...which wins...what do you do? It seems to me that this is a topic worth discussing, since basically this question is at the basis of several important threads in recent weeks, not least of them the "Da King is married with children" thang.
Clearly, within the TM movement there are many pondering this same question by projecting them it onto their "king." A few will stop at a very quick, On The Program answer to the question -- "Your spiritual path, of course! You do what It calls you to do." -- and ponder no further. More discerning seekers might have been pondering what *they* would have done in a similar scenario. Which is a near-Hamletean quandary: "Whether t'is nobler to swim against the tide of the Holy Dogma, or go with the flow?" Especially when you consider that much of that Holy Dogma, for over 40 years, has consisted of convincing everyone that the spiritual path is the "highest path," and ALWAYS comes first. Some exposed to that Holy Dogma for much of that 40 years might even react to me bringing up theis question *as* a question as if I had uttered heresy. "*Of course* it's 'Your spiritual path, of course!'" How can you even *challenge* that? Well, I'm challenging it. Seems to me -- low-vibe slime non-TMer that I am -- that in a contest between having a relationship with another real, live sentient being and having a relationship with an idea of some- thing called "God" or "The Absolute" or "enlightenment," the real-life relationship should win every time. Then again, I'm a fan of that great wartime quote, "If I am ever asked to betray either my friend or my country, I should hope I have the guts to betray my country." Same thing, IMO. In one case, you're talking about your relationship with a real, live human being winning, and in the other, you're talk- ing about your relationship with an idea or belief system winning. How MANY stories we must have here on FFL, among those who paid their dues in the TMO and/or other spiritual movements, of this question coming into play, and couples or families having to deal with it. The decision to have kids rather than not. The decision to go with that lump in your pants that yearns for Suzie Creamcheese over there, or to go with that lump in your heart that tells you that being celibate is Way Better. The decision to spend money on the Next Big TM Course or your children's clothing. The decision to live in one town as opposed to another. The decision whether to continue to pay lip service to a belief system you no longer believe in but your spouse/lover/friend/brother/sister does? This is a very HUMAN question. And IMO in all too many cases it's not dealt with *as* a human question. It's dealt with by invoking the Holy Dogma as if it were a manual on How To Play Poker. In poker there are "trump cards," and the trumps always...uh...trump. They win. Throw down two royal flushes, and the one in spades always trumps the one in hearts. In the Holy Dogma, "spades" is following the path of God. Or enlightenment. Whatever. Spades automatically "win." God automatically "wins." "Hearts" is following the path of the ...uh...heart. It loses. Millions of human beings have so *bought into* the Holy Dogma that they do not even challenge the rules of the poker game that is their life. Me, I like challenging those rules. If The Truth That We Shall Never Know About King Tony turns out that he went for his heart instead of going for God, he gets a big high-five from me for having done so. But then I don't know shit, so there you jolly well are, aren't you?
