Your 'self' is watching

Late one night an old and very wise master teacher took his students into the village and said to them, "I am old and helpless and have no money. Go and follow people who are walking alone along the dark side streets and, when no one will see you, pull them into a dark corner and take their money. Do them no harm, but bring me the money."

All the students readily agreed except one, who replied, "But master, there is never a time when no one will see me because my 'self' is always observing what I do."

With this the master shouted with joy, saying, "Alas, there is one among you who knows the truth about himself! Let this be a lesson by which you all live your entire lives." And, of course, they all lived happily ever after.

There is within each of us an inner observer, a divine "self," who lives in absolute silence. It is always watching us, observing our thoughts, deeds and actions.

It never judges what we do because it only knows unconditional love. It simply observes and reports to us what it sees, leaving the judging to us.

As we evolve spiritually we become more sensitive to the reports from that inner observer.

As we grow we also discover that, while ignorance may seem like bliss, one day our karma inevitably catches up with us. Karma is simply another term that describes the law of cause and effect: What goes around, comes around. This is when the idea of integrity takes on a whole new meaning.

The word "integrity" comes from the same root word as "integrate," which means to bring all the parts together as a whole. To live with true spiritual integrity means incorporating a conscious awareness of this inner observer's presence at all times, integrating it into everything we think, say and do, not because we should or because God is watching and keeping score, but because we can.

It is our opportunity to align with our spiritual nature, the person who we really are. It is how we evolve as spiritual beings on this human journey.

This practice of bringing all the parts together as a whole, to integrate, builds authentic, spiritually grounded character, and character is what you do with who you are when nobody is watching.

The students in this story represent two different elements of our own being.

The human, or ego, element was willing to follow along with any plan that would result in gain, with no thought given to the spiritual reality of how the action would affect our soul.

The young student who challenged his master is symbolic of that part of us that knows who we really are: a spiritual being.

Which of the students will you identify with? Make a choice to live consciously today, not just because your "self" is watching, but because it is honoring who you really are, a divine expression of God.

God's love finds fuller expression today by means of everything you think, say and do. That's real character.

Dennis Merritt Jones is a local spiritual mentor, keynote speaker and author of the book "The Art of Being: 101 Ways to Practice Purpose in Your Life." Contact him at www .DennisMerrittJones.com.