Fourteen years ago today (September 8. 2010) I woke up with the Harry Chapin song “WOLD” circling through my head. If you’re not familiar, WOLD is a 1974 hit song by Chapin in which he sings about being a DJ at the fictional radio station WOLD. In real life, however, WOLD was the actual call signal of two real, but now non-existent, oldies radio stations, one in Marion, Virginia and the other in Edison, New Jersey. In reality, the Chapin song tells the story of a guy whose life is in shambles. By fooling himself into thinking he is happy with his life, all he is doing is growing old and tired in his quest for happiness – much like I was at the time. I was living in the rather cold-hearted area of the state of Minnesota, married to my rather cold-hearted first wife. I was unsuccessful in business, overcoming my first stroke, and trying to find a reason I was stuck in a dead-end relationship. The Universe was letting me know that now was the time things needed to change. It took another twenty months, but change I did. It was the best thing I ever did for myself.
So here I am, fourteen years later, living back in my home town, married to an amazing woman, successful with my private practice, pastoring a growing church, and being quite happy with life as it is despite having ongoing health issues. But, so what? What does it matter in the big picture? What it does mean is that I am existing in the moment, in the time, and in the role I am destined to karmically. What it also means is that what happened in the past doesn’t matter in the end, and no one is going to remember me, this moment, or the role I played in another 1,000 years from now. I am merely a soul passing through various lifetimes, playing different roles, experiencing different levels of economic and social status each time. And none of it matters. What does matter is that I recognize myself and every soul I ever encounter in this and every other lifetime as a manifestation of the great Divine who has become manifest as all that is. It’s just a Play of Consciousness. Therefore, the only thing that I need to do in the here and now is to love, unconditionally and without limitation.
David Livermore, one of the founders of the Cultural Intelligence Center in East Lansing, Michigan, helps people to cope with their current stresses in life by having them ask themselves, “Will this matter in a year from now?” My question is whether or not it will matter in thirty years from now. How about the next lifetime when you may be someone completely different? Will it matter how successful you were? Will it matter what your religion was? Will it matter if you were gay, transgender, or asexual? Will it matter if you were married or not or had children? Will it matter then what another person, including yourself, thinks of you now? The answer is “absolutely not”, especially to that Divine presence which you are already a manifestation of, complete and perfect just as you are, playing the role you are destined to karmically. But that doesn’t mean that where you are now is your final destination. The fact that you have concerns now is the Universe’s way of telling you that now is the time when you need to make the changes necessary to be in a better place. Karma is always happening, which means that the actions you take now will lead to the outcome you want to see in the future. Change is possible, and it is up to you.
But, if you want to take the next step in your spiritual understanding, you can ask yourself the question, “So what?” What does it matter if your current situation prevents you from reaching your desired outcomes? Will it matter in your older years? If it does matter, then you have lost the Big Picture. The truth is we are all manifestations of the Divine presence, complete and perfect as you are, as stated before, carefully placed in this world to play the role we need to be in at this particular moment in time. Although this contemplation doesn’t mean we should be content to remain stuck, we must be aware that we will not be in the same role forever, and it certainly won’t matter in another 1,000 years from now. No one will know who you were in another millennium, or even know if you were a lowly housewife in the village of Lang ri, Vietnam or a wealthy prince in the province of Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. And so what? The question will be, “Did you love, unconditionally and without limitations?” Will you remember that all that is is simply a Play of Consciousness?