Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Isn't It All Just Preference?

In some ways spirituality is a form of entertainment. Yes, spirituality can be a serious subject, and sometimes it is good to take a lighter look at it.

Think about it. Those of you who prefer reading Neale Donald Walsch's books like his style and his story. Those who like reading Marianne Williamson like her style and her story. Those who like Tolle like his style and his story. Those who like the books and talks of any other popular author/speaker, it's just a preference.

So when you buy books by Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra, Julia Cameron or Louise Hay or anyone else, you pay some of your money to read their books or listen to their recordings. It's just a personal choice. No one has to listen to any of them. We just choose to. And we have chosen differently many times over the years.

That's why people whose books sold well and were much talked about 10, 15 or 20 years ago have given way to others. Some, like Ram Dass have had a long lasting influence. Brian Weiss has had a lasting influence. So has Dannion Brinkley. What was the impact of Shirley MacLaine or Marlo Morgan? James Redfield, Dan Millman or Bernie Siegel? Richard Bach, Leo Buscaglia, Shakti Gawain or Margo Anand? Gabrielle Roth, Dalai Lama or Caroline Myss, Abraham/Hicks?

The income of the whole bunch of them together wouldn't be a drop in the bucket compared to the collections taken up each week by organized churches.

And those represent choices in taste and style too. Whether you choose the local church or a guru from India to get advice and insights from, it is simply a preference for style.
Popular author/speakers only get money from you when you buy something from them. Churches, on the other hand, ask you to tithe 10% of your income. But isn't following the teachings of one author/speaker or another, then changing, the same as moving from one church to another because you like the style of the minister or the feeling of the facility?

Don't we all just choose teachers we enjoy listening to? Don't we all choose not only the message but the messenger we feel comfortable with? And why not? Doesn't it make sense?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Yes, it is all about who we connect with personally. I enjoy most of the people you mentioned and have audio programs from a few and I enjoy listening to specific people like Wayne Dyer, Marianne Williamson and Michael Bernard Beckwith.

Spiritual growth is personal so it makes sense that each person makes a personal connection with someone