The other night
I had an unusual, but revealing dream which, now that I reflect on
it, seems part dream and part reality. In the dream I was learning
to fly in the air similar to the way that a swimmer swims in the water.
It all seemed so natural-there I was flying, moving my arms
with a simple breast stroke.
I remember how it started-I was in a back yard. The wind was
blowing gently and there was the sensation that I could go into the
air. I tried it and actually ascended. It was a little awkward at
first but it became easier every time I tried. Soon I began to be
more sure about clearing the utility lines and the treetops.
I flew only when it seemed to be the natural thing to do. Just flying
from time to time didnt change my life or my habitsuntil
one day, I was standing on a street corner waiting behind several
people. Rather than wait, I just soared over their heads and started
flying across the street. When I chanced to look down at their faces,
I saw looks of horror. It made me suddenly aware of what the ordinary
persons reaction would be to my flying. Also, at that instant
a car underneath me stopped with a lurch and was hit by the car behind.
The drivers were looking up in the air, shocked. All I could do was
to continue my effortless soaring over the buildings that were across
the street and then kept high enough to be out of sight of people.
After that experience, I was uneasy. Things would not be the same
after that; the incident would surely be reported by the horrified
people. Here was this man performing the most supernatural of acts.
How was it possible? How could he do it? What did it mean? It caused
me to reflect on many things. I knew then that I now had a potential
that could have a profound effect on other people. I could go around
the world reforming people and starting a new religion. But that would
mean sacrificing my whole life to this cause. Once started, I could
never return to my normal life. And would it really change people,
or would they just be interested in watching me fly rather than listening
to what I said?
Furthermore, what was there to be said? Why was I even thinking about
some connection between flying and other peoples lives? I thought
back on all my flying experienceswhat was there in the air that
I was reaching for and propelling myself with? There were certainly
some kind of invisible waves; when I was feeling them I was also intensely
aware of the presence of other people. I was sure that in a region
where there were no people it would no longer feel natural to fly.
Nor would it feel natural to fly in an area where there were only
hostile people.
The outstanding fact about flying and about the warm exhilaration
that came from it was that flying put me in touch with all the shared
feelings that flow from person to person. I gradually began to realize
that flying was made possible by the power from all these bonds that
flow through the air. In a crowded friendly community these bonds
were so strong and I felt so much a part of the people about me that
flying was easy.
There was a simple answer. I was making use of the bonds that exist
among people. And I was sensitive to them. When I became better at
flying it was because I was becoming more sensitive to the bonds.
The bonds existing among people are formed by the thoughts of goodness
that are inherent and that flow from one person to another. Yes, in
fact, I was flying by use of Goodness Bonds!
When flying I could also achieve a complete knowledge of Goodness
Bonds. It must be true that the person with the most Goodness Bonds
will be the happiest of all. It cant be otherwise. The more
Goodness Bonds flowing from you and backthe happier you must
be. You dont have to guess about this. Happiness is a state
of being that is most directly influenced by your relations with other
people. And it follows that it is better to have a good relationship
than a bad one. A good relationship is also better than no relationship
at all. I can see a direct connection between all this and Goodness
Bonds. That is all I need to know and why I must fly.
After my dream ended and I was fully back to reality, I saw Athena,
my mythical daughter. She first said: Will you teach me to fly?
I replied: I tell you in all openness that I would not know where
to start in giving a flying lesson. It is a capability I don't know
how to pass along. If I could pass it along I wouldnt be happy
to do so. I am still disturbed about the horrified reaction from the
people as I flew over their heads making use of their own Goodness
Bonds. If I could just get them to realize that, flying or not, there
has to be such a thing as Goodness Bonds between people and that taken
all together these add up to the Total Goodness (or the God) that
exists in the world.
Flying has convinced me that just as surely as the earth is filled
up with soil and water so is the air filled with Goodness Bonds. Now
that I have accepted that intellectually, I can go ahead and use the
bonds concept to make my choices.
Goodness Bonds come from people and they go one to another; and I
am sure you could extend it to all creatures who think or have thought;
and not necessarily limit it to those still living. That much is settled-about
where bonds come from-but what we must think about is the character
of these bonds, particularly the intensity and the duration.
These are the two characteristics to maximize.
As a starter, I cant imagine a very strong Goodness Bond to
exist between strangers. So, knowing a person is the first
step for establishing a Goodness Bond. Knowing a person is a mental
phenomenon. The more intellect that you have the more you can know
someone; and the more intellect they have, the more they can reciprocate
and the stronger the bond that you can share. There are two parts
to the intellectthe reasoning part which makes strong
bonds; and the memory part which makes long enduring bonds.
So study, study, study to train your intellect so you can have the
strongest bonds. It suggests that you must become as educated as possible
and at the same time know as many people as possiblebut this
suggests that a bond with one person is just as good as a bond with
another person.
I started out by saying I wanted to maximize my total bond strength.
And this does suggest that all bonds are equal. Sixty bonds with one
person would be the same as thirty bonds each with two persons. But
I also said that bonds are realized through intellect. This means
that as you share deeper into the intellect there is a multiplication
effect on the bonds. If the conditions of knowing a person are favorable
and you already have 30 bonds between you then the second 30 would
be easier than getting the original 30 with some new person. And as
you get more and more understanding and share deeper and deeper love,
the total bond potential with one person expands more.
Probably the real reason for the strength of the mother-child bond
is the total time spent together. But even this type of bond doesnt
exist to its fullest until the child develops reason.
Another example of a fundamental source of Goodness Bonds may be from
physical pleasures. But these pleasures only form Goodness Bonds insofar
as they can become intellectual pleasuresthe mutual contemplation
of past pleasures and especially the anticipation of future physical
pleasures with the same person. The last sunset would not be a pleasure
if it were not for the memories that follow. The last meeting is not
death. Death is a beautiful lesson showing how to hold past bonds
in memory and cherish others in that fashion.
Goodness Bonds can be analyzed and compared for different situations.
I can see how this information would be helpful in everyday life.
The final postulation of my dream is that we live our lives in terms
of Goodness Bonds!