Interpretations, translations...Quite by chance, I stumbled upon a realization that causes me to examine and evaluate everything in a different light. Last year, I read a magnificent book by Eric Butterworth called "Discover the power within you". This book certainly gave me a lot to think about, and one of the most interesting things that I learned from it was that the same word can mean many different things, especially in different languages. Being multilingual myself, that didn't and shouldn't surprise me because I experience it every day. Nonetheless, it was a typical case of not seeing the forest for the trees. I always thought that anything that is done by professionals is perfect and right, and therefore there is no misinterpretation. However, almost as if life had to prove a point, a strange thing happened shortly after I read the book. I had written several articles, and a professional translator offered to translate them from English to French. I was beyond grateful because it was a wonderful break for me. When she returned them to me in French, I was extremely happy with the job, except for one paragraph. Translated literally, the meaning of that paragraph was the EXACT OPPOSITE of what I meant to say. I nearly fell off my chair! After that experience, I kept thinking to myself: what if I didn't understand French, and that paragraph had been printed? How ridiculous would I feel then? It was only me, Carmen Colombo, an ordinary person like so many others who seizes the wonderful opportunity that the internet provides us to express ourselves, so I guess it wouldn't have world wide attention for centuries. But imagine if it was someone else...someone like...Jesus Christ. Well, first of all we know that Jesus didn't write any of the Bible, although I don't imagine why not. Maybe somewhere, there are the diaries of Jesus that only a few know about. Nonetheless, we know that the New Testament was written by the apostles and other witnesses...the lucky few who met the Lord Jesus in person. So, these people who met and lived or were very familiar with Jesus wrote the New Testament of the Bible. But who are they, and who are the translators of the original languages used to write the Bible? How many times has the Bible been rewritten, and in how many versions? With so much change and variation, how can we know for sure what the original writers really meant? And more importantly, how do we know they truly understood what Jesus meant? The Christ is within us all. That is what Jesus came here to teach us. We are Christ-like when we act like Christ...it couldn't be simpler than that. We all have the potential to be Christ-like, and Jesus is the proof. Whether we are or become Christ-like is our own choice at all times, and that is the essential teaching of Jesus. "How often shall I forgive someone, is 7 times enough?" asked a person of Jesus...and Jesus answered : "start with 7 times 777"...Oh, if only everyone was Christ-like... In a perfect world, there is no pain, no fear, no violence, no disease, no death. In a perfect world, everyone wishes each other well, and the energy that creates heals the very soul of humanity collectively. A perfect world is already within all of us. All we have to do is manifest it on the outside...make it happen! Some times are harder than others. I have been crying all week. I guess life is getting to me...and you thought my life was so grand... Well, on Tuesday night, I had to leave work early to go for my bi-annual breast examination...(I'm a woman, remember?...although breast problems occur with men too). Anyhow, I'm glad to say that once again, it appears I will stay here for a while. There was a cyst, but it was removed by syringe, and all the signs look good. My doctor said...go and have a great summer...I'll see you when the leaves turn color...September or October. Until then, rest easy. I'm so lucky. It's the third time this happened in the same place in less than 7 years...and everything is always OK. Do you know what happens to you when you live through stuff like that? Well, I can tell you a little about it. You begin to think you're indestructible...at least I do. That's what people who know me call me. In my 38 years, I have lived at least 3 cat's lives. I've been in three major traffic accidents: I was a passenger in a serious head-on collision in 1978. Then in October 1989, I was the driver in a collision on the expressway at rush hour with a truck that moved from the fast lane to the middle lane. The driver didn't see me and hit me on my (driver) door, causing me to spin 3 times and hit the cement median and finally spin again in the traffic's opposite direction. The passenger door was stuck against the cement wall of the median of the expressway and my door was bashed in and couldn't open. I passed out momentarily and then I was finally helped out of the passenger door window. I was in the hospital for 10 days, and following that, I was in intense experimental physiotherapy 5 days a week for a year. Six months later in April 1990 while I was still recovering, I had the the worst accident of all. A 76 year old lady trying to commit suicide jumped in front of my car. Fortunately, I slammed on the breaks and put on the hand break. The back of her white head hit the windshield and shattered it into a gazillion pieces. Then she rolled off the hood and fell two feet in front of my car. It felt like a nightmare, as everything was happening in super speed and slow motion at the same time...but it was real. However, by putting on the hand break, it caused the front of the car to dip to the ground. If I hadn't done that, she would have flown a few feet...instead, she rolled off the hood and only had a sprained ankle. Thank God for seatbelts, or I would have flown out of the window too...We both survived, but changed forever... I've also had a concussion that led to a near death experience, had a few emergency surgeries and interventions, was in the medical books for a first known case, had several life threatening diseases, was terrorized and threatened on several occasions, was at the wrong place at the wrong time a few times and nearly drowned nine times. Yet despite all that, I'm still here. Wouldn't you call that being indestructible? So am I? I don't know - maybe I'm just lucky. Whatever it is, I know that there is someone or something greater than myself that helps me. I pray every day. I have my own versions and interpretations of the traditional prayers, such as the Lord's prayer, written below, and Psalm 23, which you can read in WOW stories called "The Shepherd's Way". I also create my own prayers or affirmations like "Arise!", but mostly I talk to God all the time. He doesn't talk back, but I'd say that He's definitely there for me through intuition, guidance and strength. Thanks for reading, this has been very therapeutic for me. I'd like to thank my friends who encouraged me to write about what happened this week. You're right, I do feel better. Wishing only well, Carmen Colombo The Lord's Prayer (by Jesus)
|