Sudden or gradual?
You know, the events don’t seem as important as the evolution of character that results from them – what we mean when we say “I learned a lot from it.”
We also call it character development and lessons learned.
I believe that we remember an occasion if it in some way altered us, altered our character, our responses to life, etc.
I’m doing something at the moment that’s altering me. I’m going through all my readings with Archangel Michael (through Linda), from Jan. 2011 to the present – ostensibly to discover what he wishes me to do post-Reval. (1)
But it keeps widening out and I just keep learning, learning, learning.
And I see that I need to pull up my socks if I’m to do some of the things expected of me.
Some of it is confidential, but it affects me nonetheless.
What Michael has been repeating to me over and over again is beginning to sink in. And the upshot of it is that I’m going to need to grow up in a hurry. “Wake up, William. William, wake up.” (2) Calling Rip van Winkle!
I haven’t taken myself seriously and now I find I must. Leave it any longer and … well, it may not be a gradual adaptation; it may be rather sudden.
The adaptation is to begin behaving like an adult. It means behaving magnanimously. It means maintaining self-awareness and self-possession. On and on the requirements go. I’ve postponed this day since forever. Me and Peter Pan.
It’s as if it’s late summer and I want a few more days on the beach. But no, we have to leave right now. That means today.
I don’t want to go back to school. I can’t say goodbye to the summer.
It’s the same bundle of feelings – disappointment, resentment, sorrow.
But very soon – for all of us – taking ourselves and our roles seriously is going to be necessary.
Very soon, school begins again and we’ll be studying Economics 101: Humanitarian Projects and Economics 102: Philanthropic Funds.
Growing up from my resentful adolescent years will then be mandatory. No more hiding out at home.
Swift or gradual? The evolution of character … or a rude awakening. Where we’re headed, that’ll be my only choice.
Footnotes
(1) It’s requiring me to go back through all my readings, not just the collations I made from them – right back to the original sources, that is.
It’s a task I’d vowed to do after retirement and here I’m tackling it now, the Reval presenting the reason and opportunity.
I’m coming across material I’d totally forgotten and other information that I needed to see collated to get the full impact from. And it’s raising the bar.
(2) Braveheart.