Self Defense

> But the really interesting part, the process of judgment and decision, where you rejected the teaching of Jesus in favor of self-defense, you reduced down to just 6 words: "I weighed my options, and decided". N.C
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Was Jesus against self-defense, or was he himself just beyond those more crude expressions of it, due to his actual realization?

Why do crabs have shells, and deer have antlers if not for physical self defense?

At it's ROOT, of course, the cause of these problems is FEAR. If we can master fear, the animal level inside ourselves, then nothing will harm us, for nothing will see a threat in us.

We are all provided with defense mechanisms which are appropriate to our level of realization and expression. Yes, in reality nothing can really hurt the true Self of us, but to be able to express this fact on the Physical plane requires that we master it on the mental and emotional planes first.

Thus the problem of believing in something, and may even having an intuition of its truth, yet not yet being able to EXPRESS it on all planes.

A mundane example of this, is in the game of golf. If I can't yet hit with my driver, then I have to use my 3 wood, even though a driver is better for long distances. If I try to use my driver ( which I have not yet the skill for), then I'm likely to flub the shot and end up playing the hole much worse.

To advocate that we physically "ape" the actions of others whose realization we do not yet possess is to fall into the error of the half-wise - the result is folly. If we want to become like them then better to emulate them on the smaller things first (on the mental, emotional and physical planes), as our realization, understanding, and skill of expression approaches their level.

In the meantime, practice, practice, practice.

JC

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Date: Sun, 20 Oct 96 06:41:54 EDT

To all who are discussing the "what if I got shot" scenario, I'd like to posit an equally interesting dilemma: What would you do to save/defend your life (or the life of another) from a violent armed person who was intent on killing?

Would you be willing to shoot (and possibly kill) another person to prevent them from killing you?

Which Tarot keys have to most to say about this moral dilemma?

JC