The Context of Human Existence

“Life liberty and the pursuit of happiness,”  so reads the words that express the premise of the United States Constitution. These words penned by the originators of the Constitution express a humanly derived concept of what they believed was an unalienable right granted by the creator.

Certainly external freedom is far better than totalitarianism, but this notion ( or premise) is however a somewhat misleading concept.  From the standpoint that the possibility to ultimately possess happiness and sustain it in this human existence as a goal, is truly not a spiritual reality.  The cyclical nature of this present existence is such that in this shadow world, in which we find ourselves prisoners,  and yet hopefully awakening, there are seasons of change where the constancy of happiness is only at best temporary. Just as the sun rises each day, and as it moves across the sky and the shadows it casts change in form,  so does the degree of human emotion exist in a constant state of flux or change.  

To seek happiness as a goal or standard is to set oneself up for grave disappointment and a vexation of spirit.  We must accept certain realities if we are to successfully navigate through our present context of existence. For most the idea of happiness or attaining to happiness is a subconscious polemic calculation. 

What I mean by that, is due to the fact that we, even subconsciously, are hard wired to linear thought progression,  we calculate that happiness can be achieved by the elimination of suffering.  Check this out. 

The man who was chosen to pen one half of the New Testament was the apostle Paul.  If his life is to be considered as a measuring instrument for happiness then we are way off in how to understand the meaning of happiness. 

Paul, or Saul of Tarsus, was a man of enormous intelligence.  He was well advanced in Judaism in his day.  Nevertheless, he was so enraged at many of his country men who were departing the traditions of the Hebraic religion that he pursed them throwing many  into prison.  In fact his persecution was so great that some were even put to death with his approval. 

It came to pass on one occasion while on his way to Damascus that he was intercepted by a blinding light, so bright he lost his physical vision for three days. 

The light was the light of God who identified Himself as Jesus.  Consequently Saul, turned away from his religious tradition and embraced Christ. He converted.  After this episode his physical life became a sea of turmoil.  He went to Jerusalem after fifteen years of living alone and the rewiring his thought processes.  And there was able to confer with other followers of Christ where he discovered that through His immersion into the Soundtron/Holy Spirit he (without human agency to assist his learning) was in almost perfect alignment with the other followers of Christ.    

Nevertheless, his life took a remarkable turn.  In Jerusalem he was mobbed by an unruly crowd and nearly murdered.  Others waited in ambush to kill him, as he was being deported.  When he just narrowly escaped, he was put into jail for three years. After which he was sent to Rome where it was determined that he would  appear in the courts of Caesar.  He then boarded a ship and set sail for Rome.  On the way his ship was caught in an enormous storm for two weeks.

All hands on the ship were so distraught they wanted to die.  The ship upon nearing land broke up and all aboard went into the sea swimming for their lives, including Paul.  After they had made it to shore Paul made a fire on the beach, but he built the fire over the hole of a poisonous snake and the snake came out of the fire and bit him.

Now most of us would say,  not only is this guy not a happy camper neither has he entered into the happiness of a blessed life.  He must be either the most unlucky person in the world, or he is certainly cursed by God.

The point is that true happiness is not the elimination of difficulty, such as politically unstable or totalitarian governments, and the entry of peaceful eternal circumstances,  but serving God and understanding that it is through much difficulty (even suffering) that we enter the Kingdom of God.  The goal of our lives should be to follow Christ and not seek nor be in “the pursuit of happiness.” “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and thereafter all things shall be added unto you.” So then the “context of human existence” is that we live in a world of chaos and uncertainty and the feelings of happiness come and go like the seasons of the year, but it is here in this “cauldron” where we are challenged to transcend this shadow world, with our inbred linear mind circuits, and put on the circuitous mind of Christ.  The context of human existence is the womb in which we are given the opportunity to be formed into the image of Christ.   Nevertheless, if we do not understand that the shadow world is in direct conflict with the call to transcending we will continually yield to the shadows of this present life, always mistakenly setting as a goal and focus the changing of our circumstances,  first.

When we walk in faith, as did Paul, we will have a violent contradiction which produces suffering. “For this light momentary affliction works for us a far more exceeding weight of gloryas we look not at the things which are seen,  but the things that are un-seen, for the things that are seen are passing away, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”  I Cor. 4:16-18 

The Kingdom of Heaven is Within     

Ken Klein