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     “There is no real happiness for those on the wrong side. The greatest pleasure in life is the security of the true side. You can vainly try to win over the world or you can nicely be over the world. Your task is to change your operating center from strained imagination to relaxed reality.”

Points to Ponder by Richard Wooldridge

Richard Wooldridge     Richard has been the director of New Life since 1993. He started attending classes in 1975 and moved to Boulder City, Nevada from Dallas, Texas in 1977.
He worked closely with Vernon Howard and others in the running of New Life.
He actually lived at the building in Boulder City where he had many responsibilities. Vernon Howard was very tough on him in order to give him the greatest opportunity for discovering something higher. He is very grateful for the guidance he was given even though it was very difficult at times. The false self is not going to give up easily and it takes many years of hard work to begin to understand the deeper meanings of these teachings. But it’s all worth it for the pearl of great price.

  • From 2023 Spring Newsletter

         It is essential that we see how incredibly important these teachings are. I was recently sitting in our class in Pagosa Springs and was reflecting on how nice it was to be there. It was uplifting and there was a right atmosphere and energy that was noticeable. We were learning and being reminded of our higher purpose here on earth. The class was above the chaos and madness going on in this country and across the planet and the constant bickering and fighting we see amongst human beings. We were in a truly safe place.
         One of the students in our class saw something and made an excellent point. The whole purpose of what society is doing is to make us feel bad and to feel guilty about something even though we had nothing to do with its occurrence. In Live Above this Crazy World, Vernon Howard states, “Man’s plans cannot cure human ills because his schemes are the very cause of social chaos.” So nothing that human beings do on an earthly level will make things better. Only what happens spiritually with an individual can affect real change.
         We must begin to see things as they are and to stop living in a fantasy world. I was eating breakfast recently in a local eatery and the owner had to waitress because one of the people who was supposed to be there didn’t show up for work. And of course, the place got very busy and she wasn’t happy about the situation. She was doing her best to get caught up and take care of all the customers. I had to wait longer than usual to place my order, but I decided to stay and to watch myself to see if impatience or something else negative would rear its ugly head.
         The owner didn’t have the benefit of this work to help her. She didn’t realize that she need not suffer or be angry about the waitress missing her shift. Life is constantly throwing curve balls at us but we don’t have to allow them to fluster us. With the help of these truth principles, we can start to handle things differently. Yes, there will be “so-called” difficult situations that come up, but we don’t have to make them a problem. “Over and over we must remind ourselves that the problem is not out there, but in here.” (From Live Above This Crazy World)
         We must ask ourselves, “Am I free of all torment?” “Do I still suffer in any way whatsoever?” “Am I liberated from all problems?” “Do stories in the news still upset me?” “Can other people set me off?” “Is there irritation or annoyance when something doesn’t go the way I think it should?”
         If we answer yes to any or all these questions, then there’s work that needs to be done. This is all good news because it shows there is a bit of self-honesty there, which is a necessary ingredient on the road to self-awakening. If you follow any kind of sports, you’ll frequently see that when players run into difficulty or are struggling as a competitor, they are reminded either by a coach or maybe even by themselves to return to the basics or fundamentals. It should be the same with the spiritual journey.     Truth constantly reminds us that only the present moment exists. “Problems cannot be escaped by running to there and tomorrow, for there is never anything but here and now.” (From The Power of Esoterics)
         Another morning, I was at a restaurant and waiting for my food when I was given the opportunity to observe a group of four young men who were discussing the Bible and what Christ taught. They were very engrossed in conversation. They all spoke with false assuredness, conviction and dogmatism. They had no awareness about themselves whatsoever. They spoke as if they personally knew Christ and could speak for him. They were explaining to each other that this is what Christ meant. They were knowers.
         There is perception and understanding but it doesn’t come from memory. It comes from inside of you, not from something you read in a book or an interpretation of what you read. It’s a direct perception or the seeing of something from yourself. You can read a description about what a peach tastes like but until you actually taste the peach yourself you don’t know what a peach tastes like.
         Perfect proof that the young men didn’t know what they were talking about was when one of them asked the owner of the restaurant if they were being too loud. One of them had said something which caused an outburst of laughter by all four of them simultaneously and the volume of noise in the restaurant went up perceptively. If someone is aware he would know if they were being too loud or not. He would also know how others in the room were reacting.
         Those who unconsciously believe they know more than the teacher or more than someone who genuinely has more insight, insist that they are the ones who understand and see more. The greater the insecurity or self-deception the less someone actually knows. The less there is of you and the more egotism and negativity we see through in ourselves and voluntarily give up, the more we’ll be given insights from the higher. God is not fooled.
         It is imperative to begin to see what we’re like underneath the mask, the facade. The dictionary defines facade as a false appearance that makes someone or something seem more pleasant or better than they really are. Beneath the facade of most human beings is a tremendous amount of hostility. “God does not want you to think people are nice. He wants you to see thru human evil.” (From Live Above This Crazy World) “Your exploration of human society reveals many surprises … Gone are all your dangerous delusions that people are basically nice and will express love if just given a chance.” (From Live Above This Crazy World)
         In their self-absorbed sleep state, people always cause problems for other people. The other day Lynne, Judith and I went shopping at a grocery store in Durango. When we exited the store and started to load our groceries into our vehicle, a woman in a van drove up and parked in a spot fairly close to the entrance of the store. There really wasn’t enough room for her to park where she did, as I noticed that she had parked so close to the car on her passenger side, there was no room for that person to be able to get into their car. So I pointed out the problem to her, not in an angry or scolding way, but to save the person in the blocked car some trouble. I could tell she wasn’t very happy about what I said. She replied, “I’m within the lines.” I did not reply to her, but she reluctantly got back in the van and re-parked. But there still wasn’t enough room for the person on her passenger side to be able to enter their vehicle.
         There weren’t that many customers at 10 AM and you could see there were at least 50 other empty parking spots that hadn’t been taken and many with no vehicles on either side of the spaces. She could have easily moved to one of those but would have had to walk a little further. I did not say anything more to her, as it would have done no good and I couldn’t explain to her in a million years all the things she was doing that were wrong. If I had pointed out that she was irritated and self-absorbed, what do you think her reaction would have been?
         She was completely in her own world inside herself. She was very hostile, was in a hurry and her mind told her that it was necessary for her to have the parking spot closer to the entrance of the store. I would guess she was in her early 30’s. It wouldn’t have hurt her to have had to walk a little further.
         This in one tiny little incident that occurred, and it explains what’s wrong with us, with her, with Colorado, with the U. S., with Europe, with Russia and with almost every person on this planet. This is not an exaggeration. This incident provides a microcosm of what people are actually like inwardly and how that nature translates itself into outward behavior. No wonder we are in the shape and place we are, and the planet as a whole is in the disastrous shape that it is.
         We cannot change the world and we cannot change other people, but we can do something about our own negative reactions. I need to work on myself and to forget about everyone else. Vernon gave a talk once which helps explain many things. It’s entitled “Why You Should Not Help Other People.” It would remove a tremendous weight from all of us if we fully understood what Vernon was talking about. I cannot do another person’s work for them, and no one else can do my work for me. Personal effort is really the only solution.

