Discerning

In my book, Three Simple Questions: Being in the World, But Not of It, I present three questions to consider when planning any sort of activity. The questions are: would I do this in front of God, or whatever you call that power/force?; is my name really on it or is it really my responsibility?; will this increase the integrity of the universe, or is this loving? I also present several meditative and contemplative practices to help a person answer those questions. The practices I suggest are ones that I use, and they do indeed provide a great deal of guidance. There is also a level of uncertainty in what I suggest since there is no dogma or hard and fast rules. I keep in mind what Shepherd Hoodwin says that "Love has a quality you can learn to discern. It 'feels right'. It is truthful and inclusive. There is no objective measurement to confirm that you are experiencing love. You can only trust your intuition and do your best. If you do, your capacity to discern love will grow. We are all learning this skill."