Jesus Camp My Story
Winning With Wisdom by Jack Marinchek
Winning with Wisdom There are universal generalities that seem to apply to life in general and human struggle in particular. Historically, mankind has sought the favor of the gods and stars for winning with wisdom.
Now, in the 21st Century, people seeking wisdom find themselves in a quandary about who or what is for real in terms of authenticity, wisdom and practicality.
Here is my personal observation or experience regarding this matter.
Firstly, I am referenced to Masters of Spirituality, historically and traditionally. I am talking about people like the Buddha, Daniel and Solomon of the Old Testament, Jesus Christ, and Mohammed.
Oh yeah, and even contemporaries like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela.
Most likely, if you are striving to make your mark in this world, you will discover that people of action generally speaking, have a high regard for spiritual wisdom and guidance. Not all people, but certainly a big chunk of them when it comes to winning with wisdom.
At any rate, having studied quite a few of these Masters of Wisdom, I have concluded that they all prescribe to many common realities or truths. Their differentiations appear to be more culturally predisposed or biased. But this is quite normal for the human condition in my opinion.
*”You got to give to get”, appears to be a big commonality. Oh yes, don’t forget, “What goes around comes around”. I grant you, these two sentiments I can verify as having great truth and validity. I have experienced the wisdom of these platitudes personally, both the good and bad.
*The personal characteristic of inviting wise counsel and strategy before taking action on a project appears to be a universal requirement for inviting success. This also entails the necessity of inviting and accepting criticism from trusted friends and associates.
This characteristic, inviting criticism, by its very nature, promulgates great character, discipline and focus.
*Most interestingly, self-control and the ability for controlling one’s temper or anger is an absolute must for anyone serious about successful leadership in any endeavor.
I have known some very talented people who simply could not restrain or control their anger impulses. Needless to say, the wrong thing said in the heat of an argument to the wrong person does create chaos and disaster.
*Almost to a man, you will find in the Wisdom Books of these historical masters, offering pronouncements eschewing anger and lack of self-control. Self-control is more important then almost anything else. In ancient times, people of strong self-control were thought to be greater then any warlord or general.
* The Golden Rule, treat other people like you want to be treated, makes a lot sense to me. These moral platitudes have the same validity today as when they were originated thousands of years ago.
Generally, there are ethical and moral laws that need paying attention to in order to have a rich successful life. You certainly don’t have to be religious. I have observed some very successful people that think god and spirituality are big jokes. And they enjoy successful rich lives.
If you look closely at these individuals, you will find the same commonalities that are universal to all successful strong people. They honor and respect “relationships”. They don’t short change the recognition of caring for and helping others. In another words, they are of good spirit and heart.
Part of the confusion that most people have relates to the interpretation of the meaning and understanding of spirituality. As we gain more understanding of the universe, a good deal of the separation and disagreements of what constitutes Wisdom, I believe, will disappear. A great deal of this strife and contention is the resultant of semantics, perspective and understanding.
The Buddha and Christ, seemed to be reading from the same script. It’s ironic, that two people from seemingly opposite poles have said virtually the same thing regarding the power of belief and winning with wisdom.
Here are some interesting insights which Marcus Borg presents in his book, Jesus and Buddha. My conclusion here is that there are general universal laws which all people can take advantage of and improve their lives. No particular religion or belief system has a monopoly on wisdom.
Jesus
1. “Your father in heaven makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.” Matthew 5.45
Buddha
1. “That great cloud rains down on all whether their nature is superior or inferior. The light of the sun and the moon illuminates the whole world, both him who does well and him who does ill, both him who stands high and him who stands low.” Sadharmapundarika Sutra 5
Here is what they say about the power of belief:
Jesus
1. Truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”
Buddha
1. “A monk who is skilled in concentration can cut the Himalayas in two.”
I admire and embrace the integrity and character of these two Masters. Culturally speaking, I am in the Judeo-Christian Camp; however, I greatly admire the Teacher they called the Buddha.
I suppose my martial arts background influences my respect and openness for Buddhism.
We are evaluating a 2,000 year old story. A lot of time has passed. Maybe the entire thing should be written off as one Big Fairy Tale. The perplexing thing here is, that this religious stuff really helps people. I am talking about the power of belief and faith specifically in Traditional Religion.
The Believers liver longer and are healthier then the cynics of the world. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20061229/ai_n17092223/
So you can laugh at these people all you want, but when it comes down to the action inherent in life, the Believers have been proven to be the happiest and healthiest,
regardless of their beliefs. They do vary from culture to culture.
Here again, I believe there is a lot of room for discussion and disagreement concerning these studies that promote traditional religion and happiness.
I honestly believe there are millions of very happy and healthy people in this world who don’t have a clue about traditional religion.
The reason for this seemingly disparity is because the research data and researchers haven’t been brought up to speed about the “new age”, for lack of a better description.
But really, none of this is so important that you should feel angst about any of this. What counts above all else is your “actions”. The Holy Books say without good deeds, in effect, it’s all for naught anyway.
This is what winning with wisdom is about, taking a giant step into the arena of life and giving it all you got.
About the Author
Writer and publisher of http://standgreat.blogspot.com/ and short story fiction.
“Jesus Camp” rant
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