The
Wheel Within the Wheel
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Life
Is As A Wheel . . .
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Eastern
Mind Set
Goal of Life: Impersonal Nothing
Becoming One With the
Invisible Everything |
Western
Mind Set
Goal of Life: Enhancement of self
Personal Satisfaction to
the Ultimate Degree |
Judeo-Christian
Mind Set
Goal of Life: Glory of God
Encountering the Glory of God
in the Connections of Life
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Examples of the Judeo-Christian Mind Set |
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The Struggles of Life
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Since
a distinct spoke of the wheel can only find meaningful existence
within the whole, how one comes to see himself is directly related
to the hub, the other spokes, and the rim of the wheel. In other
words, the individual person has meaning only within the
relationships of others. Or, as Jesus said, when he was asked what
was the greatest commandment, |
"Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy
soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great
commandment. And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself" (Matt. 22:37-40). All of the laws of the
Old Testament are fulfilled in the concept of love in the New
Testament. The law of life is fulfilled in the interaction of the
"spokes," the "love" of life.
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Within
the context of Jesus' statement which is the basis for "Life
as a Wheel," there are three things that can be said about an
individual. 1) At any given moment of time, he acts and reacts
according to the interplay of the "spokes." 2) The way
he presently acts and reacts is governed by the sum total of his
past interaction between the "spokes." 3) The way he
presently acts and reacts will influences all future interaction
between the "spokes."
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The
Basic Needs of Man
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Again,
since an individual is an interdependent, distinct person that can
only be defined within both the particular and the whole, the
essence of what one is on the inside is the result of
everything the individual has experienced and how he/she
has reacted to those experiences. From the interplay of those
two statements comes the essence of how one feels about himself at
any given point of time. From birth to the presence, each
individual (spoke) has struggled to "find his place"
within life (wheel). The struggle has always centered around acceptance,
affection, and approval. These three psychological
needs form the basis of how one comes to perceive his
distinctiveness, his view of himself, within the whole.
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Acceptance
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The Need Within the
"Wheel"
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To feel one
belongs to a good family: cherished, enjoyed, and
recognized;
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To feel welcomed,
invited, an insider of a church, club, team, or social club;
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To have a place with
relatives, friends, peers, neighbors, and associates.
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Often the Experience Within the
"Wheel"
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"My family
didn't understand me or affirmed me;"
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"I was put
down, my faults magnified, and compared with others;"
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"I was labeled
homely, stupid, clumsy, fatty, or bad;"
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"I've always
been left out, the kid nobody chose."
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The Reactions of the
"Spoke"
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"Something is
wrong with me;"
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"I'm not as
important as others, cannot qualify;"
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"I'm a
disappointment, a misfit, no good;"
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"I'm doomed to
a life of rejection, misunderstanding;"
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"It's a
hopeless situation;"
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"Sometimes I
wish I was dead!"
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Affection
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The Need Within the
"Wheel"
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To know love:
the warmth and affection of others, not because of what I
do or don't do, but
because of who I am;
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To feel I am
loved, wanted, needed without having to trade anything for
it, prove anything to
win it;
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To feel I am
good, I count, I am appreciated as a person of worth and
value.
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Often the Experience Within the
"Wheel"
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"All the
love I've seen has been conditional with a price tag -- a
reward, a duty, a trade, or
a manipulation;"
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"I saw
little love expressed openly by my parents to each other,
to me -- I was seldom held,
cuddled, or given attention;"
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"My parents
did not give me themselves, or their time, but only
things;"
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"I assume
God is like my Father -- busy, inflexible, unpredictable,
and distant."
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The Reaction of the
"Spoke"
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"I have felt
deprived by my parents and God;"
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"I am lonely,
afraid of close relationships;"
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"To gain
attention, recognition, appreciation I've labored, given,
schemed, conformed, competed, and catered;
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"If I were
really loved, for myself, I wouldn't have to pretend."
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Approval
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The Need Within the
"Wheel"
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To be recognized
and approved for my abilities and performances;
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To feel
competent -- that I can do things well, that I am
adequate.
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Often the Experiences Within the
"Wheel"
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"My parents
were short on praise and long on criticism;"
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"I could
never satisfy their expectations -- I was always
wrong;"
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"I did not
feel free to express myself, not taken seriously, did not
feel special."
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The Reaction of the
"Spoke"
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"I demand
superior performance from myself and others;"
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"But, I am
often secretly hurt by other's criticisms;"
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"All my
hard work is not really appreciated;"
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"I find
myself competing, comparing, and magnifying others
deficiencies -- still trying to
prove myself."
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Click
Here for the Answer to the Struggles of Life
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