THE DOWNSIDES OF ENLIGHTENMENT

It has always fascinated me how
The same people who worshiped the ground that Jesus walked on
Turned
And crucified him.
Where were those he healed?
Where were those he enlightened?
Where did they all get to after Palm Sunday?
Did they go into hiding?
What happened between Monday morning and Thursday night?
How come they suddenly stocked up on stones and spittle?
To hurl at their "saviour"?

I have found in this respect that...
Victims want to make someone else responsible for  their expectations.
Think of your best friend
And know this.....
If you ever violate that person's expectations of you,
Watch your arse!
An enlightened person is no more immune from the duality of others than everyone else.
An enlightened person knows, however,
That he/she evokes both peacefulness and aggression
In those who draw near,
And is not surprised by it when it happenes.
An enlightened person knows that when an unaware perception changes,
The person responsible might turn feral in the blink of an eye,
At least covertly.
An enlightened person knows and accepts the risks
And puts him/her self out there anyway.

Most of us, like the Three "Wise" Monkeys,
Play it safe;
We keep our cards close to the chest.
We try not to rock the boat,
We try not to upset people,
We try not to make waves --
A lot of "trying-not" that gags our grandeur.
And stifles our Truth.

An enlightened person cannot hide his light.
He puts it, and his realised Self out there.

To the extent that we are open and receptive to new possibility,
We generally feel good about themselves
In the presence of an enlightened one.
And...
To the extent that we resist Openness and Surrender
We feel inwardly uncomfortable, deeply threatened,
And maybe even covertly or overtly hostile
To someone who tweaks our lariat.
We're trying to protect something
That we think we'll die without.
What could that be?
I wonder.

Enlightenment is an affront to the ego.
(And ego can smell danger to itself a mile off!)
Ego will put up a good show --
It will go along to get along with the crowd,
It will publicly applaud and affirm,
It will wave palm fronds and sing Hosannahs,
It will give effusive Agreement,
(But zero Acceptance)
Until nightfall.
Then it will crucify
The carrier
Of the Message it feels threatened by.

I know this about ego
Because I have one.
But it doesn't have me,
Except sometimes.
How about you?