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Becoming Part of Community

Last post 04-01-2007, 5:37 AM by jwcargile. 0 replies.
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  •  04-01-2007, 5:37 AM 21336

    Becoming Part of Community

    A newspaper column for this week...

     

    Becoming part of community

     

    For years I have sat behind a desk, inputting data or words into a computer for time on end as part of my job. I was like a lot a people who work eight until five, staring at a computer, typing into the computer, and sometimes being frustrated when the computer went haywire on me. The brain is, in many ways, like the computer. But, that is a subject for another day.

    But, there were times when I actually got to talk to a human being on the other end of a telephone, and that’s what I loved about my job(s).

    When I decided to retire last December, I meditated and prayed on what I could do in order to free myself of the computer, and be out in the community serving in some capacity.

    That is when it dawned on me to become a school bus driver. How better to serve in the community, driving our precious kids to school to learn more about the world they are evolving into. With the driving comes extra responsibility. I quickly realized I am carrying precious cargo – our community’s children and grandchildren and, maybe, someone’s great grandchild.

    Some of you, who know me, know me as sports writer. But, I have worked in many jobs in my lifetime, but sports writing was the best of times. Now, it is time to move on. I still maintain my passion for all things Scottish, and the genealogy that goes along with it. If you check out my website, you see me dressed in Scottish attire. What you don’t see is my kilt. Thank God, you say, for that! My ministry – 21st Century Ministries – is now my passion. And, writing, of course, is still part of my map of reality. To see the Big Picture as I go about daily activity is my God-driven mission.

    Part of being human is the search for an individual identity. Bound to this strong need to establish a unique persona, however, is an equally intense desire for acceptance. It is when we find our individual tribes that both are satisfied. Our tribe members are those people who accept us as we are without reservation and gladly accompany us on our journeys of evolution. Among them, we feel free to be our imperfect selves, to engage unabashedly in the activities we enjoy, and to express our vulnerabilities by relying on our tribe for support. We feel comfortable investing our time and energy in the members of our tribe, and are equally comfortable allowing them to invest their resources in our development.
    The individuals who eventually become members of your unique tribe are out there in the wide world waiting for you. You are destined to find them, one by one, as you move through life. Sometimes your own efforts will put you in contact with your future tribe members. At other times, circumstances beyond your control will play a role in helping you connect with your tribe. If you look about you and discover that you are already allied with a wonderful and supportive tribe, remember that there are likely many members of your tribe you have not yet met. On the other hand, if you feel you are still living outside of your tribe, broadening your horizons can help you find your tribe members.
    However your life develops after you come together with your tribe, you can be assured that its members will stand at your side. On the surface, your tribe may seem to be nothing more than a loose-knit group of friends and acquaintances to whom you ally yourself. Yet when you look deeper, you will discover that your tribe grounds you and provides you with a sense of community that ultimately fulfills many of your most basic human needs.

    I am learning each day about my new bus driving community, and I find it challenging and rewarding. Seeing the kids board the bus each day or get off after a hard day at school, you wonder how much they are learning. Some are learning better than others, but that is part of the grand scheme of life and how we evolve through states, stages and lines of development to become a whole person.

    Becoming a whole person is a lesson within itself. Developing body, mind and spirit through meditative practices and prayer offer the most efficient way to becoming one with the entire Universe, God’s creation. I only hope these children are learning so that one day they will see the Big Picture in the scheme of life. Love of God and loving your neighbor as yourself are two of Jesus’ commandments to us. Those are big commitments!

     

    John W. Cargile, Msc.D, D.D. is a licensed ordained minister through International Metaphysical Ministries and a graduate of Samford University (1969). E-books, reference material and study programs are now available at his website www.21stcenturyministries.com You can contact him at jwcargile@charter.net. All conversations are confidential.

     


    JC
    33° 13' N 87° 37' W
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