Many Fingers, One Moon

Reverend Patrick once pointed out that religions are like fingers all pointing to the moon, the problem is that some people get more wrapped up in which finger they follow than what the finger is pointing at. . . the moon.

I receive daily quotes in my e-mail from a church in Red Deer and this morning's quote is a beautiful example of the aforementioned occurrence.

When the compulsive striving away from the Now ceases, the joy of Being flows into everything you do. The moment your attention turns to the Now, you feel a presence, a stillness, a peace. You no longer depend on the future for fulfillment and satisfaction—you don’t look to it for salvation. Therefore, you are not attached to the results. Neither failure nor success has the power to change your inner state of Being. You have found the life underneath your life situation.

Eckhart Tolle in The Power of Now, p. 69

That is this morning's quote and quite clearly the author is referring to the achievement of a state of flow or a peak experience. Though they're not using the same words as Maslow it's quite clear that the meaning is the same as the traits described above also describe quite clearly a peak experience or flow state.

I find this interesting because a number of people that I've talked to have trouble understanding how I can pursue my self-improvement both through a dedicated spiritual means and through a coldly rational means at the same time as they seem to feel that the two awarenesses are mutually exclusive. I find however that they're very complimentary when brought together properly. You have to realize that Maslow talking about self actualization is a man talking about how you can be the best "You" you can be, last time I checked that's what Rev. Patrick talks about every Sunday. Even the tools provided in each area overlap tremendously, in the church we learn about affirmative prayer and affirmations, when I took my sports psychology it was called positive self talk. Again, the details differ but the big picture is the same from both areas and it's the big picture that I'm trying to focus on.

After all it's the moon that's important here, not which pointing finger you follow in order to find it.