Hi, this is Brian.
Welcome back to another Areté +1°, another micro-chapter. 451 ideas, any one of which I hope can help you change your life. In aggregate, I hope, will help you activate your Heroic potential.
If you haven't gotten Areté yet, get on that. Hope you enjoy it.
Here's the idea…
WHO SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH
WAS IT THE “MEEK” OR THE “DISCIPLINED”/“TAMED"?
Once upon a time, an extraordinary teacher gave a little Sermon on the Mount.
Among other things, we are told that he told us: “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.”
But, alas, what did Jesus REALLY mean when he said that?
It’s kinda tough to know for sure given the fact that Jesus spoke Aramaic and the Gospels were written in Greek long after he was gone but get this…
The Greek word that was used in that passage is praeis.
According to the great spiritual teacher Eric Butterworth (who was, among other things, Maya Angelou’s spiritual mentor), the word praeis didn’t mean “meek” per se. It translates more closely to “tamed.”
He tells us to think of Niagara Falls.
Niagara Falls has always produced an ENORMOUS amount of potential energy. But, it wasn’t until recently that it was “tamed” such that all the latent energy falling all day every day was captured and channeled such that it could light up a good chunk of the Eastern seaboard.
Butterworth tells us that Jesus was telling us that WE have a ton of latent potential power.
And… Very importantly, he was telling us that we need to “tame” ourselves such that we can be a powerful vessel for that limitless divine energy.
Here’s how Butterworth puts it in Discover the Power Within You: “When Jesus says ‘Blessed are the meek,’ He doesn’t mean a surrender to people but to God. The best conductor of electricity is the substance that is least resistant to the flow of the electric current. Likewise, the best conductor of divine power is the person who is nonresistant to the flow of divine power. This attitude comes from a conviction that God is always the answer to human needs, and a willingness to submit wholeheartedly to the flow of the Spirit in and through us.”
Steve Chandler shares yet another slight tweak on the translation of praeis.
He tells us it means something closer to “disciplined.”
Enter: “Blessed are the tamed and disciplined: for they shall inherit the earth.”
Here’s to the wisdom and discipline and love and courage that leads to your inheritance, Hero.
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