Amnesia
"Obsessed and preoccupied, unaware of what is happening within them and around them, not really participating in life, not really present for others, sort of living in their own little nightmarish world, hoping that life around them will not impinge upon their obsessions? This is the sad state of so many people, and everyone suffers from this to a certain degree. It is kind of a social amnesia, where people literally forget who they are, what they are, where they are going and what they are doing. They are not paying attention, or they are only paying attention to one or two things to the negligence of everything else." [1]
Why amnesia
"For how can you not remember where you lived in eternity? How can you not remember what that felt like? How can you not remember those who sent you into the world? [2]
"You were born in a state of amnesia." [3]
"In the world, people live in a state of amnesia. Like fish in a tank. Your world is that tank. Rarely can you see beyond the waters of your little world." [4]
"You have a choice. You will either follow the emerging power of Knowledge, however mysterious, or you will conform to the needs and the preferences of your family or friends. Many people fail at this point, merging back into the amnesia of culture, to the addiction of culture, to the manipulation of culture. They awoke briefly, only to be subsumed by the powers in the mental environment around them, pulling them back in—into confusion, into irresponsibility, into fantasy." [5]
"For you will return to your Ancient Home with your gifts ungiven, and you will wonder what happened to you down there that you could not realize what you were to do, and you will say, 'I don’t know what happened. I forgot, I guess. I must go back. I want to go back. This time I will remember. I know I can remember.' And you can say this because it is so clear when you are Home! There you are! It is all so evident! There is nothing to cloud your vision. You are out of the water now, and you can see the situation clearly."[6]
When the veil is broken
"If you penetrate the membrane that separates this world from the life beyond, it becomes very difficult to concentrate on being here because the life beyond is so alluring. It is so attractive. It is easier to be yourself there than it is here. That is why you must enter the world in an amnesiac state to enable yourself to concentrate on being here." [7]
"It is simply a memory that comes to you when your mind is opened—a sense of relationship and a sense of purpose. The amnesia of being in the world has worn off temporarily and you have a sense of continuity in life.This produces enduring happiness." [8]
References
- ↑ The Watchtower (February 17, 2009)
- ↑ The Power of Knowledge, Chapter 14: The Remembrance
- ↑ Wisdom from the Greater Community, Book 1, Chapter 11: Power and Responsibility
- ↑ Wisdom from the Greater Community Volume I, Chapter 24: Happiness in the World
- ↑ Being a Person of the New Message (September 7, 2009)
- ↑ Living The Way of Knowledge, Chapter 4: The Pillar of Health
- ↑ Wisdom from the Greater Community, Book 1, Chapter 18: Higher Education
- ↑ Wisdom from the Greater Community Volume I, Chapter 21: Enduring Happiness
See also
Further study
- The Pure Religion, Chapter 9: Heaven and Hell