Ultimate Optimism from the "Parable of the Wealthy Fool"

March 14, 2011 - PRLog -- During the next six weeks leading up to Easter, I will write frequently about the topic of re-birth.  Christians around the world celebrate the resurrection of Christ, not the rebirth of his body, but of his Spirit.  This year Easter comes in late April when even in the Northern parts of the U.S. flowers will be blooming and the eternal renewal of life reaffirmed.

Ultimate optimism is about the chance for constant renewal of spirit in every moment of life.  If we view each moment of life as a chance to begin again, to start over, to behold new opportunities and experience the revival of the spirit we have reached what I call: ULTIMATE OPTIMISM.  When we are in such a state, pessimism has been crowded out and is not possible.

ULTIMATE OPTIMISM is only possible WITHOUT EGO and WITHOUT WORRY.

Perhaps you are asking: Dr. Russ, I would love to live without worry, but how can I live without ego?

To begin to answer this question:  I am going to refer to the Book of Luke in the New Testament.

Luke: 12:16-21.  "The Parable of the Rich Fool"

   * Jesus begins this teaching by saying: “. . . a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

   * Jesus tells of the rich man who produced such an abundant crop he had no place to store it all.  So, he created ample storage space by tearing down his small barns and building larger ones.  He was now able to keep the entire crop for himself.  He was now on “easy street” and could eat, drink and be merry for many years.

Now, this man was full of EGO defined as his wealth embodied in his stored crops.  His self-worth was the value of his material wealth.  As such, he gave himself much to worry about: his barns could burn down; mold and mildew could spoil the stored crops; thieves could make off with them; he could die before he used up the crops.  He kept his riches to himself, but was not "RICH toward God."

"RICH TOWARD GOD" means RICH IN THE HOLY SPIRIT!!!

This passage reminds us that being rich is not about having things, but about having spirit.  A life WITHOUT EGO can be FILLED WITH SPIRIT.  Spirit, and in Christian terms, the HOLY SPIRIT, gives us the power for continued renewal and rebirth.

Now comes the practical question:

   * If the spirit has no mass, cannot be seen, touched or felt like material goods, how do I build it up?  How do I even know it is there? How do I fill myself with the spirit that drives out worry as opposed to worrying about acquiring and keeping material things?

Dr. Russ Bussters for Filling Up with Auto-renewing Spirit and Self-Worth

  1. Say, “Thank-you” every chance you get, everyday.  Say one positive and complimentary thing to everyone you encounter every day.  Do three favors for others daily. Force yourself to do this for a few days and see how good you feel.
  2. Do something helpful to someone without them knowing who did it or that it was even done.  (Example:  When you see some stray grocery carts in the store parking lot, take a moment and put them in the storage rack area. Chances are no one will notice and the store employee who retrieves them from storage will just think they were always there.)
  3. Take a moment several times a week to read the Bible, Torah, Koran or other spiritual material; reflect on what you read for its meaning for your life.
  4. Take a few moments to pray and meditate daily.  Prayer communicates our needs to a higher power and meditation is the time we listen for the response.
  5. When you focus on your inner spirit for your sense of worth and not on ego defined by material wealth, you will find an endless supply of optimism and energy to deal with any circumstances; to keep focused on the next step and trying out a possible solution to the problem.  There are no worries with the spiritual orientation towards life.

Go to the "Optimism Blog" at http://www.drrussbuss.com



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