2000-10-10. Understanding
Nashville #95
Topic: Understanding
Group: Nashville TeaM
Teacher: Ham
TR: Rebecca
Opening
Ham: Greetings, my children, my friends. I am Ham and I am glad that you have all come this evening. Tonight, our lesson shall revolve around understanding, that is what understanding is.
Lesson
Understanding
True understanding involves three levels of mindal and morontial interaction. The first level is purely mindal, which involves the knowing of facts. Facts exist separately and are comprehended on a purely mindal level. When facts are associated by mind, then you have progressed to the level of meaning. Meaning exists only with duality and with the mental association of two or more facts. You may grasp a meaning without truly understanding it. When you come into the level of understanding, there is a value component associated with meaning so that you are engaging the higher morontia level of being with the mental or mindal level.
For example, there is a tree is a fact. There is a tree planted in the front yard. That has two facts interrelated and thus there is a meaning in that association, the tree in the yard. But understanding goes further when there is a value associated with it. The tree in the front yard provides shade, the tree in the front yard was planted 20 years ago. All of this meaning plus value creates an understanding. I hope this is becoming clearer.
When we speak of understanding, we speak of engaging the whole self in comprehension and when you engage the whole self, there is immediately a level of love or appreciation or a higher level of comprehension than just a simple meaning. When you begin to understand your fellows, you have to understand their level of comprehension. What level of value are they witnessing the world through? Do they understand that love is the essence of all things or are they afraid of something inside themselves or outside themselves. Fear immediately pulls down the level of understanding. Fear brings a higher value content of awareness down to a lower value content.
The Father is at the highest level of love comprehension, he sees all things at their absolutely highest value level. As you grow in the spirit towards him, you also begin to comprehend the world through increasing value levels of love. When you do this, you can look higher at your fellows than they see you. You see their value, their intrinsic value, because you understand their relationship with the Father and its ultimate meaning.
They may see you only in terms of your immediate impact upon them or your impact on something else without comprehending the higher value system that is involved in all things. What we have here is simply levels of maturity, levels of growth. It is hard not to pass judgment on your fellows who exist in lower levels of understanding than you do. You want to figure out their motivation and understand them on your terms and though this is natural you must also remember that there is always a higher level of understanding
No one completely understands another in the way the Father does for he sees all the internal pressures and their resultant motives, things that another person cannot see and can only glimpse from time to time. So tolerance is born out of relinquishing your powers of judgment as you begin to realize that you are not capable of this, that only the Father in his infinity is capable of knowing everything about another. Even the Master himself passed the prerogative of judgment on to higher beings who exist even closer to the Father than he.
Understanding is truly completed when you have reached the level of love. The more you understand another person, the more you love them. Love is not truly realized without this understanding. The understanding of another is never complete, as we have said, but the closer you come to understanding, the more love there is.
People hate and are prejudiced against that which they do not understand. For any understanding immediately begins to take down those barriers and to fill that emptiness with love.
Are there any questions at this time.
Personal Counsel
Q: Ham, Carry asked if she can have a message.
Ham: Dear girl, you are feeling like you are running on a wheel not going anywhere, like the harder you try the less progress you make. But this is your perception and you are actually finding your feet are quite well planted on the ground and your inner understanding of yourself is growing. Fear not, for you are learning the lessons you need for the future.
Q: Ham do you have any counsel for me tonight?
Ham: Of course, son, you do well. You are also finding a place to stand in the world. Without shouting “I am here”, you are feeling comfortable where you are. You are finding the beginnings of peace and are learning to still your mind and to receive guidance. This is very good, you do well my son.
Q: It seems that I have been trying to find this inner happiness and I seem to look for this happiness in someone else. It’s not working, what should I do, I can’t seem to find happiness on my own.
Happiness, Expectations
Ham: Happiness is not found in isolation. Happiness is found in sharing and serving. But, there is always a tendency to focus one’s expectations and to place undue burdens on others which sometimes they cannot fulfill.
Q: When you say burdens, what do yo mean?
Ham: Meaning you expect that person to fulfill and make up for everything in your life which is still needy. For example, everyone needs compassion and understanding, but to require a certain person to give you compassion and understanding in all circumstances is unrealistic. That person is not spiritually advanced enough, or inclined perhaps to be everything that you are looking for so you are placing a burden without really knowing it. Rather than accepting what is as it is, you want more than is possible for that person to give you. This is the cause of many heartbreak and much unhappiness in your world. Rather than requiring so much, be instead receptive to the gifts that people can give and learn to understand the difference in being happy with a gift and being disappointed it wasn’t more.
Economics, Motive
Q: For Derrick in Japan. Towards the end of the UB there was a discussion of materialism and our economy. Toward the end there was a discussion of evolution towards a more service oriented system. I can’t seem to understand how an economic system motivated towards service would work.
