As many of you know, Easter Sunday is a major event in the Christian religion. According to Wikipedia, Christianity is the most adhered to religion in the United States, with 65% of polled American adults identifying themselves as Christian in 2019. This is down from 85% in 1990, 81.6% in 2001, and 12% lower than the 78% reported for 2012. Yet, when I invested a few hours one day asking self-professed Christians “What is the Greatest Commandment?” I was often met with blank stares and very few answers. Likewise, when I asked about the Second Greatest Commandment, the same held true. Some professing Christians confused my question with the 10 Commandments, which is kind of oddly ironic, given that the 10 Commandments are initially presented in the Old Testament, and not in the New Covenant of CHRISTianity. Please understand: Today’s stated re-commitment to the second half of 40 Days and Two Little Words is not a diatribe against non-practicing-but-professing Christians. It is, however, a small reminder that (I truly believe) the majority of us Americans DO truly love God, and for the most part, many of us are doing far more than merely taking advice from politicians on how to handle life. Back on March 12th of this year, in this blog, I specifically mentioned that, over the next 40 days, I would share a potentially mind-altering foundation from which we can launch an expanding base of freedom from stress and strife… and perhaps alleviate some of the anxiety associated with everyday life. With daily reports on how the United States of America is progressing through the next chapter of its ever-evolving social, economic, and political history, the next few months could pose not only a nearly unprecedented challenge to our previous way(s) of living… but the ensuing months could also exact an emotional and spiritual toll on how we feel about ourselves, each other, and life in general. Twenty days ago, on March 12th, I initiated the series of "Two Little Words" to simply assist with everyday challenges by offering a small-but-potentially significant reprieve from the daily blitz of news and "social" media. Why? Well, we have found ourselves in a bit of a dilemma. We want (and sometimes need) the latest news. Yet, too much of this steady stream of numbers, negativity, news, and naysaying can have a devastating effect on our emotional well-being. However, in the initial post, I did not fully explain the specific rationale for “40” days. After all… why not a week’s worth of worthy reads? Why not a month? Why did I select “40 Days and Two Little Words,” as opposed to “60 Days and Two Little Words?” Well, as is the case with many of the more popular world religions (including Christianity), much is misunderstood about the teachings of what and who I call “The Masters.” If one were to research the original beginnings of Buddha, one would find some fascinating parallels to other world religions. In fact, I will share one super-powerful parallelism among Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, and Jewish beliefs: 40 Days. Yes… 40 Days. The account of Jesus the Christ begins with His birth and early childhood. Then, the accounts of Christ leap forward to when Jesus reached the age of thirty. Likewise, Siddhartha Gautama, the first enlightened Buddha, began his ministry at the age of thirty. According to the Gospels, Jesus fasted in the desert for exactly 40 days and 40 nights, and was tempted by the devil. Buddha also fasted for exactly 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness and was tempted by a great evil spirit. Similarly, in the accounts of Islam, Muhammad is reported to have been praying and fasting in a cave for 40 days. In Judaism, rain fell for 40 days and 40 nights during the Great Flood. And Moses reportedly spent three consecutive periods of 40 days and 40 nights on Mount Sinai. Please note: All these accounts appear to be about renewal amidst temptation... or temptation amidst renewal. So please consider the possibility that 40 Days is a perfect timeframe in which to change your point of view. Notwithstanding that last sentence, I must reiterate my intentions and goals for this e-course. It is not my intention to try to change you; only you can do that. It is my intention to offer you a different perspective. And when we change how we view the world, we change our respective perspective... ...our perceived world literally changes right before our very own eyes. Moreover... as a follow-on, associated consequence... ...the world changes its view of us. And when THAT happens… ...we will have changed the world! Aloha,
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