From: William Stoertz
Reply to: , not please.
Date: Friday, July 29th, 1999 - 155 days until the millennium change.
HAPPINESS!
Did someone say the purpose of life is happiness?
Isn't that something we all know but almost always forget?
Well, recently I haven't been getting that many revelations,
but last night in prayer I got a little brief one:
"The purpose of life is happiness, you silly, you're
supposed to know that!"
Why did that happen, that I got that revelation this time?
Well, in our office, at lunch, our senior elder, Rev. Hyun
Shil Kang, asked me with a smile, "Well, William, have you
gotten any revelations recently?"
I returned a smile, sheepishly, and said, "Well, as a matter
of fact, I did, just last night: God said to me, 'The purpose
of life is happiness.' I know we're all supposed to know
that, but I had sort of forgotten."
The elders had a quick little chatter back and forth,
explaining to each other in Korean what I had just said,
and then everybody started to laugh heartily.
So my "boss", who's an Englishman, rather my comrade in this
sense, nudged me and said, "Well, looks like you made
everyone happy!"
Actually, the first person who had ever met me on the street,
in Germany, at a time when I had been very depressed and
heavy, and wondering for several years what was my purpose
of life, had asked me just this question.
He had said, "What is the purpose of your life?"
And I was surprised that this total stranger knew exactly
what had been on my mind, and I immediately snapped back,
"The purpose of my life is to contribute to the benefit
of mankind through science and technology."
And he looked at me rather sad and bewildered, and said,
"The purpose of life is happiness."
I was jolted -- "Happiness"? I had forgotten about that.
What is that? Something childish. Something I had given
up on a long time ago, and I thought was no longer
possible, or just meaningless.
This quaint question and answer brought me back to my
senses. I rediscovered my long-lost original self.
Shall I go on to say what happened? I went at this person's
invitation to their center, and later came out, and I was
transformed. I was filled with elation.
Somehow the old ancestors, Germans, had been looking for
the same thing I had found, and I had gone back to their
old country, and found it there, of all places. They, like
me, had committed themselves to a stern, dire quest for
some Truth or Good, but had lost the Joy in the midst of
their austerity. That had happened to me too.
That time now, coming out of the Church center, which
I had visited for the very first time, I felt uplifted, and
the whole city (Munich) was also transformed. I went
somewhere I never went before, to the Bierstube -- the big
famous beer hall, and got a half-liter.
After years of self-imposed austerity and sobriety, the
effect was psychedelic! The streets shone with orange
light in the afternoon sun. The river was jumping up and
dancing at flood stage! Everything burst into life. What
with a year of dull grey and heavy spiritual clouds over
everything.... it all lifted on that day!
So now, 24 years later, I have been continuously going
on this way; now I have a lovely Japanese wife who is
full of mystery and challenge for an intellectual and
orderly person like me... a little baby girl who has
already subjugated me at the age of three... and a
belt-full of world traveling experiences.
Now we live in Moscow, another city, in a different
realm, with another legacy of historical overtones to
swim through.
Recently, we conducted such a ceremony, called "Seven
Generations Ancestor Liberation." A mouthful? You said
it! Seven generations, if you count everyone, is 254
people. It takes a lifetime to get to know one! Well,
when all 254 come to you eager for restoration, then
it's like a big dumptruck came, and.... you said it!
The struggles for ancestor liberation are, well, like,
each of their struggles (pains, moods, resentment,
jealousy, depression, anger, passion...) comes to you.
Not all at once, but one by one, day by day. And so
many different struggles come to you!
But, then, in such a case, you must not do the WRONG
thing (like, if you feel depressed, jumping out the
window; or if you feel angry, punching the person;
or if you feel lustful, well, going out...)
Then step by step you can restore the problems, and
restore your ancestors.
Then they can be educated, take a guided tour of
Heaven and Hell, and see what they did wrong, and
make amends, and by and by, lo and behold, come out
to be Good Ancestors!
So, having forgotten about all these things, and I
was just praying by myself, feeling no particular
inspiration, and suddenly, I remembered that initial
experience of mine, and that wonderful realization:
"The purpose of life is happiness!"
Love, William Stoertz
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