Change is a constant

We as humans love to figure out ways to do the least for the most benefit.  It is instinctive to seek out ways to minimize effort for anything we perceive that we have a right to.  A quick calculation takes place for any desire we have.  How much effort does it take?  Will the fulfillment of that desire be worth the output.  Is there a risk and is it a reasonable risk?  On a corporate level royalty, religious leaders, military leaders, and politicians all have done this as well.  This has lead to exploitation, bearing false witness, and down right murder.  The Ten Commandments touch on these areas.

Basically,we want to fulfill a desire without changing ourselves.  Change is painful.  Change creates a paradigm shift in our minds, hearts, and actions (Deuteronomy 6:4) that we just don't want to give up.  Our desires are typically based upon sustaining the status quo.  Thus our equation is more like, "what am I willing to give up for remaining where I am?"  We could also say our desire is focused towards a goal, like becoming a millionaire.  But still this is based upon sustaining some kind of a desire that one has pictured in their mind.

Change is essential for our growth.  It should not be avoided.  We are created to take the hard road not the easy way out.  We are meant to change, for the better.  Many times change is feared to be bad.  This is a valid concern.  In our Torah we have a passage:

Deuteronomy 6:5
Love HaShem your G-d with all of your heart (desire), with all of your soul (includes mind), and with all of your strength (action). 

This passage teaches us that our Creator is to be the center of our desires, minds, and actions.  The Torah is our litmus test to determine what needs changing and what does not.  Understand that change takes place within.  Don't change an action for the sake of changing the action.  Rather change the root problem deep inside so that action takes care of itself.

Change as revealed by Torah is the right change provided it is for the Creator's sake.  Changing for one own sake is fruitless and meaningless.

The Troubles with Titles

Recently I was faced with listening to a man rant and cuss at the suggestion that a person should not take on titles when coming to religion.  Needless to say this man was not thinking the subject out but in fact was proving out our reason for avoiding titles here at UTOM (to the best of our ability).

We live in a world that is very external in it views, affairs, and activities.  We guide our selves by visual (worldly) landmarks.  Where are our friends?  What do they belong to (such as a sport, club, or religion)?  With that information we gravitate towards those things.  And guess what?  They all have a title or name.

So our society and social patterns dictate what we belong to and what titles are bestowed upon us.  This in turn molds and shapes us into a corner.  This is very true for religion.  Even within religion there are subgroups as well.  Once we follow this breakdown we loose more and more our individuality.  This is a real tragedy.

A walk with THE Creator is personal and from within.  It is not a without situation.  Let me explain.  We as individuals are in fact unique from all others.  No two individuals are alike.  Just as no two snowflakes are the same.  There never was and will be a ME!  I am it!

It is imperative for us to let our Creator given uniqueness shine in spite of any title (religion) we belong to.  But unfortunately, we as creatures of habit tend to fall victim to fullfilling the obligations of a title and then stop.

So at best a title should only be a loose definition of who we are for the moment.  We should not fear going outside such titles and search for our Creator beyond the boundaries of titles.  This gives us the freedom to search for our Creator from within.

A Change, a new start

In the past few months of this New Year, I have been starting to contemplate my role and purpose in creation.  Not in terms of me taking over the world.  But, rather in who do I, as an individual, help complete this world we live in?  The past posts were more of a technical nature but were not communicating what was going on within me. They did not cover what changes were taking place in me.

It is not my goal to make this into "its all about me" blog.  It became apparent to me that I am no different than the next person deep down.  The more I would dig into "me" the more "us" started to showed up.  Yes, on the surface we are different but deep down we have the same desire.  Identify our creator and draw our strength from IT.

So from this point on I will be writing about "US" instead.  Share "US" with all of you out there.

Let me throw out some things to think about.  If we come from the same source then would it not stand to reason that at some level we are all connected?  So why do we exploit, hurt, and kill each other?  What is that barrier that keeps us from looking out for our betterment by looking out for everyones benefit?  What is that "betterment" that we should be looking for that is univeral to us all?