Bond, Jamie Bond. ;)

I find so interesting the rush of strength, drive, ambition, will, even fearlessness I feel after an intense cinematic experience. Whether it chooses mentality or physique, I become more than myself. Invincible. Capable. Certain. And that’s just a James Bond flick. Invigorating as it is, I understand the unreality of it. A plot (false intrigue, romance, situation), SFX, and stimulating soundtracks compel me to race home, hitting curves like my Acura is a Lotus, to accomplish great things. Things like laundry, pushups, and bills. The undesirable made desirable by a character’s victory over what is, for them, objectionable to a perilous degree. Is this the hero I become in my imagination, my virtual perfection? Am I the strikingly beautiful, quick-witted damsel who saves the day clad in some wispy frock, barely veiling her well-maintained curves, kicking ass and arresting the heart of her dashing fellow? You bet.

The first question I pose is how to bottle this motivation. It’s so effective. I’m toeing the verge of articulating a Jerry Mcguire-esque mission statement. So in addition to this, because why not write it out if the inspiration presents itself, right? I want to explore the impression such a movie leaves with me-heroism, conquistador spirit, patient deliberation, reality of emotion vs the unreality of pretenses, and motivation.

Reality of emotion vs unreality of pretenses:

A story’s mark is not unlike a ghost’s fingerprint, completely untraceable materially, but all too emotionally present. It’s an experience not easily forgotten if the impact is deep. Stimulation of any sort can dip lengthily into the soul’s well, drawing memories and hopes, dreams and desires. Even the subconscious is unprotected from this stimulation when the conscious mind is left open to its twists and turns, ups and downs. Our physical selves, whatever we’ve grown ourselves to be, are taken on a no-holds-bar ride through unfamiliar, or disappointingly familiar, landscapes and churn up something in our stomachs our will might not intend.

When it is silent in the house and we are awake to the noise of thoughts, the walls creak and the pipes ping with no apparent reason. This we don’t care for much; we think there’s always got to be some ulterior action to this reaction, when mostly it’s only matter behaving how matter behaves. Even the molecules of a solid move.

I say this to suggest this idea: If the unrealities (movies and house noises) we don’t understand and do not expect affect us as reality, then what differentiates falsehoods from truth? We can believe a lie for a great length and act nothing to the contrary, accepting it as truth. Is it then truth? An action that corresponds to its initiating principle is directing motivated by and based up that principle, so yes, it is truth to us. Whatever we do, how we act, is based upon what we, in that moment, agree is truth. If we believe at a moment that a certain idea is false, we act on the truth of deceit.

This is what makes relying on the reality of the Spirit difficult. With years and histories of acting on self-defined truths, it’s hardly unfathomable to see our lapses from others-focused, Love-motivated, eternally-perspective action to that of our selfish logic and rationales. It’s an unfortunate consequence of our long slumber in unreality that we must unlearn. We are lazy, however; too lazy to find that true rest comes from waking to reality and living with eyes open to the kingdom. Sometimes we doze off again, caught up in a disillusion that sleeping is better than waking; ignorance is bliss. Once we’ve awakened to truth, evading the dreamland is a constant pursuit-we do this by embracing the kingdom way of living, following the Spirit’s guidance and encouraging each other to release the mindset that lures and captures us in enchanted slumber, where self is number one, where others only oppose number one and can be used to promote it, and where battles for this podium actually exist. Can you see the cycle? It’s a carousel you can only identify when you’re off your high horse and away from the ride.

What is truth to you then? What is reality to you then when you aren’t trapped by the moment, but freed by perspective?

A movie provides me false motivation. Not that I don’t enjoy it, because I do. It conjures fairly powerful emotions and ideas, and that’s well and good for the moment. And this is why we look at reality negatively. When our fabricated feelings are gone, we realize they’re temporary and provide us no lasting effect or consistent strength. Empowerment slips through our fingers and our bodies feel weak again, souls wanting of another vision or mission, anything that will carry us through the next decision or inspire us to the next action. And we wonder why we’re hooked on anything. We know full well why.

But truth is this: I have consistent motivation, because I’m not living by the whims of my self but the whim of the Spirit, awakened to real life, which is eternal and unbound by anything that contradicts Love. When I realize—not understand, but make real by succumbing mentally and physically to truth-that nothing in reality is accomplished by self, meaning nothing that is accomplished in reality is evil or bad or any similar contradiction to goodness, I cannot be unmotivated. Everything I’m doing is by the Spirit and cannot be anything but universally beneficial. There’s no option, no decision to deliberate, no despondence or fear or uncertainty to mull, no possible consequence to affect the details of my action. Self must decrease for Christ to increase. Selfishness must recede for Love to exceed. And in truth, the truth that we fall away from in our habitual slumber, Christ is full and Love is full. Self has no place. For us to see life this way, we must abandon our solitary bedchambers. The dreamland must be quit for reality to be lived consciously today. Deliberately walking in my true identity (Christ-Love-Ecclesia) is the way, the truth, and the life. I could not discover the far reaches of reality without first awakening to the life of Christ inside me and with it I’m accomplished-fully satisfied so as to require nothing else of selfish pursuits. Otherwise, I’m tossing in unreality, disillusioned, asleep to truth- just Chelsie Harris in need of another Bond flick to spur her onward.

more to follow.