need to stop being petty, immature, greedy, self-centered, possessive, envious and jealous. We need to GROW UP and realize how wonderful life is no matter what our circumstances!

Cheers,
Brendan

P.S. Get an immediate download of your FREE copy of Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life by clicking here.

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In summary, the story is about a rich man who has a poor man named Lazarus living just outside his house but never gives him any food or help. They both die and Lazarus goes to heaven and sits besides Abraham and the rich man goes to the netherworld or hell. The rich man is able to see Lazarus and Abraham in heaven and asks for a drop of water but Abraham denies and tells him that during their lifetime he received what was good while Lazarus received what was bad. He then says that Lazarus is now comforted while the rich man is now tormented and that there is a great gap between them that can’t be crossed. The rich man then asks to send Lazarus to warn his family but this request is also denied.

The following are three incorrect assumptions that are often drawn from this parable and which lead to a lot misunderstanding:

1. God hates the rich. Of course this is incorrect and the idea of God hating anybody is ridiculous. The lesson here is that when you are emotionally and mentally “attached” to your possessions, you don’t understand what’s important. You’re suppose to be detached from all things of the material world, not only physical possessions but also base emotional and mental possessions such as superiority, depression, bigotry, anger, immaturity, pessimism, close-mindedness, lustfulness and fear. Ideally you align yourself with the “things” of spirit and when you do you can have all the material possessions you want but you won’t be attached to them and if you lost them you would be centered in your connection with spirit.
2. God loves the poor. Again the idea of God loving or hating a person and their financial status is ridiculous. There is no virtue in being poor. The issue is not what you have or don’t have but how you’re aligned with spirit. A poor man who is attached to a sense of self-rightousness or self-importance because he thinks it’s “spiritual” to be poor is as separate from spirit and will be as tormented as the rich man in Jesus’ parable. Further, to the extent that a person is poor due to being slothful, indifferent and lazy, he will also be separate and in torment because we’re intended to be productive and contribute to the growth of God’s humanity even if in a small way.
3. God won’t grant your requests if you get on His “bad side”. God doesn’t give Lazarus the two things he asks because, figuratively, Lazarus is distant from the divine due to his attachment to the material world and his lack of compassion toward Lazarus during their lifetimes. The gap is not closed by simply a direct giving of the requests rather Lazarus must make an effort to understand how to be generous, compassionate and aligned with spirit and thereby close the gap on his own. In this way the divine find a stronger vehicle with which to work with and express itself. This is a true act of love by God, Who does not have a “bad side”, and is in no way a punishment.

Cheers,
Brendan

P.S. Get an immediate download of your FREE copy of Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life by clicking here.

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