Ἰησοῦς Χρήστος (Iēsoûs Khrēstós) – a truly worthy ‘eternal spirit’

Spirituality means different things to different people –
many consider it to be indelibly associated with religious allegiance
while a few might think it related to higher order thought.

In ancient times,
the term spiritus
was associated with breathing
(a fundamental aspect of existence),
a light breeze,
an ineffable force,
the mind,
courage and energy
and even pride, haughtiness and arrogance.

When applied to the human experience,
those constructs –
including the concrete, abstract, subjective and objective –
are long-lasting …
they are metaphorically ‘eternal’.

Such observations may well have been made by the individual
now known as ‘Jesus Christ’ –
but it seems unlikely that many modern Christians
would care to acknowledge such claims.

Rather,
it appears that most think themselves satisfied
by donning a mask of what they call Christianity
that may –
in some instances –
be a construction of idiosyncratic dogma,
be based on relatively poor and infantile teachings
or arise from millennia of fratricidal conflict and mistranslation.

In the circumstances,
it is no wonder
that such constructs of Christianity
fail to nourish one’s spirit eternally.
Seeking the message of the real Jesus
and following their example
likely does not involve blindly adopting a corrupted religious message –
it may arise from deep dives into history and ancient languages
that reveals the solution could be in an ancient salutation
that may have been blundered into a name:
Ἰησοῦς Χρήστος (Iēsoûs Khrēstós) …
which might otherwise be read as
“be a good, kind and useful valued companion”
or perhaps the more prosaic
“be of good cheer”.

The truth about ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’

What a peculiar thing it is to be human –
all we know is what we perceive …
and all of that is rooted in the past.

Stars millions of light years away
or registering our own thoughts
are little different in that regard.

Even in the ever-dying and re-emerging ‘present’,
our very conscious awareness
is a solipsistic reconstruction of former events.

Regardless, some are consumed by manipulating others
while some strive valiantly to create a better future
for its own sake (whether ‘haves’ or ‘have nots’).

Some valiantly strive to create a better future
for themselves and others …
something perhaps even Pilate recognized.

Maybe, too, Pilate’s reasoning –
“Τί ἐστιν ἀλήθεια” (“What is truth?”) –
might be read differently.

It could be that he meant,
“That existence is faultless” –
but it is moot.

The answer to such postulation is in the past
and unknowable now …
just as it was then.

History – recorded or otherwise –
demonstrates the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’
all end up the same (whether a Pilate, Judas or Jesus).

So too, in the future (as in the past),
those experiencing eudaimonia in the form of welfare, happiness and a health mind
may thank their lucky stars – and continue helping the ‘have nots’.

Douglas Colston holds a BA, a BSc and a post-graduate Psychology qualification. 
Decades ago, he garnering some lyric and song writing credits playing in Australian 
Ska bands - and while not playing Ska, at that time he was studying and working in 
the public sector. Later, he transitioned into Counselling as a vocation and now he is 
also pursuing a PhD enrolment (focused on the Creative Nonfiction genre). His poetry, 
fiction and nonfiction has been published online and in print, in addition to appearing 
in a number of anthologies and gaining praise such as '... eliciting a strange sense of 
awe ... [t]his is ground breaking and gorgeous ... writing and deserves to be read 
widely' (The Editors, "POETiCA REViEW").