  • From 2022 Fall Newsletter
  • From 2022 Spring Newsletter
  • From 2021 Fall Newsletter
  • From 2021 Spring Newsletter
  • From 2020 Fall Newsletter
  • From 2020 Spring Newsletter
  • From 2019 Fall Newsletter
  • From 2019 Spring Newsletter
  • From 2018 Fall Newsletter
  • From 2018 Spring Newsletter
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     “In 2005 I got divorced, my children got so angry with me they haven’t spoken to me since and I made a very disastrous financial mistake. I now live in a small apartment instead of the beautiful home I once had. Am I complaining? NO WAY. I can say with all truthfulness that I am happier than I have ever been. I live alone but am not lonely. I almost never experience boredom even though I am retired with many hours spent alone. I have faced very painful truths about myself but thanks to Vernon Howard I began to see them as ways to freedom. Guilt was a constant companion for most of my life and letting go of it is a gift beyond price.”

With great love,
Bonnie H.

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     “I am writing from Papua New Guinea, a very small country north of Australia.
     Two weeks ago I was checking for reading material in a bookshop when I came across the book titled The Mystic Path to Cosmic Power.
     Anyway I would like to say that I feel very happy when I am reading it. The information presented is so powerful that I read a chapter every time I come home after work. It really explicitly explains the true meaning of life. It provides me with insights and a clear vision of me being on this planet.
     I am so pleased that I could just take this time to thank you for the inspirational words and countless encouragements.

Thank you,
Roncy via e-mail

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