Step One Hundred and Eighty-Eight


Step 188. My Life In This World Is More Important Than I Had Realized Before.
Is this a grandiose idea? No, it is not. Does this idea betray your need for humility? No, it does not. You are here for a greater purpose than you have imagined, for your imagination does not contain the meaning of your purpose in life. In life there is only purpose and all the things that are substitutes for this purpose, which are born of fearful imagination. You are here to live a greater life than you have yet realized, and this greatness is what you carry within you. It may be expressed in the simplest of lifestyles and in the simplest of activities. Activities are great because of the essence that they convey, not because of the stimulation that they may arouse in other people.

Understand this distinction very carefully, and you will begin to learn to discern greatness from smallness and to learn how smallness can serve greatness. This will integrate every aspect of yourself, for part of you is great and part of you is small. Your personal mind and your physical body are small and are meant to serve the greatness of Knowledge. This integrates you. This is what integrates life as well. There is no inequality here, for everything is working together to serve a greater purpose, which you have come to serve.

In your longer practice periods today, engage your mind actively in attempting to understand these things. Your understanding will be born of your investigation, not merely of ideas that you find self-comforting or personally agreeable. Use your mind to investigate. With eyes closed, think on these things. Concentrate very carefully, and when your concentration comes to an end, release all ideas and enter into stillness and silence. Thus, the mind is purposefully engaged, and then it is brought into stillness. These are the two functions of the mind, which you will be practicing today.
Remind yourself of your practice upon the hour and utilize this day for your development, which is your gift to the world.

Practice 188: Two 30-minute practice periods. Hourly practice.


Here you will find the entire book free for download http://stepstoknowledge.com/

 Here you will find pointers for getting started if this is your first encounter with this practice: Taking the Steps to Knowledge.

August 30, 2013 Round One: At this point in my practice of Steps I am willing to accept that my life in this world is more important than I have realized before without analyzing and probing into the whys and wherefores. I have also come to an understanding of humility that does not contradict this idea. To me, humility is not feeling like an unworthy, lowly scumbag, but accepting myself as a person who, despite my limitations, can transcend them to receive greatness. I like something I read about humility—“only when we are aware of our self-worth can we be humble. We are humbled when we ask ourselves ‘I have been given the potential for greatness - have I used this gift?’”

To me this resonates with what this Step is calling for - learning to discern greatness from smallness and learning how smallness can serve greatness.

I am small, but I can serve greatness, I can serve the Greater Community, if only I allow myself.
February 6, 2015 Round Two: I can’t really beat what I wrote the first time. This is the way it is. I continue to appreciate the concept of humility. Humility is not thinking less of myself (meaning having lowly thoughts about my worth) but thinking less about myself (getting out of myself) and thinking more of others. When I think of my life as serving others, of course it is more important than I had realized before. I am small, but I can make a contribution, if I am willing to serve, and that small contribution adds to the whole, which is great.

 January 6, 2019 Round Three: This feels redundant this time, as though I have fully understood the teaching here and do not need to be reminded again. Not very humble, huh!? I am just a bit out of sorts today. Out of balance, not really happy to be alone, not feeling the peace and content I usually feel when I have my solitude. Some days it's like that.

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