I called this Xmas insight because it's just that, this morning I was running on the beach and ruminating on life in general and spiritual life and difficulties in particular.
Specifically, my thought went to great, huge talents, like Dalì or Picasso or Van Gogh in painting, Fitzgerald in writing, Mozart or McCoy Tyner or volodos in music, Perelman in mathematics, Gates and Jobs in IT and so on.
They are all individuals whose lives have been focused, incarnation after incarnation, on a specific purpose, pursuing the target of technical excellence and genial intuition throughout history.
The exact correspondent of such individuals who pursued wordly goals are the great Avatars and saints in the spiritual field. They relentlessly pursued, thru the centuries, their one minded dedication to seeking Truth and the absolute spirit.
Now, let's think how difficult (actually, short of impossible) is to become like the great talents and geniuses of the wordly arena.
Similar difficulties are encountered to become one of the illuminated souls.
Bottom line, if we still are modest souls, do no let's discouraged, I do not get discouraged if I'm not able to solve a millennium problem like Grigori Perelman did, or if I'm not able to play like McCoy Tyner or if I couldn't get as rich as Warren Buffet.
Likewise, I don't get discouraged if I don't have the powers of St. Padre Pio or the spiritual stature of Yogananda, Amma or the other great saints. I simply trudge along trying to do my best with the world ever trying to impinge.
I think many times we create a 'worship cult' around such people instead of making an effort and finding what their path and secret was to such greatness. For instance we have been taught by Paramahansa Yogananda that such genius lies in the ability to focus and concentrate. Often these priceless pearls of wisdom and fruits of creativity are a product of tuning into the ephemeral, incorporeal and nebulous aspects of reality.
I do think that you were inspired to make such observations on Christmas and hope not to take away from those inspirations mccoy. I just wanted to add to them. You see I myself must take the blame for 'cult worship.' Because I certainly spent a lot of my life emulating others. Perhaps I am just becoming more aware of it.
