I have been writing a lot lately about Enlightened States of Consciousness

When I was young I decided that the goal of this lifetime was to become enlightened and that I could help both myself and mankind more by becoming enlightened than any other single thing I could do. I decided this around age 15 to 17 years of age. So, my goal was less about having a fancy career than becoming enlightened and a more helpful person (Maybe like a Minister or Priest or Counselor) in some ways. 

I looked around me as a young person and saw suffering everywhere and wanted to lessen the suffering of the people around me.

So, as I thought about this more I realized that becoming enlightened in whatever ways that I could would be the most helpful to me and to all others I met along the way.

So, a Career was never really the most important thing to me. I thought sort of like "The Buddha" in that if I spent my time becoming enlightened somehow that the world would be a better place for it.

I still believe this even today when I'm 76 years old this month. 

Everything you can do to help yourself and mankind makes being a human being a better experience for all you meet.

Suffering is what all mankind have in common. We all suffer with many of the same issues. We suffer at birth because we cannot speak the local language yet so often our needs are not met. We all suffer with death and dying (whether it is our death or the deaths of those we love).

For example, at almost 76 I first watched all my grandparents die one by one, then I watched my aunts and uncles die one by one, then I watched my parents die my father in 1985 and my mother in 2008. Then I started to watch my cousins (mostly older than me) die one by one starting around 2000 AD.

So, we all suffer with many of the same things and because of this we can identify with each other and not feel so alone in our lives as we help each other through all these deaths of loved ones along the way.

It is never easy to lose someone you love. But, it is possible to survive their passing and to become somewhat a different person after they pass away.

I watched this happen to my mother when my father passed away after 39 years of marriage to her when he was 69 and she was I think 66. She lived until she was 90 but she was never the same person I knew growing up. She reverted to the 18 to 27 year old she had been when she worked to support her mother and her from age 18 to 27. This is how she moved forward. She had to go back to what she knew before my father came into her life to survive to 90. So, for me, it was like losing both my parents at the same time which I found difficult. But, luckily I had my wife and children and friends at the time and they all helped me through all this.

Enlightenment is important because without it many don't survive to old age where they can benefit others with their wisdom and knowledge about life.

By God's Grace