Perennialists

Discovered something pretty amazing this morning, thanks Eileen! Philosophically I hail partially from the branch of something immense and wonderful. It is the God-in-action part of a firm belief system that allows for a more Perennial life. Thank you ~Alexander Green~ for writing, in part:

"Perennialists believe you should learn – and pass along to your children and students – those things that are of everlasting importance to all people everywhere. What are those things? Humanity's best ideas about how to live.

"Some will insist, of course, that we've hit a snag right out of the gate. After all, the world is full of divergent views. People simply don't agree on these matters. But perennialists counter that enlightened people everywhere agree on certain core principles. These are handed down from generation to generation, through the ages, and across nations and cultures.

"It's a broad discussion about what constitutes the best life, one that encompasses everything from the Analects of Confucius to Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics – the sound, practical and undogmatic ethics of common sense – to the mystical truths of the world's great religious traditions.

"Perennialists live truisms like humanity is one great family; life is about character and following the Golden Rule; problems are disguised opportunities to grow; humility, social responsibility and forgiveness heal us along with others; ego and judgment sabatoge happiness; expressing gratitude and generosity improves our lives which is essentially a process of becoming; and integrity is everything.

"Perennialists are interested in the nuggets of truth at the heart of every great tradition. They seek enlightenment wherever they can find it. It doesn't matter whether the source is ancient, modern, mythical, foreign, mystical or verified by the latest scientific findings. It only matters that it's true - and that it has some practical application for more skillful living.

"What is that higher plane? An upward spiral of caring – from me to us to all of us. Perennialists try to absorb as much as they can of our three-thousand-year heritage and take an occasional moment from their hectic lives to ask, "Am I becoming the kind of person I want to be? "