Ham: I would first say that the profit motive will probably underlie your economic system for a long, long time and provide the motor that would run economics on this world for a long, long time. The shift that was discussed is a gradual change in mental attitude. When one decides to dedicate one’s life to service, one does not remove oneself from the necessity for making a living, but one’s motive has changed. The primary motive then is not to simply make money, but to serve others and to make a living in doing so. As your world’s standard of living increases, human beings come to an end as far a being satisfied with material possessions.
, higher motives can begin to supplant the struggle for existence, for a standard of living for comfort has been achieved and then higher motives can begin to enter in. Probably, even today, most people want their lives to be about more than material acquirement. People naturally want to help others and this higher motivation gradually supplants the older, purely materialistic motive. As far as your basic economic system of trade and money and all those things, that still has to continue and still can without having greed be the main motive pushing it.
Q: A friend of Marija’s named Brian would like a message.
Ham: Certainly, my son, you are experiencing a time when your world view is greatly expanding, when you are learning a lot about yourself and the goodness within your nature. This is a time when you look within and say that you are fairly happy with what you see. Find a balance between this being happy and being unhappy with who you perceive yourself to be. Begin to find a more pure acceptance. Even as you grant acceptance to others, grant acceptance to yourself.
Q: A message for Nikki?
Ham: Certainly, my dear, you are finding a modicum of peace within that you have searched for for a long time now. The world seems to open and close for you, there are great ups and downs in your life and yet you are also finding a way to balance and to feel somewhat secure in this overall insecurity. Keep looking within and establish firmly that security. You do well.
Q: Esmirleda?
Ham: My dear, you do well. You are finding little by little increasing peace and tranquility. Think back to even a year or two ago and realize how far you have come. Continue your stillness for that has been a great blessing.
Q: Elena?
Ham: Daughter, you do well. You are beginning to realize that life is much more open than you had thought. Continue to expand this openness and continue to open your heart to love and to peace.
Q: Rebecca?
Ham: Daughter, you do well. You are finding a way to settle into yourself, to find comfort in this sanctuary of tranquility. Fear not the future, for you are well taken care of in all things.
Q: Jarad?
Ham: Jarad, you do well. You are breaking down the last inner barriers that had separated you from your self. Barriers that you had thought were protection, but which were denial of true self instead. You are finding that you can be loving with yourself and understanding with yourself and still have an even better grasp on all your powers. Continue to grow in true humility and in love and understanding of yourself. Be at peace, for you do well.
Q: Elise?
Ham: Daughter, you will find that there is strength in weakness, that there is steadiness and purpose in letting go. Be tolerant with yourself and loving. Find true strength and be at peace.
Q: Ham do you have anything for me this week?
Ham: Of course. Daughter, you do well. You are coming into a greater awareness and understanding of yourself. This time is one of great spiritual growth. A time when you are coming to recognize and appreciate the guiding hand that gives you so much. This is a new beginning for you. See it as such, for you do well.
Q: Ham, do you have a message for me tonight please?
Ham: Certainly. Son, you do well. You have experienced some buffeting around from the winds of fate, so to speak, the usual adversities that afflict all people. Remember that all these lessons are just that, lessons. The strong people are made that way through going through much trials and tribulations, much times of uncertainty. If you are not made strong by these things, you would be blown over by the first big gust when things were at a more critical level. So, rejoice in the lessons of life. Allow them to strengthen you.
Progress
Q: Ham, I don’t feel as though I am making any progress at all. I wonder if you could give me a message tonight and help me get back on the right path again.
Ham: Certainly, you cannot know when you are making progress and when you are not. The times that you think you are making the least progress are often times of greatest gain. Remember that it is your spirit, your soul, that is the most important thing to the Father. So long as that soul is growing, many other things can go by the wayside. It is easy to forget that each of you has a long, eternal career in which you will serve in many capacities throughout eternity and sometimes the small things, the smaller careers, the smaller things even concerning health and things like that can be used to help train you for this greater life.
The Father always sacrifices the smaller for that which is greater. Your soul is growing and you are making progress even though you don’t see it. Don’t worry, for your life is serving his greater purpose even now and you have such tremendous potential and so much to give to those around you. I know that you get discouraged, but you must begin to learn to see yourself as God sees you, one who is full of goodness, one who cherishes love and the higher things in life. Gradually, you are growing in wisdom and will be an inspiration to many. That is assured. Is this helping?
Q: Yes, thank you.
Q: Ham, I just wanted to thank you for the alcohol tip, because I believe it is working. I was wondering if you had any insight for me this week?
Ham: Certainly. My son, you do well. You are also being strengthened for the long climb ahead. You have much before you which will become apparent soon and this time is one of preparation for that which you will do in the future. Continue to be open to your own potential, your own expanding path. Don’t limit yourself, but continue to welcome new understandings about yourself. You do very well.
Q: Ham do you have feedback for me this week?
Ham: Of course. Son, you do well. You are going through a period of growth as well which has left you a little unsettled and yet you are also feeling exhilarated by the challenges ahead. Your life is one very much motivated by service. Continue to deepen that motivation, to understand and appreciate it. You do very well.
Closing
Are there any further questions? Very well then, my love an my prayers are with you each this day and throughout the week. Farewell.
