My motive here is to help you remember what has been forgotten due to over-indulgence and spiritual neglect. There are a few in this world who seek more than the mere tradition of Christmas that our culture and society has created. But if you are done living with the futility of self-indulgence and are willing to move beyond the frozen fears of seeking affection as the state of Love, then you might want to consider the journey into the Authentic. The “Authentic what” you ask? The authentic that brings with it many a rich and powerful moment. It lives within us all.

Life in this world is about having a “Sadhana,” which means “an ego-transcending spiritual practice.” I do not see any evidence of people practicing Sadhana these days. Most people seem to be consumed by the rationalization of hate and fear. The “condition of our giving” translates into the relationship we have with authentic Love. Love is not about emotions, convenience or the logic and reasoning that governs most of our lives such that we dole out kindness with coffee spoons. The words, “I can’t afford to give” will never help us transcend the hate in this world or bless our Karma by doing the greater works that this world so desperately needs.

Most people live to possess and “secure” themselves in order to not need help from anyone. For many, the “means justifies the end” in their obsession to hoard money. They give little or NO consideration to the ignorance they are building within the structure of their psychology that will not allow them to understand the Ways of Love. They have a psychology that can justify and rationalize every harsh and cruel act of the ego. The best most people can do is to live and give with some sort of “reason” or “purpose” that does nothing but self-aggrandize their hate and fear.

There is nothing we do that does not affect the whole of humanity. To live in utter significance through loving kindness seems silly and abstract to the contentions of the ego. To attempt to undo what we have done seems extreme and humiliating. This is why Jesus opened his Beatitudes with, “Blessed are the poor in spirit…” because he knew what the ego would think of being simply simple.

The antidote for the “condition of our giving’ is the word UNCONSCIONABLE. Simply put, UNCONSCIONABLE means “not right or reasonable.” All loving acts of kindness look “unreasonable” and certainly “not right” to the ego, who is the provocateur (mischief-maker) of all sorts of painful “conditions” in our lives.
The conditions that arise in our lives are there to show us how we are living within the confines and conditions of the body and mind. Giving through acts of loving kindness and generosity (the unconscionable) are essential to the well-being of our Karma.

We measure our life by and from fear. The Pope, the Priests and the clergy of this world, the pundits and politicians…all are the ambassadors and purveyors of this fear and sustain their place in people’s lives through overt and implied intimidation. Our parents instilled fear in us as a way to control our behaviors. And more importantly, we were taught never to question these fears nor negate their importance in our life as essential to our survival.

We have been “conditioned” to live in fear of “giving.” Nothing strikes terror in the hearts of people more than the idea of giving something valuable away. To sacrifice a person’s comforts and supposed “security,” even invoking minor inconveniences due to giving, is considered downright foolish. And yet, I tell you that it is only through the flow of giving that we are able to transform our Karma into the elegance of compassion. But compassion means nothing to most people and is merely considered as emotional “sympathy,” rather than the threshold to consciousness. In this culture, in this society…giving is considered foolish.

It is just that simple. The average person allows their entire life to be postured through fear, then manufactures religion and philosophy to avoid what they fear (death) and lives life through various forms of gratification as the only modicum of “love” they believe they are entitled to due to being inferior (sinful) as their imagined religion has labeled them.

Very few people can hear the message of Love. We are told that Christmas is a time for “love” as the season for “giving.” But this type of emotional “love” has nothing to do with giving. Giving only to those whom we can be benefited by in some way only serves to build more Karma.

In the way of the world, the giver is made to feel important by the nature of his gift…but in the Way of Heaven, generosity is determined by the willingness to give that which the recipient most needs. When this truth is awakened within us, a great comfort permeates our life as we find the peace of Heaven on Earth.