Response on nafs from a friend

My friend had some interesting things to say about the nafs. Here are three of the nafs that my friend commented on:

To make oneself depressed
To be indiscriminately happy
Not to believe in destiny or to talk about destiny

My friend wrote:

With few exceptions it sounds like this list of nafs was compiled by someone who has been following me around for a long time taking notes. I believe this is going to be highly useful both for me personally and as a general guide in a communal setting.

Most of the long list of nafs seem obvious to me, even tho it helps to have them put in words.

To “make” oneself depressed, that is a huge concept, and probably the key to dealing with depression. Maybe the concept itself isn’t so huge as the current mindset of depression as something that overwhelms one from the outside is a huge concept to overcome. I expect that one to be extremely useful to me personally.

And related to that, I find it amusing that being indiscriminately happy is considered a defect of character. It is probably as good a definition of “the American dream” as any. I find people who seem perpetually happy highly irritating. But it is also a drain to be around perpetually unhappy people.

A lot of work there for me to do. Many thanks for sending this.

Naturally, I want to comment!

I do not make light of depression, yet it sure seems like such a novel and freeing idea to think that everyone is responsible for his state at every moment. Of course, this is not a new idea. It is an old one, and I, too, will find it useful:

I am responsible for myself.
I am responsible for my feeling sad.
I am responsible for my anger.
I am responsible for how I feel about myself.
I am responsible for my order or disorder.
I am responsible for all the tricks my computer plays on me.
I am responsible.

Nothing is out of my hands. I am responsible.

As for being indiscriminately happy, what comes to my mind is Nero fiddling while Rome burned. It’s not really happiness.

I know a few people who won’t be serious no matter what. I have been there. I have been so silly that everything is a joke. Maybe, at these times, we’re just not being true to ourselves. Maybe we don’t want to face things. Maybe we’re laughing instead of crying.

And, yes, what is this about not believing in destiny or not talking about destiny? This, indeed, could be a topic for a whole book. What does destiny mean? Is it the same as fortune?

Is this the debate between destiny or free will?

Of course, God’s Will is our destiny. God is our destiny.

I do feel that all of us who are reading Heavenletters are destined to be reading Heavenletters. What else can it be? How else did we get here from all over the world? And yet we are also responsible. We made a choice.

And yet I can’t say that all of us who are reading this blog entry right now are destined to be here. There is a substantial difference between Heavenletters and this blog.

I guess the nafs give us much food for thought, and I sure like food!

Posted by Gloria on January 15th, 2010 under these topics
Personal Development, computers, Heaven Letters, Godwriting Journal

Add your comment

Top

Post Discussion

5 Replies

Reply from Jochen on January 15, 2010

“With few exceptions it sounds like this list of nafs was compiled by someone who has been following me around for a long time taking notes.”

This ist very funny, almost true, but not quite. People compiling lists of nafs have been following themselves, of course. We can only recognize in another what we have first encountered in ourselves. (And yes, from then on we prefer following others, taking notes.)

“I do not make light of depression, yet it sure seems like such a novel and freeing idea to think that everyone is responsible for his state at every moment.”

Well, someone suffering from depression of the chronic and nasty variety would dispute that being responsible is a freeing idea, even if they agree that it’s probably correct. They would experience it als almost cruel. As if, screaming in a roller coaster of the more unnerving kind, you were being told: “Well, YOU decided to get on! Now steer the thing!” I’m speaking of myself, of course. Coming from there, you fall to your knees when someone finally, finally says something workable:

“To withstand ego’s demands, all you have to do is to look at Me.” (Sutra #594)

And destiny. Yes, I remember a Heaveletter which says that God’s will is our destiny. It is our destiny in that it is our own will from the beginning. We only need to remember.

Reply from emilia on January 15, 2010

“Nothing is out of my hands”,you say, Gloria and I am not sure.
I am more inclined to think that nothing is in my hands because I am in the hands of my ego.
Saying “I” am responsable means giving the responsability and the power to the ego, while it has only to be neglected. Saying “I” am responsable for my depression means that my ego has determined it and my ego will save me. We expect something from our ego and in the meanwhile we nurture our future savior. I can be ill for greater reasons than those determined by my ego.
I, my ego, have no responsability because I do not exist and thus there is nothing I can do.
My soul has no responsability as well because it follows her destiny, which is its destination to God, according to a plan already established and already played too.
I think we have only to be aware of what is and trying to do the least.

Reply from emilia on January 15, 2010

To be more clear ( just try ) I shall say that ego exists in illusion, but it will never change, his colour is red and will not become green. It simply plays its part and cannot be responsable for what it is.
Then who is the responsable one when I say I am responsable?
I hope it does make some sense, although I now have an headache!

Reply from Gloria on January 16, 2010

Jochen and Emilia, you are both perfect just as you are.

Emilia, no headaches, please.

Reply from Jack van Raders on January 16, 2010

If I count my blessings every morning and be thankful for all I have got, there is no reason to be unhappy, depressed, or whatever. I am only grateful which makes me happy. I cannot see any problem with that. Can anyone? Love you ALL. Jack

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI