To the people of Royal Way

A radiance of light and a few words . . .

A friend has asked: “I want to live my life in Royal Way but my father is vehemently against it. His two main objections are as follows: First, he wants me to be involved in the world, involved with the family, be there for whoever needs me, etc., etc. ‘We owe it to each other.’ My father asks: ‘If we all joined Royal Way, where will all of us end up? Where will our daily bread come from? Etc., etc.’ Second, he says, ‘God wants us to use our talents that we received from him in his honor. Each one of us must obey God’s commandments. God expects us to work six days a week, but on the seventh day we must rest and worship our God. Etc., etc.’

“Please, would you help me respond to him?”

Dear friend, first, it is important for you to realize that your father is a caring, loving father who wants what he thinks is best for you, and he needs to be honored for that. Then we look at the issue at hand. He presents two problems. One: “If we all joined Royal Way, who will fend for us and where will our daily bread come from?”

Well, he is absolutely right. Not everyone should be in Royal Way. Nor should everyone be a businessman. Not everyone should be a farmer. Not everyone should be a poet, a musician, a politician, etc., etc. The world needs many different elements in order to complete itself, even as the earth needs different expressions in order to fulfill itself. Imagine if the earth were covered only with oceans and rivers, or covered only with deserts, or covered only with jungles and forests. Where would we be?

Similarly, if the earth were filled only with elephants, or filled only with tigers, or filled only with dogs, or filled only with mosquitoes, etc., etc.—or only filled with oak trees, or only filled with orchids—what a dull and boring world it would be. There are hundreds of thousands of different species and plants, etc., etc., and nobody tries to force anyone else to be a copy of themselves. Everyone allows everyone else to be who they are.

Your father, I suspect, does not live the exact same life that his father lived. Yet he wants you to live the same life that he lives. This is so common that it makes it statistically normal. Almost every father wants his children to live the same life that he lives.

There is a powerful dynamic behind this desire for one’s children to follow in one’s footsteps. It is the ubiquitous yearning for immortality. Those who can, do so by building monuments to themselves, or by creating art or poetry, or by conquering a city. Alexander did it by conquering the whole world. People will do anything and everything to achieve a touch of immortality. The only thing left for most people is to have children and have them follow their way of life—in other words, creating carbon copies of themselves, and thus continuing to live through them.

This is what has been happening all over the world, century after century. This is why the world is no different today than it was a hundred years ago. The same strife, the same greed, the same violence, the same madness, etc., etc.

A parent who is conscious and aware will not only allow, but will encourage his children to follow their own star. Each person is unique and wishes to express himself or herself in his/her own way and pursue his/her specific goals. This is how we achieve the ultimate potential of the human race.

Your father’s second objection is: “God wants us to use our talents that we received from him in his honor. Each one of us must obey God’s command. God wants us to work six days a week, but on the seventh day we must rest and worship him.”

What can I say without offending many, many people? I can only say the truth as I see it—and as everyone else would see it, if only they looked with open eyes. The truth is that nobody knows what God wants. Simply because nobody I know and nobody you know is talking to God. We only know what the priests tell us God wants. The priests of every religion are telling us what God wants.

Everyone agrees that there is only one God, and yet there exist so many religions. If there is only one God, how can there be more than one religion? There are hundreds of religions, and each religion insists that it knows what God wants. They even kill each other because only they know what God really wants. Nobody else knows what God wants. The truth is, nobody knows what God wants.

Bottom line is: As long as they don’t hurt anyone, everyone should be allowed to follow his/her own path.

So far, I have not really responded to your request. And that is because you need to take responsibility for your own life. What I can tell you is: First and last, you must honor your father for his loving wishes for you. This you owe him. Then seriously examine your life and its purpose. Do not allow self-deception to tilt you in any one direction. Follow that which is best for your true self.

May divine intellect guide your search.


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