At the beginning
It's the way we think that decides and promotes the kind of life we live, and not the other way around. Even if our training has its own enormous weight in the way we think, it's not the life we live that decides the way we think. It's not the kind of life we live that decides our way of thinking, but it's the way we think that generates our lifestyle. And for sure the social system in which we are absorbed, which promotes competition, success and ambition, wouldn't last for long if it wasn't also fed by our thoughts of competion and ambition. These thoughts of competition in us and around us decide our lifestyle and all the wounds and injustice that then make us suffer. This way of thinking is so much used to cope with reality that it's become strongly rooted and crystallized in people's mind, so much that it's considered, taught and spread as a totally normal psychic process, innocent and therefore, in its essence, without any possible alternative. When the spirit conceives and realizes that it wants to give up this way of thinking because it realizes that it's dangerous and enhances sufference, the decision to dive in God and let His Word and His will, instead of our thoughts, precede us, is an amazing one, but it needs some preparatory steps. Not knowing, and therefore not practicing these steps, not knowing the procedure, erases and makes not effective the decision to change. Having someone walked crooked for many years, with his muscles tense, even if he understood how to loosen up and improve his walking, he'll have to put in places changes gradually and follow appropiate processes and training.
After years and years of mental crystalization, after having practiced for a long time the strategy of competion thoughts, converting oneself, changing thoughts is amazing, but it's like having to learn to live all over again, it's like having to start from scratch again. Time, preparation, practice, new strategies and trainings are necessary. Without carefully following this procedure it's very easy that even the most beautiful and radical conversion will end up in a new competition with something or someone. This second deception is even worse that the first one. Good will, effort, decision, strain are perfectly useless without method and wisdom. A lumberjack woudn't be able to cut down a thirty meters tree using a scarf, not even in a lifetime, no matter how much streght, good will and effort he's using. Method and wisdom are essential to improve our life. Sowing wheat in a field by digging a huge hole, throwing in a bag of seed, a barrel of water and a cart of manure and then covering it all up, even with all the effort, enthusiasm and strain on earth, wouldn't make the wheat grow, it would be totally useless. Method and wisdom make life possible in any circumstance. Method and wisdom are the procedure. If in ourselves the decision to not let poisonous and dark thoughts precede us is strong, if in ourselves the choice to dive in God and make our emotions and actions be preceded by His Word and His will is clear, then the initial process of conversion has to carefully follow the procedures so clearly explained in John the Submerger words.
Three categories of people approached John the Submerger: common people, tax collectors and soldiers. The question was the same: what should we do to change mentality, to convert ourselves, to make our actions be preceded by God and not by our mortal thoughts? The answer is a most enlightened one and an example of method and wisdom. To the common people he answered: whoever has two cloacks should share with the person who has none. and whoever has food should do likewise. Sharing. Sharing wellbeing and wealth is the first step the Submerger taught. Sharing is the feeling that pushes to realize support and solidariety for the poors. Etimologically the latin word for sharing means to put together the vision, the way of seeing and knowing. Practically sharing is the inner vision that realizes the expansion of wellbeing, of wealth, sharing is loving the fact that we can put together every wealth and wellbeing we have to make possible for everyone to be rich in good and beautiful things. Men cannot live without enjoying and living beautiful and good things.
God has got every wealth, he's filled with beauty and goodness, God is the source of every good and peace and he shared with men his vision of life, every wellbeing, grace and beauty. Sharing of goods begins necessarily first of all from sharing, a sharing of new wishes and thoughts, not subdued anymore to the poison that poisons the life of common people: possession of things and people. It is by learning to stay away from possession's thoughts that we can manage to truly dive into the sharing wishes of God. Believing in God and looking for conversion and spiritual evolution without following with love and joy the way of sharing is totally useless and also deceptive.
To the tax collectors the Submerger answered: stop collecting more than what is prescribed. For sure it is not an invitation to social lazyness, or to institutionalized indolence, but it is rather an indication to properly accomplish their task, to do at best of their capacities the task assigned them without minding other people businesses. This is the second step of the procedure: never use your role or power to interfere in someone else's life. Practically it's a clear invitation to not use our own mind to modify someone else's life, to not use our will power on something outside ourselves. Our willpower has to and can be better dedicated only to do at best and realize more fully the tasks assigned to us. The world will change if everyone started to just accomplish their own tasks in a beautiful, happy and professional way.
This second indication is most precious because it eliminates in a second the destructive monster of competition, and also it shuts up in a second opinions, forums, chats and lies of every kind.
To the soldiers he said: do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone and be satisfied with your wages.
The third step is non-violence. The Submerger indicates to soldiers to not use violence to subdue and threat their own brothers in the name of the powerful who need to protect their economical interests; to not put the power of their weapons at the service of unjust courts established by the powerfuls against people.
The beginning of conversion then, of any conversion, of any proper diving into God is - unbelievable to say- not drastically changing anything in our own responsabilities, work, tasks and committments given us, but to change radically the way we accomplish them.
These three pillars are necessary to honor the power and the grace of a life that changes: sharing wealth, doing at best our tasks, not using force to legalize injustice.
Before any exterior or social change, a deep and radical change in the heart is necessary, which is only recognizable by the realization of the above mentioned three pillars. Intense religions, the highest spiritual philosophies, moral sequelae, conversions that do not bring to the realization of this procedure are useless and fake and, in the most absolute way they have nothing to do with the Absolute.
When mind and spirit's conversions means too clearly escaping responsabilities and quickly changing behaviours, that's not real immersion in God, but a new challenge and a mind's competition, even with goodest faith. Only deeply changing the way we feel within we can change the way we do things and, in time, make things change.
When the immersion in God, that take the breath away from lethal thoughts, really happens on the wings of the Holy Paraclete, in the thoughts that precede actions and emotions we will not find any trace of competition, envy, trouble, challenge with anything or anybody.
When the immersion in God really takes the breath away from dark thoughts, the rebirth is evident and beautiful only through the realization of the three fundamental pillars of the true renewal of heart and spirit: sharing, doing at best our tasks, non violence.