Lisa,
I appreciate your heartfelt response and I wish you more power in your attaining abundance.
I think I didn't express my core thought clearly enough ... what I meant is that in order for our modern society to function, there are lots and lots and lots of jobs and tasks that people only do because they have to, that no one who is wealthy and priviledged would want to do, that probably no one in their right minds would want to do, but which are vitally necessary for our society to go on. The only reason why people do them, though, is because they "have" to, in order to survive, to make a living, to pay the bills. If everyone were truly "enlightened" and awoke from the limitation trance, all these jobs would be vacated really, really fast, and our modern comforts and societies would evaporate. So, it's in the interest of the wealthy/enlightened to keep a fair portion of the population under the darkness of unenlightenment.
Objectively, why parents want their kids to get more education, better jobs, and more money is to spare them from those jobs which are relagated to the less educated, less capable, and less wealthy ... all the "dirty jobs" ... and to enable them to enjoy their lives in relative comfort and ease. That's what makes "abundance" (in terms of wealth) so attractive. That's why everyone wants it.
Look at the ads for the AFL itself ... it promises all the "good" things in life, the glitter and gold and all that constitute a "good life," all without conscious effort.
I know people can put a spin on abundance to say that it is more than wealth, that it is a change in attitude, so that even while a sanitation-employee is scraping filth out of the sewer system, he or she can think it's their life's calling and purpose and be happy as the billionaire who's making that filth. But I think that's a spin which, taken to its extreme, is more damaging than good, because it doesn't free us at all ... it just makes us happier slaves. While AFL doesn't explicitly do that, there's a hint of it, which raises a few red flags in my mind that there's a little bait-and-switch going on. After all, if you can successfully redefine "abundance" to mean "contentment", well, then of course the program will work!
Anyway, AFL is definitely a life-long learning process, and I'm just actively trying to find consistency in my beliefs and practices.
Best to you on your journey!
[This message has been edited by hartreefoch (edited March 03, 2006).]
