9-21-03
GO SLOW ON THE CONCRETE
Too
many beliefs we have not thought through get set in concrete. Every
belief of this kind will eventually become too heavy to carry around in
our head. At some point we will have to get out a sledge hammer and bust
them up.
The only beliefs we should set in concrete are those that come from the
deepest dictates of our heart. And all concrete beliefs are carried in
the heart, not the mind. The heart handles heavy stuff better than the
mind. Like the old song said, "He ain't heavy, he's my
brother."
I once bought a necklace with a pendant saying, "Be gentle with all
life." I was playing in some pretty rough joints at that time and
enjoyed wearing it just to watch people's facial expressions. They would
lean forward to read it and then have this look that said, "What is
this hairy-legged guitar picker doing with a saying like that hung
around his neck?"
Granted I like to play with people's heads. Always have. But it so
happens that "be gentle with all life" is one of the concrete
etched beliefs in my heart.
I think the Buddhist concept of kindness and the Christian concept of
love and the Good Samaritan example of what love means are two of the
most beautiful ideas in all of religion. They are fused in my heart.
In my own life I came to see that many of my early beliefs came from
others and didn't pass through my own heart and my own experience.
Someone told me they were sacred so I just got out the Sackrete and set
them in concrete. It sure has been a mess sledge-hammering them out of
there.
It's better to have one deep value you come to treasure and set in
concrete than a thousand beliefs and ideas imparted from others. In
fact, that's a good place to start. Just decide the one value that means
the most to you and go ahead and set it in concrete. Better still, get
it in your feet and put it in practice.
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You will find all of Dalton's Sunday Journals and other writings at http://www.daltonroberts.com/
