SE Idaho TeaM
04-10-05

UNKNOWN (Bob S.):

To our Elders and the Deity whose presence we seek one day, we open our hearts and minds to the lesson, which has been prepared for us, in gratitude, in thankfulness, in hope that our lives may one day be perfect. Amen.

DANIEL: Greetings one and all. Your discussion of gratitude and its proper role in society was most interesting. I am Daniel, your teacher, guide, companion and continually surprised colleague.

It is true that you are held in a higher status than most human beings. Your openness, willingness and commitment to Michael’s mission come with benefits. As you have already discussed, it is easy for the human ego to make something bigger out of this than it really is. So, your analysis of the importance of accepting this gift for what it is, is wise.

My task this evening is to introduce the main speaker. It is my esteemed pleasure to welcome you to this session, and [I] now turn the time over to our esteemed guest for the lesson.

ISADORA (Nancy): Greetings, I am Isadora, again, at your service. Tonight, I wish to speak with you on the topic of altruism.

The material-minded creature is incapable of altruism, for this characteristic of spiritual mindedness is the result of the creature dedicating their will to service, while service does not automatically lead to altruism. Altruism is the desire to be of service to others before all else, even before the self.

“Why am I discussing altruism with you this evening,” you may ask. Your TR certainly is. Your world has very little of truly altruistic motives. And this is the legacy of rebellion. Your world is very concerned with receiving, getting one’s fair share, earning profit, or earning points to be used as collateral with other individuals.

Even seemingly well-motivated institutions may be populated by volunteers or paid positions whose motives are mixed. Very often, the desire to control outcomes masquerades as altruism. And so it is not the acts but the motivation that is often muddled on Urantia. None of your institutions are purely about service for services sake, where the agenda and the activities are allowed to evolve and flow, reflecting simply the desire to be of service.

These statements are not meant as a criticism of you or your world in any way. My purpose in stating these factual conditions is to raise your awareness that you might, through your own efforts, become more God-knowing and more God-like, therefore more service oriented.

Influence these institutions so that their focus is re-aligned and so those individuals involved ask the critical questions of “how might I best serve some constituency” rather than having decided what the right outcome for such a constituency is and laying out an agenda to reach that end. This is certainly true in your political system, as well as your many other institutions, education, health, religion, economics, business and so forth.

Your world is beset by many, many challenges, in many and varied areas. You have no idea the transforming effect, the miraculous transformation that can and will take place, when a significant number of individuals begin to ask “how can I be of service in this forum?” “How can I be of service in that forum?” “How can I be of service to my local paper?” “How can I be of service to my neighbors?” “How can I be of service to my church?” “How can I be of service to my colleagues?” “How can I be of service to my boss?” “How can I be of service to my children?” In accepting the mantle of apostleship, in this time of correction, you have accepted the responsibility of beginning to ask these questions, thereby, becoming an example such that others may come to re-think what service entails. The lighting of an altruistic spirit would be and will be transformative in ways that you can not even imagine, having never experienced such a spirit.

My friends, while any of your other teachers could have delivered this same lesson, I was chosen, for I have observed the transforming effects of the birth of altruism on a planetary-wide scale. I ask you to ponder and visualize the transformation. Ask yourselves the questions suggested. Become aware of yourself as functioning in the many institutions in the many roles in which you function.

I hope this discussion assists you in broadening your concept of service. I now open the floor to questions, comments or concerns. Daniel is available for response, and I have been asked to hang around.

Bob S.: Isadora, what is your definition of altruism?

ISADORA: Altruism is the state of putting others ahead of self. It is spirit motivated. The ego is not involved.

Bob S.: Thank you. One more question. (Yes) You said that sometimes we interpret our efforts to be controlling as altruistic. I do not quite follow that line of reasoning. Could you elaborate on that for me?

ISADORA: Yes. Often times in maturing individuals, those who are not yet matured—and remember that maturing can take longer than this brief life—the individual can desire to be of service, but the ego can get involved and decide what the outcome of that service should be.

For example: you may meet a homeless person on the street and desire to be of service, and yet the ego part of the mind may have decided what the outcome should look like. “This person should no longer drink; they should be well dressed; they should be housed in a particular way; they should be contributing to society.” These decisions of what ought to be can get in the way of the pure spirit of service.

The concept of co-dependency may provide assistance here.

Very often individuals termed co-dependent, have a strong desire to help other people for reasons related to their upbringing, their childhood experiences. But this help can be a form of control that is very difficult for the co-dependant individual to recognize. They experience themselves as being purely motivated. It is only later, as they begin to understand themselves better, that they realize the help they are offering is often because they have the need. They need a person to be a particular way, to be healthy, to be tidy, to have the right religious ideas, etcetera. So, while initially they think they are doing this to be of service, they later come to understand that it is a mixture of service that is also to meet their own needs. This is pervasive on Urantia, and many of the helping institutions reflect this conflict in motivation that is common to co-dependant individuals. And [still] other institutions are strictly self-serving.

Is this any help to you, Bob?

Bob S.: Yes! That’s a very good explanation. I think I get it.

