Zone 3 … selfless servants (those being “noble” or “saintly”)

This is what I know to be Enlightenment; the most advanced level of being available, one characterized by deeds of caring kindness motivated solely by an unconditional Love & humble Respect for the objects thereof. Despite what all Zone 2 pundits &preachers say to the contrary, this is the only realm of being that brings deep-seated Peace (especially in times of turmoil) & profound Joy (especially in times of sadness) to human beings. In this region of conscious living, one’s own survival &/or happiness &/or comfort become completely irrelevant – with intention shifting away from the establishment of “healthy boundaries” or the manifestation of one’s “innate abundance” or the finding of one’s “true love” and towards the one & only choice that can ever hope to bring true Contentment in any given interaction: the choice to give to others, with the sole intention of enhancing their Peace or intensifying their Joy. This pure emanation of one’s True Self (an emanation that many call Love) becomes the lone motivator for any act undertaken, and as such all fear (the source of all suffering) melts completely away in the moments one acts accordingly. The Enlightened individuals making Zone 3 choices have – at least in those moments they are enlivening the same (especially those moments when they are tired, ill, or injured; afraid, angry, or depressed) – left behind the Zone 1 selfishness of the ego and transcended the Zone 2 myth of being “only human.” And the have done so in favor of courageously adopting a Zone 3 way of being; a life that actualizes the fundamental Truth that each & every person who has a functioning human brain has the ever-present potential to live as a fully embodied, selflessly caring Human Being. It is true that to this day almost no one lives with any consistency in this Zone, and yet in truth that is primary reason this book is being penned – in the hopes of inspiring others to awaken their own potential and alter that still somewhat sad fact.

 

In all the chapters that follow the three Zones of Being will be used both to illustrate what I mean by Enlightenment, as well as to help each of you identify where you currently reside within that glorious Realm. Of course, even though this book will provide a bevy of examples and soft suggestions related to engaging (and only thereby fully comprehending) Zone 3‘s selfless Way of Being, you each will have to ultimately decide for yourselves which (if any) practices will best serve your own unique lives.

That having been said, while I cannot offer any specific advice to any of you, I can wholeheartedly guarantee that there is at least something in this book that can help you live a life that is far more Joy-full, far more Peace.-full, and far more Meaning-full. It is our most primal “human nature” for us to vacillate between times of happiness and times of despair instead of maintaining a sense of profound calm throughout. It is also a facet of our most primitive being to make our sense of happiness &/or fulfillment dependent upon our lives’ external circumstances (difficult ones that you wish you could change “for the better”, or peaceful ones you wish would remain with you forever) instead of our internal responses chosen thereto. That having been admitted, it is also an equally available part of being human that allows us to transcend those basic instincts by choosing a different way – by choosing to bring others Peace & Joy instead of seeking the same for ourselves – by choosing to live a significant amount of moments in Zone 3 – by choosing to thereby become repeatedly & beautifully Enlightened.

My dear Friends, our species – indeed our entire planet – currently perches on a most perilous tipping point. The 6^th Mass Extinction looms before an imminent horizon; an extinction that will come from a combined ecological & socioeconomic collapse that – unless mitigated – will destroy life on Earth as we have known it; an extinction that we humans have summoned, and thus an extinction that only we humans can halt (or at least dampen). Humanity has never before reached such heights; nor has it ever before teetered before so calamitous a tumble. And in response to these pressing dangers, there has arisen an ever-growing population of “spiritual intelligentsia” – a subset of individuals who have left the banal selfishness of Zone 1 behind and have chosen to strive to be “better” and “wiser” and “more enlightened” that their less caring compatriots. These are the people who could soon guide our species smoothly through the gathering gloom, and yet these are currently those who have chosen instead to remain neutered by the hazy myths of Zone 2 living – cleverly self-sidetracked back towards a focus on the self instead of the whole; back to championing “me” over “we”; back to accumulating “inner peace” and “truth” and “purpose” for themselves instead of boldly embracing those downtrodden in their neighborhoods. In desperate search for Meaning & Contentment for themselves, they cling to the false promises & hollow teachings of impostors & charlatans; castrating their own potential to live as potent forces for Harmony in favor of finding solace or “salvation” for themselves.

And yet hope still remains for the Earth and her humanity – if enough of us can cease being mere stewards of ourselves and being to live as Caretakers of our Communities. The contents of this tome can – if courageously enlivened – help you to powerfully answer this greatest of Summons … Amen, my Friends – Let it be so!

 

 

“Enlightenment is not found by persisting in swimming across the sea; not found in one day proving to be strong enough to arrive at a farther shore. No, the only true Enlightenment washes over us fully formed in the very first step we boldly take into the surf – in the first & only moment we abandon all hopes & longings for personal pleasure or salvation, and choose to swim for others instead.” ~ anonymous

“The barbarian believes he is a separate drop of water, and he futilely struggles to survive as long as possible as such. The intelligent man believes he is a separate drop of water deserving of &/or possessing a special knowledge or purpose, and he futilely strives to either learn more about the same &/or teach the same to others. The enlightened One, on the other hand, has come to realize that he is not a separate drop of water at all, but rather is an innately interconnected portion of the Oneness that is both the oceans below & the clouds above. And he is the one who is acting accordingly, for only by acting accordingly has he come to know & cherish the same.” ~ unknown

Filed under: Enlightening Enlightenment by Scaughdt