Switching From Mutually Exclusive Theologies to Mutually Inclusive Values

I wanted to share something from an email conversation with you, because I think it reflects some very important things that I believe are on the minds of a lot of people these days. Below are quotes from an email I received:

“I have so much to learn it is overwhelming........and even more overwhelming is how much I need to unlearn . . . One day at a time is hard for me because in 10 years I will be 85 and then another ten I'll be 95 . . . Anyway, I am willing to put in the time to learn because I know I am stuck in a place teeming with wrong theology and I want to be rid of all the delusions, lies, and half-lies . . .”

This is my reply:

“I know where you are coming from on the reality that most of my life is behind me. But I also live with the fact that I can only live in the present moment, i.e., one day at a time. As I get older, the law of supply and demand kicks in -- with fewer days ahead each one becomes more valuable. The question for me is how can I best invest each day in something that reflects that value?

In order to answer it requires an understanding of my values -- what are my highest values. At the point in life when my awareness of the value of my time is the highest, the desire to invest it in what I value the most is the greatest. To do that I have to know what my highest values are. 

Ultimately for me I had to work my way through the process of identifying the key memes of my reality, two of which were cornerstones of my theology -- "God" and "Jesus". The TOV Center process switched my focus from "proving who or what they are (theology)" to "what did they value the most." My conclusion, based on the Hebrew and Greek texts available to me (and my team), is their highest values are identical: TOV, MISHPAT & TZEDAQAH. All three place human life as the highest value and top priority. However, understanding what those words mean requires more than a simple dictionary definition . . . For me the bottom line is switching for living in a reality based on mutually exclusive theologies to one based on mutually beneficial values.”

We created the TOV Center to help people learn about this process so they will be able to apply it to their realities and make their lives safer, happier, healthier and more inclusive by creating and maintaining values-based relationships. For more information about it visit our website at – http://tovcenter.org . Please feel free to share this with others who may benefit from it.

Shalom,

Jim Myers