Waiting for the Messiah

One of the constant themes in many religions is some form of messiah or saviour figure. In fact over 75% of the world’s population[1], aligns to a religion that carries some version of a saviour, prophet, avatar, Buddha or bringer of light and truth.

For The Way of The Livingness, a new religion based on ancient teachings, the views on other worldly figures arriving to save us, or fellow humans imbued with special powers, is somewhat different.

To understand this, let’s begin in school. In school there are many classes and many students, each of whom are attracted to different fields or pursuits. There are those who thrive academically, those who are more socially oriented, those that are artistic and so on. While our time in school tends to rank and place value of one over the other, once we become adults, we realise that all carry equal but different value to the world. In essence all are needed, if we truly want to experience the diversity that is on offer.

Some of those that are particularly good at a subject may even become teachers themselves. Again this doesn’t make them better or special, but respects that they have done extra work and developed a deeper understanding of their chosen subject.

However, no teacher can sit your exams for you, as much as they would like to support, assist or prompt; a good teacher knows that if they do too much for the student, the student doesn’t actually learn and is put at a disadvantage in the long term.

As in school, so in life. In life there are people who have studied life, studied themselves to a degree that they live in a way that others might find inspirational and seek their counsel, guidance and advice.

This is as close to the ‘messiah thinking’ that the The Way of The Livingness gets.

But what would The Way of The Livingness uphold as the most important things to learn?

To understand life at the energetic level. That every action or even thought comes with and from an energy first.

• To live with a level of love and care towards oneself and others

• To discern what it means to be truly loving and that there are no half way measures

• To live with a sense of responsibility for our actions.

This means, any true teacher would need to demonstrate that they understand themselves and the world, NOT from how clever they are, but from how they live day to day.

It means any true teacher, would not be looking to save you, absolve your sins or vanquish your enemies, but rather show you how you are the central player in your life and the responsibility you hold.

The exams we face in the school of life can only be passed by those sitting them. So any teacher’s goal is that you arrive at a point that you might likewise be a teacher yourself one day.

If you consider it, there is something irresponsible about promoting the concept of a ‘chosen one’ or messiah that will do the work for you. How many people spend their lives waiting for salvation and in doing so, absolve themselves of their own responsibility in their own lives? If we accept that we are waiting on a messiah to fix the world, then in that moment we have said that we are not capable of fixing the problem ourselves. If we are told and accept we can’t fix it, then what happens to our personal sense of responsibility?

Much like a muscle that has been held in a cast, personal responsibility is a confronting and at times painful will to exercise. Any true teacher knows this, is respectful of this, but at no point backs down from the need to exercise what has been left to atrophy over lifetimes.

However, there is one litmus test of any true teacher and it is not their accumulated knowledge, it is not their eloquence or ability to work with others. The true test of a teacher of any discipline, including life, is their sustained enthusiasm for what else they have to learn. If life is a school, they remain forever open to learning, regardless of where that learning comes from. Unbounded by separating people into those with and without degrees, they meet people with an equality that speaks beyond knowledge.

There are few people in life, that live all of this 24 hours a day, but there is little doubt that Serge Benhayon, founder of The Way of The Livingness, is one such teacher, someone who is dedicated to personal responsibility, integrity, and making sure there are no half measures in our understanding of what it means for true love to be lived. He brings an ageless and inspirational level of enthusiasm to what he is learning about life.

He is not a messiah but indeed a master teacher. One might even call him a World Teacher; those that truly know him already do, others will have to rely on the history books for confirmation.