It would have been less embarrassing for the congressman if his personal flaws had been discovered privately by sincere introspection, but regardless, Anthony Weiner has clearly been given another chance by God to start a new trajectory in his life.
One of the most potent tools in God’s toolbox for salvation is misfortune and exposure. God will interfere with our best worldly plans or bring a character flaw out into the sunlight if it will help our eternal happiness.
Many New Age thinkers believe that human society is headed for greater, even expanded cosmic consciousness. In fact, this higher consciousness is being directed towards us from benign evolutionary forces. Scientist/theologian, Emanuel Swedenborg would probably point out that such a view, while basically true, could be misleading.
Why?
The general idea of increased consciousness is that it is something that will be “added” onto our current cognitive abilities and, thus, expand them. But what is overlooked and even more important to obtaining a truly expanded awareness of the universe is the seeking of an expanded awareness of our inner, spiritual realities.
Swedenborg claimed that uncovering the baggage in our personal character is the main reason for increasing one’s consciousness. Since most people tend to hide these unflattering influences from the world, God is often forced to have these negative features exposed in other ways. Sometimes making these character flaws public is the only remaining means left for an individual to get a grasp on his or herself.
But sometimes even this is not enough if the individual is bent on putting himself or herself first and burning with the hatred of revenge. (According to Swedenborg nothing angers spirits in hell more than having the evil qualities of their hearts exposed by angelic light.)
Increased consciousness does not lead to wisdom unless it includes the exaltation of conscience. The heart and mind must both be elevated! And this cannot happen without our willingness to dig up the dirt in our own lives and review our intentions. New love and consciousness flow in to the degree that we identify and resist harmful thoughts, feelings and principles as spiritual evils (and against God’s divine order).
In the famous words of Walt Kelly’s comic strip Pogo, “We have met the enemy and he is us!”
