I'm holding out for a hero

[free thinker]

One thing that occurs to me about the cult of personality is the ability for the hero to sweep into their net those who are credulous, insecure, vulnerable, or lacking self esteem. I joined the mormon church at the most vulnerable point of my life. I was absolutely at the lowest level of self esteem I have ever experienced.

I saw things then that made me wonder and question, but my need for answers and security overwhelmed my reasoning, and quickly subdued it. Interestingly enough the nigglers never go away. Truth is powerful, and deception is always it's underling. The truth will always eventually wiggle it's way to the top. At that point the decieved will generally be pretty angry.

Let me suggest that looking for a hero or answers from others who expect something in return is fraught with trouble.

One of the great joys of my life currently is the empowerment I have found in questioning everything and everyone. Especially those who assert that they know they are right.


If you are currently searching or feeling a need to lean on someone else, hopefully you will be able to find someone who loves you enough to provide support without any expectation.

If someone is leaning on you these days I hope you will love them enough to help them stand, and then let them go their way, whatever it might be, without you gaining anything except the gratification that you helped a fellow human in time of need.

Like the saloon doors in the old west, let love swing in and out, with ease.

Just my silly two cents worth.

ft

[bobcat]

One of the great joys of my life currently is the empowerment I have found in questioning everything and everyone. Especially those who assert that they know they are right.

Truly this is one of the great joys. After all, "the truth will set you free." And the hero bit is interesting too. I remember once in high school, a teacher asked us who our heroes were. Of course, the answer of some 75% of the class was "Joseph Smith!" The teacher flat out told them that they really should consider having hero that wasn't simply a byproduct of their preconceived beliefs, but of course that didn't go over well in suburban Salt Lake in the mid 90s :D

[silverfox]

One thing that occurs to me about the cult of personality is the ability for the hero to sweep into their net those who are credulous, insecure, vulnerable, or lacking self esteem. I joined the mormon church at the most vulnerable point of my life. I was absolutely at the lowest level of self esteem I have ever experienced.

I saw things then that made me wonder and question, but my need for answers and security overwhelmed my reasoning, and quickly subdued it. Interestingly enough the nigglers never go away. Truth is powerful, and deception is always it's underling. The truth will always eventually wiggle it's way to the top. At that point the decieved will generally be pretty angry.

Let me suggest that looking for a hero or answers from others who expect something in return is fraught with trouble.

One of the great joys of my life currently is the empowerment I have found in questioning everything and everyone. Especially those who assert that they know they are right.


If you are currently searching or feeling a need to lean on someone else, hopefully you will be able to find someone who loves you enough to provide support without any expectation.

If someone is leaning on you these days I hope you will love them enough to help them stand, and then let them go their way, whatever it might be, without you gaining anything except the gratification that you helped a fellow human in time of need.

Like the saloon doors in the old west, let love swing in and out, with ease.

Just my silly two cents worth.

ft

I joined the church at what I thought was the point in my life where my self esteem was at it's lowest. At first the Morg was gratifying. Unfortunately, after a while the Morg only contributed my low self esteem.

I am just now after 30 years of being member am building and strengthening what no one else can give me.

Thanks for the post, it's a good one.

[lunaverse]

If you are currently searching or feeling a need to lean on someone else, hopefully you will be able to find someone who loves you enough to provide support without any expectation.


Or respects you enough to tell you what the expectations are up front...

Maybe I've experienced too much "unconditional love" with too many hidden strings attached..

Luna

[darkslider]

You know, I currently have a very firm belief that choosing the "wrong" hero adversely affects you.

For most of my life, Joseph Smith and Nephi and Ezra Benson were my heroes. For that same period of time, I experienced the lowest self-esteem of my life. I always blamed myself.

Then I grew up. And by grew up, I don't mean chronologically. I mean, my awareness, intelligence, spirit, whatever-you-want-to-call-it woke up.

I started noticing things I hadn't in the past. It was as if I had pulled the proverbial wool from my eyes.

I chose new "heroes". Ones that offered to teach me things that I wanted to learn. Heroes that I could respect, not because I was told to, but because I thought they deserved it.

When someone asked me who my hero was, I no longer had a quick quip to throw at them. Because my heroes were subject to change. I learned that I coudl completely respect someone for something, despite completely disagreeing with something else.

It makes it rather difficult to pick only one hero when your heroes range all over. From the "low" that was a homeless man who'se wife and children died in a horrible fashion in the house fire that he accidentally set. To this day, despite all the pain he must be going through, despite not living what we would consider a "normal" life, he always has a smile and something nice to say. He is my hero simply because he has enough courage to wake up in the morning. To the "high" that is a Jesuit monk named Anthony DeMello. Who continued teaching what he thought would benifit humanity, despite being labelled a heretic by his own Church leaders.

For most people the word "hero" is synonymous with "teacher". And unconsciously, you know when someone is not a good "teacher" and that drags at your very soul.

Meh, I am rambling now. Just my two cents, take it for what you will.