The Information Channel Felist.Com -*-------------------------------------------------------------------------- +---------------------------------------------------------------------+ | [ http://unityway.wordpress.com ] Unity Way | | | | October 8, 2006 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | Truth About Temptations | | by Andrei Yashurin | | | | Not so long ago one person asked me what I think about temptations. | | This is a worthwhile subject to talk about, because in our search | | for happiness we are always tempted by promises of false happiness. | | | | Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines "to tempt" as "to entice | | to do wrong by promise of pleasure or gain". It means that | | temptation is not directly related with a desire to break a | | religious commandment. But this definition might be too narrow - | | often we are tempted to do something which doesn't contribute to | | our happiness and fulfilment, but not necessarily "wrong" according | | to certain standards. | | | | My definition of a temptation that it is a desire linked with | | ignorance. | | | | Let us consider an example from everyday life. We see an appealing | | commercial of a product, and a desire to buy this product comes to | | us. But most of us learned not to act upon such a desire too | | quickly. We begin to think and to evaluate. A commercial promises | | that this thing will make us happier. Could it be true? Or rather, | | experience teaches us that it will give us only a temporary | | satisfaction, not worth the money we will pay? Are there another | | ways to fulfil our legitimate needs? Finally, it is possible that | | buying of this product will put unnecessary burden upon our budget. | | So, we might easily let go of this desire and focus our mind at | | something else. | | | | What happened? We just successfully overcame a temptation, although | | such a word never crossed our mind. Let us note that an advertised | | product might be good, but not suitable for us at this point of | | time. In order to let go of our desire, we did not have to convince | | ourselves that it is evil. We just did not want to pay the price. | | | | Ignorant, shallow, and superficial desires bring to our attention | | only pleasure and satisfaction we could get. But they often keep us | | ignorant about the price we will have to pay, and possible negative | | consequences. If we are aware of these hidden factors, we won't | | desire the things which will burden us or make us suffer in some | | way. We will treat them as children's toys, not deserving our | | attention. Desires to get these things might come, but they won't | | stay in our consciousness for too long. They won't take root in our | | souls and won't be translated to actions. | | | | There is a price tag attached to every desire. Most of people most | | of the time know that it is true - otherwise, life would be too | | complicated for them. But we need to realize that the law of | | compensation is truly universal and knows no exceptions. This | | realization frees us from a vain hope that sometimes this principle | | won't work, and it would be possible for us to escape the payment. | | We won't look for ways to get something for nothing. | | | | "A wise man will know that it is the part of prudence to face every | | claimant and pay every just demand on your time, your talents, or | | your heart. Always pay; for first or last you must pay your entire | | debt. Persons and events may stand for a time between you and | | justice, but it is only a postponement. You must pay at last your | | own debt", writes Ralph Waldo Emerson. | | | | It has been said that people learn by trial-and-error. It is a | | painful and unpleasant method of education. Others learn at | | mistakes of others. This method is better, but still not the best | | available. The truth is, we all are linked to the channel of direct | | knowledge within. God in us makes us aware of the consequences of | | our desires. | | | | "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free". This | | includes freedom from temptations. We can live above temptations | | not because we are strong, but because we are aware. | | | | The only way to overcome temptations is to know deep secrets of | | life. When we judge by appearances, follow the crowd, and look at | | what the majority of people do, we might easily become ignorant and | | reap the bitter fruit of sufferings. Let us search for the truth, | | not being satisfied with preconceived ideas and sets of rules. What | | is right? That which is right for us, considering who we are and | | where we are in our life journey. Let us listen to the guiding | | voice of our heart. As we do that, many of the things which looked | | appealing at first, will lose their attraction. | | | | (to be continued) | | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | Recommended Reading: | | | | [ http://astore.amazon.com/talksontruth-20/detail/0062501151 ] | | Discover the Power Within You: A Guide to the Unexplored Depths | | Within by Eric Butterworth | | | | Previous Articles of Andrei Yashurin: | | | | [ http://unityway.wordpress.com/2006/09/30/ | | courage-of-being-ourselves/ ] Courage of Being Ourselves | [ | | http://unityway.wordpress.com/2006/09/23/practical-peacemaking/ ] | | Practical Peacemaking | [ http://unityway.wordpress.com/2006/09 | | /16/purity-and-vision/ ] Purity and Vision | [ http:// | | unityway.wordpress.com/2006/09/09/mercy-and-wholeness/ ] Mercy and | | Wholeness | [ http://unityway.wordpress.com/2006/09/02/ | | the-great-fulfillment/ ] The Great Fulfillment | | | | [ http://unityway.wordpress.com ] Talks on Truth Blog | | | | [ http://zme.amazon.com/exec/varzea/pay/T3FSLT9BWIHSWQ ] If you | | find these messages helpful, please send a donation to Andrei | | Yashurin | | | | If you like our list, please recommend it to others. | | | | To be unsubscribed, click the link at the bottom of this message, | | do not write to the author. | | | | E-mail: [ mailto:yashurin@gmail.com ] yashurin@gmail.com | | | | Information: The publisher of this list technically cannot | | subscribe/unsubscribe anyone. 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