There was a survey done within the last few years, which indicated, I’m not sure of the number, but I think it was seventeen percent of the American people, according to this survey, considered themselves to be altruistic. Given the fact that one may not completely be honest in their answers, I thought that was a significant number, and so did the people who did the poll. They said in the last ten years that number has grown from essentially zero to seventeen percent. Would you care to comment on that? In your estimation, are we making some progress in that regard?

ISADORA: Yes, progress is being made: the circuits are open: spiritual pressure is being applied. The desire to be of service is spreading, and this is recognized in this polling process. What this poll is picking up is the desire to be of service, and this is a start. As you do the work as individuals, your motivations do, at some point, transform from co-dependant to altruistic. This is part of your progress, part of your spiritual development. And so, too, will your institutions reflect the state of the individuals who populate these institutions. I would not say that the seventeen percent reflects true altruism, but it is a good start.

Virginia: Isadora, your discussions reminds me of so many things that I took to heart from the New Testament in that one of the verses says “Don’t let your right hand know what your left hand is doing,” [Ed. Note: Mathew 6:3 Sermon on the Mount] and I think part of that is: don’t show what you are doing in the way of altruism. I don’t know if that’s a fair interpretation of that verse at this time. And then in First John it says “We love because He first loved us.” And I think that we give as a result of God’s giving to us.

I remember an outstanding sermon that Bill preached about thirty years ago, in Ketchum (ID), and the summation of that sermon was that “the grateful give.” I think as we appreciate our Sonship/Daughtership and are grateful for that, then it’s much easier to give and to hide—I’m not sure that’s the right word—but hide what you are doing because that way you cannot use it as manipulation of that other person. Anonymously would be wonderful. You cannot always do that. Nor can you take it off your taxes. In this world, you have to be practical in order to give more. All those thing were going on in my mind. Sorry, that’s a lot to yak about.

ISADORA: I am grateful that my discussion generated such a wealth of thought, for that is its purpose, indeed! You have expressed beautiful truth. As you come to know, personally, God’s love and [to] experience gratitude for life itself in God’s presence, in your experience of life, then indeed does the desire to give, does your service grow.

One purpose in the statement regarding the two hands is to minimize the activity of the ego. It is common for a person to initially give from a space of pure service and then later for the ego to recognize the benefits that flow and to puff up and desire these benefits. I would make this statement: to hide is also of the ego, for spirit is not concerned either way; [it is concerned] simply with the act of service.

Virginia: Thank you, Isadora. That certainly is something to reflect on. And of course it reminds me of humility. True humility is not affected by praise or criticism. And so you’re saying that true service is not affected whether you are recognized or not recognized. You just do it.

ISADORA: Correct. And sometimes it is of service to allow recognition.

Bob S.: When it encourages other people to follow your example.

ISADORA: That would be one time, yes! There can be many reasons for recognition being of service. By standing there, humble, this too is a reflection of God-knowingness. And while observing individuals may not wish to undertake the same activity that led to the recognition, they may recognize the God knowing individual as having something they desire, and that can send them on their own path. Do you see? Shall I attempt to explain further?

Bob S.: No, not for me.

Virginia: Nor for me. Isadora, that is very, very clear.

Bob S.: At our level of maturity, it seems to me very difficult to keep the ego under control. Do you have any advice for us? Do we before every act, analyze it and say “is this for me or is this for God?”

ISADORA: Observation is an important tool. To step aside from yourselves, to detach emotionally, and to analyze, yes, is useful. A level of emotional connection, the emotional need, the strength of emotion attached, is often a key, something to be aware of. If there is a high level of emotion attached, that is usually an indicator that the ego is involved in some manner. And this would suggest the need for self-reflection, greater understanding of self. In order to conduct this analysis, it is always best to go into quiet, ask for guidance, ask for God’s help in bringing you to higher understanding.

Bob S.: Thank you, that’s a very good answer, most helpful.

ISADORA: My pleasure. Any other comments, thoughts, concerns? Then I will take my leave. I, Isadora, have greatly enjoyed this opportunity to participate with you in this manner and to share concepts as well as experience. I will take my leave and allow your teacher, Daniel, to lead you in the closing of this meeting. I hope to have the opportunity to speak with you again, my friends. Farewell for now.

Bob S.: Is it possible for us to request your assignment to our teaching staff on a permanent, semi-permanent or occasional basis? Your insights have certainly been very helpful to me, and I do not know what the other members of the group feel, but I would certainly invite you to join the staff.

ISADORA: My dear friend, Bob, thank you so much for your warm embrace, your gracious invitation. The request is made, and the outcome is possible, although not promised at this time. My assignments are broad and still in flux but certainly returning as a guest teacher from time to time should be doable.

Bob S.: Thank you.

ISADORA: I am most appreciative of your response. My love to you all.

DANIEL (Bob S.): This is Daniel, I believe our time is short. If there are no other questions or comments, I would ask you to stand and join hands. Klarixiska has asked for the opportunity to close tonight’s meeting.

KLARIXISKA (Virginia):

Father we are always grateful that the two words that you implant in our hearts are LOVE and SERVICE. Receiving love and serving others, giving, that causes us to grow. We thank You that the opportunity is always there for the teachers and the students. And surely we all know that we are all students in the universe that you have created. May we continue on our paths, to grow, to give, to love, and to serve. Amen