15 th April

Eight of us assembled in an attempt to explore the mystery of life. We watched a TED video where the guest speaker told us of the later development a mere two million years for the frontal lobes of the brain to appear in humans. Giving us the ability to envisage the possible future and how it gets it wrong - it is never so good nor as bad as we imagine. He told us that through experiments synthetic happiness is as good as the realised happiness. How a convicted prisoner given a life sentence and released in his 70s due to DNA proving his innocence exclaimed it was a glorious experience.
We then read about simplicity of faith leaving the complicated bit to Nature/God.

Down the River of Life to the Ocean of Presence.My mind keeps returning to the status of the human heart in the midst of external and internal turmoil caused by the massive uncertainty of the times. It's the position all of us are in, differing only by the degree of intensity in most cases. Some of us are attended by financial concerns, some by health concerns, some by environmental concerns and all of us by spiritual concerns.

Our main concern is the degree of complexity we bring to the process. All of this complexity rests upon our belief that there's something we can do, based on our own insights and industry, which can change our lives for the better. This is the process that got us into whatever mess or state of mind we are presently in. It's our reliance on our own resources to meet each and every challenge that consistently shows us we're inconsistent in our efforts and our grasp of what's taking place.

We think we're in charge.Some of us believe this to a remarkable degree and circumstances bear it out, further convincing us that we are in charge. Our sense of immunity and hubris turn into an inner polarity of something like the Colossus of Rhodes. That's no longer standing, by the way. We're permitted to think we are in charge and we are encouraged to believe we are in charge, for one purpose. The purpose is a lesson. Now, if you like lessons of this sort, you're on the right planet. The purpose of everything you go through is a lesson, period. All of these lessons have to do with growth. You can even call it evolution...............