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In comparison to most people of my acquaintance, I am kind and generous and often insufferably pleased with myself.
This is IN COMPARISON TO OTHERS. In comparison to a Being who is perfectly holy, I am badly flawed to the point of being a veritable filthy rag (as the Bible suggests).
People are not inherently good. They are badly flawed, with a mysterious propensity toward evil. This is one of the great truths of Christianity, confirmed for me by long experience.
I don't have to hate myself or be wracked with guilt to accept that I am badly flawed and estranged from a perfectly holy Creator. I can be, and am, insufferably pleased with myself while accepting that I fall far short of perfect holiness, love and mercy.
What the OP characterizes as "inherently good" but "spiritually clumsy" misses the mark IMO. It is the Holy Spirit who helps transform our flawed nature and enables us to sometimes transcend it. But anyone who starts with the notion that "I and others are inherently good and just need to get more in touch with our spiritual side" is far - close to 180 degrees - from the Truth as Christianity understands it and I have experienced it.
I find that the more I use my spirit rather than my mind in dealing with others, the better the outcome and the more love I find for myself and others
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Please provide a real life example that you experienced.
Quote:
The truth is that we are ALL clumsy spiritually. We all want love but struggle in giving it freely to others. However, we are not inherently evil but inherently good.
No, that’s not the truth.
The truth is, a collective human behavior, nature and psychology is comprised of black, white and a large area of gray in different shades.
In a single household, two siblings would be brought up in the same environment but both could have completely opposite nature/behavior/psychology.
Yes, the social atmosphere, upbringing and life experiences could have some influence on how one is developed.
But, where ever there is group of humans, there will always be good AND bad people by nature in various degrees.
Be kind. Be giving. Be courteous. Take the time to appreciate the beauty of the earth and your life on it, as often as you can. Cherish what you have, your family and your friends. Give your life purpose because your time here is short, so use it well.
Not sure it's really about how I view myself, but my spirituality is a summation of my worldview and how I live my life.
I don't know how, or if, I see myself spirituality. My spiritual practice is Zen, and it doesn't have any spiritual mumbo jumbo to it. But, it does. If we can get present, if we can get in the moment, then we see that what happens every moment is a miracle. I remember an old story of a Zen teacher being asked if he was responsible for any miracles. He said yes, every day I carry water and chop wood.
Those are truly miraculous things, but people want Disneyland magic or something. When we are truly in present time and not running around in our heads in the past (which does not exist, it's gone) or in the future (which does not yet exist), only then can we experience reality as it is, and it's all a miracle. In present time, we are in accord w/ the whole universe, and from this vantage point we see how much of our life is wasted because it's not based on reality at all, it's based on those two illusions, the past and the future.
Well, I'm glad you see yourself as perfect. I suspect that God sees you as still needing some improvement, though.
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