Respect and Submission - seen from a spiritual perspective

Respect and Submission – A Spiritual Perspective.pdf

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Deep Dive Discussion

Much of today’s conflict can be traced back to the general misunderstanding/conscious distortion or abuse of the concepts of Respect and Submission.

Respect is generally associated with interaction among colleagues. But it is automatically considered right and proper for a subordinate to submit to higher authority or leadership.

Implied in this thinking is that respect should exist where there is a perceived equality of status or ability, and submission where there is a definite gap in status or abilities.

This thinking, which has held sway over human societies for centuries, may seem logical to on the surface. However, experience and history show that the expected peace, or order that is expected to arise from these two types of social interactions have not always occurred, or lasted long.

This shows that there must be something wrong with the popular understanding and application of these concepts.

A Spiritual perspective on these concepts may help us identify the errors in understanding and interpretations, that appear to inevitably manifest in the observable social crisis.

First, we need to recognize, as Abd-ru-shin explains in The Grail Message, that words are not just sounds to which we humans have given meaning. He explains in the lecture “The Power of the Human Word” that quote…

Every word formed by man has come into being under the pressure of higher Laws and, according to its application, must manifest formatively in a very definite way!

How it is applied is up to man according to his free volition; however he is unable to control the effect, which is strictly and justly governed in conformity with the Holy Law by a power hitherto unknown to him.

Therefore, in the final reckoning woe will now fall upon every human being who has abused the mysterious working of the word!

This coming into being of the human word indicates that the concepts behind words already existed in creation. All that we humans have done is to cloak an existing concept in sound (words), for our use.

Also as explained, each preexisting concept swings in the Law and therefore has a corresponding power associated with it. A power that will affect the user, depending on how it is used or applied.

Now let’s see how we can apply this deeper insight into the Spiritual significance of the two concepts that form the topic of this discussion.

First respect, let us look at Respect.

As mentioned earlier, Respect paints a picture of mutual admiration and recognition of the other person’s abilities or potential. Encapsulated in this concept is the readiness to learn to from each other, and an appreciation of the value that the other person has to offer, now or in the future.

This picture also reflects the willingness to enter into a balanced relationship of give and take.

Therefore, the word Respect, as seen from a spiritual perspective, swings in the Law of Balance; i.e. in the give and take in the relationship, and the Law of Love, reflected in the desire to encourage and support the development of abilities.

When a person uses and practices respect in the true sense of the concept, the Spiritual properties of the word will naturally be released into the relationship, bringing with it the blessing and power inherent in the concept.

Of course, when it is misused or distorted, its inherent power is not properly released, and could actually be used in the opposite direction to create havoc and harm.

Thus, for example, feigning respect, where it does not resonate within the individual, breeds distrust in the relationship plus its other attendant consequences.

The concept of Submission paints a very different picture. It clearly presents one in which there is inequality of status, and one which is seen as perhaps offering a limited opportunity for give and take. It also suggests a justified control of one group over the other.

But, for the human Spirit who is endowed with Free Will to choose, imposed control will stifle the subjected individual’s initiative and thus prospect for inner growth. This picture could contradict the Law of Love, of the Law or Give and Take that are critical for a harmonious and beneficial relationships among human Spirits.

This suggests then, that perhaps we are misapplying the concept of submission to human relationships. But, if Submission is also a pre-existing concept, it must mean that there is place for it in Creation.

Through the except below from The Grail Message, we see the deeper Spiritual picture that is encapsulated in the word Submission and its proper usage in human interrelationships:

Submissive people bear the lie within, for submission is absolutely incompatible with “spirit!”

Therefore, also with a human spirit! All that is “spirit” is utterly unable to bring the quality of true submission to life within itself! Wherever it is attempted it must remain artificial, thus self-delusion or even conscious hypocrisy! But it can never be genuinely felt because the human spirit, being spiritual, is incapable of it. The pressure under which the human spirit stands does not allow the quality of submission to become conscious. The pressure is too strong for this. And therefore, man cannot practice it either.

Submission is a quality that lies solely in the animistic! Only in the animal does it find genuine expression. The animal is submissive to its master! But the spirit does not know this designation! Therefore, it always remains unnatural for the human being.

With this insight from The Grail Message, the listener can perhaps now see how the misapplication or distortion of these two concepts have unleashed forces that have plagued human relationships for centuries.

To buttress the point, let us look at two examples in human affairs. The first is where the concept is more properly applied, and the other is where it is generally misapplied.

Respect appears to be the norm in relationships where the focus is on genuine performance and output. In the scientific arena, for example, the focus I s clearly on the pursuit of Truth or Knowledge, and it is generally recognized that true ability is the only path to success. Therefore, ability is recognized, encouraged and respected. The result is the unbroken string of upbuilding and consistent progress. The same was once true of the Arts, where the striving for expression of true Beauty was once the focus. Today, that focus has been eroded by promotion of individual self-expression without regard to the principles of Beauty. Unrecognized today is that the principles of Beauty are the governing laws for the Arts, just as the physical Laws are for the sciences.

If we contrast this with other human affairs where submission is the enforced or demanded practice, we see an unending string of strife and disharmony. This is true in the political and social arenas. It is also just as prevalent in religious and occult activities, which ostensibly are supposed to be promote development of the human Spirit, but have evidently lost this deeper Spiritual insight. Therefore, it is not wonder that most these human associations or relationships give evidence of much hypocrisy!

As long as we do not understand and use these two concepts correctly, the power contained in them will continue to be misapplied and unleashed to create havoc, until we wake up to their misuse.

But this awakening can only come through developing an appreciation of the Laws of Creation.

From this last statement, it becomes clear that the only area in which the concept of submission can be rightly applied to the human Spirit is in submitting to the Laws of Creation. In this context it means aligning one’s will and choices voluntarily to these laws, in the recognition that this is the only way for the human Spirit to realize its true potential.

Through such submission, the human Spirit will enjoy balance and development, leading it ultimately to begin to discern and experience Love in its life.