Perspective!

 In what seem to be very trying times, a bit of perspective may help.

 “Let one who seeks not stop seeking until one finds.  When one finds, one will be disturbed, when one is disturbed, one will be amazed and will reign over all.” 

 As they say, that’s a whale of a statement.  It’s fraught with perspective.  The first sentence instructs one to persevere until goal achieved.  The next sentence informs that the achieved goal, the find, will be disturbing.  Disturbed, in this sense, means to alter the position or arrangement of beliefs.  The rearrangement will be amazing, and will result in greater authority.

 In a sense, this is a two sentence explanation of spiritual evolution.  The greater the perspective, the greater the wisdom.  The greater the wisdom, the more satisfying the life.  The key point, in my opinion, is for one to understand that increased knowledge/perspective will reorder/alter previous beliefs/perspective.  In effect, you can’t have a greater perspective with old beliefs.

 I first encountered the intriguing statement years ago when reading Elaine Pagels “Beyond Belief” the secret gospel of Thomas (page 53.) According to Wikipedia:  The Gospel of Thomas (also known as the Coptic Gospel of Thomas) is a non-canonical gospel.  It was discovered near Nah Hammadi,  Egypt, in December 1945 among a group of books known as the Nag Hammadi library.  The Gospel of Thomas differs from the canonical books in that it is a record of 114 sayings attributed to Jesus.  Less a narrative of the great teacher’s life, it purports to be a collection of what he said to his disciples.

 More on the Nag Hammadi Library and The Gospel of Thomas here.