Nothing More Precious Than a Wise Owl,
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Within both types, just as within all people, is a pure and noble spirit; the question is how much rust and crust from unrecognized and unmanaged emotions has accrued upon the human in which that spirit resides, and therefore to what extent they’ve been immobilized from and have run counter to living the truth and doing the good they were born to.
How to Spot a Dangerous Old Fool
Nothing is as dangerous as certain old fools, because they’ve got decades of experience in smiling for the world -- often using religion or other sacred cows to enhance their smile -- while, from a deep place of self-loathing and insecurity, they stick knives in people’s backs for what they perceive as their own gain, or con younger fools into doing so for them.
Nothing is more precious than a wise owl, because from a deep place of self-love and therefore love for others – often gained through true religious / spiritual journeying – they see the current beauty and ever-greater potential of our world, and therefore strive to enable others to achieve their goals to their greatest potential.
Even as they seek to degrade, suppress, or destroy others, old fools often fancy themselves wise owls, and if you are not careful, it is easy to get deceived into believing they are.
But I have seen that there is one sure litmus test of a wise owl versus an old fool, and it can be summed up in a single virtue that, in this day and age that celebrates excess much to its own detriment, is not so popular: humility.
Pride and Suppression, Humility and Advancement
Humility is of course is the defining virtue in religious icons such as Jesus and Buddha, and in certain people that humankind holds in its highest esteem, such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Mother Teresa, and Gandhi.
Consider carefully from your own wisest place and ask to what extent someone is acting from a place of false pride, which in short can be defined as their misperception that they are in some fundamental way better than, more worthy than, others.
Watch their actions closely to see if they seek to place restrictions on others’ growth, or to flat-out destroy others, to prevent their own delusions of superiority from being shattered.
The more someone acts from this false pride, no matter how well-trained their smile, handshake, and words may be, the more of a dangerous old fool they are.
The more someone acts from a place of humility, meaning they see the good in all people and yearn to help it come to fruition for the betterment of the world -- even if that means these others’ are elevated to (temporal) statuses in society that exceed their own -- the more you can be sure they are a wise owl.
The Challenge, The Privilege
I have been challenged with having to engage with old fools in this world, and with each of them it is clear that beneath their miles of rust and crust there indeed is a great and noble spirit in them, too. While sometimes I have had to protect myself from their dangerous ignorance, I have simultaneously hoped and prayed for something to act as a catalyst for their self-awareness and goodness to break through, which is sometimes all you can do.
And I have had the great privilege and honor of engaging deeply with some wise owls in my life, and nothing has humbled me or had more of a positive influence upon me.
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Much of the deeply self-revealing and life-changing information and exercises you’ll discover in the Bust Through the Emotional Barriers audio learning program has its roots in the guidance I have received from various wise owls … some living today, many who lived ages ago.
Meanwhile, capturing the story and insights of wise owls you know is one of the most important and meaningful gifts you can give to family, friends, and future generations, which was my primary motivation for creating The Life Story book available to you.
Please Share Your Thoughts & Help Others in Doing So
I believe one of the most dangerous things we are losing in our go-go, faster-faster, surface-dwelling age is the veneration of the wise owls amongst us. Societies throughout human history were held together against the onslaught of the dangerous old fools and advanced by the guidance of wise owls.
Wise owls are still here today, but their voices and influence are drowned out by the cacophony of all the information, all the stuff, all the mediocrity being heaped upon our minds. That leaves the dangerous old fools far freer to wreak their havoc on our world today.
I will share your kind recommendations with all IntenseExperiences.com subscribers, because people deserve such important insights.
Thank you,
Brian Vaszily
Founder of the Free IntenseExperiences.com Newsletter
ALSO SEE:
Who You Are, Who You Are Not: A New Meditation for Challenging Times