“The Other Half of Growing Up”

In our modern society we have come to a point of no return. We have taken our psychological approach of the growth of an individual to the extreme. Now we are seeing the outcome of that process.

To grow as an individual and to be allowed to express all our emotions freely is very important. This is what happens as we grow up in emotionally well balanced homes. By the age of 5 or 6 we have set in place all our emotional patterns for life. But some people grow up in dysfunctional homes and thus need counseling to help them grow as people, setting themselves free and allowing for the free association of all feelings and thus growing as individuals. All of this is good, to blossom one way of another is fantastic. But we have not put in place understand that we are not just this flesh and blood— we are everything— and thus also have a responsibility to help everyone and everything.

This is where spiritual ethical growth comes in. We can liken our growth as a child to that of a tree which grows strong and bears fruit. But sooner or later that tree will die, thats the normal process of life and the death of the tree creates nutrients for the soil so that more trees can grow. But if we think we are only the tree and have no limits on what we have learned from the world, our ego grows, takes over, and creates havoc in the world. If our knowledge creates egotism and a feeling of superiority over others, sooner or later that way of looking at the world creates huge problems for the planet— and that’s exactly what we have going on right now.

Wisdom is that which prevents the rotting of the core of the tree while the outside seemingly bears fruit. The disease sooner or later if not kept in check by wisdom spreads to all the trees— and then down the line no fruit can be found.
But very soon everything will change, we will have a spiritual based way of looking at life. And spiritual growth and wisdom will be looked upon as more important than learning from a book. Knowledge is very important but wisdom about how to use that knowledge is even more important.

Thus the tree can grow and thrive like a redwood standing strong for eons.

Many Blessings to Everyone!

Dr. Paul Haider