Part 2 Introduction

This is an extraordinary document.

It is a message from God, and in it God suggests a social, sexual, educational, political, economic and theological revo-lution on this planet the likes of which we have never seen, and seldom imagined.

That suggestion is made within the context of our own stated desires as the planet’s inhabitants. We have said that we choose to create a better life for all, to elevate our consciousness, to seek a newer world. God will not condemn¹ us no matter what we choose, but if we choose this, He is willing to show us the way. She will not force us, however, to take Her suggestions. Not now, not ever.

I find the words in this book at once captivating, disturbing, challenging, uplifting. They are captivating in that they catch my breath with the scope and sweep of their reach. They are disturbing in that they show me to myself—and the human race to me—in a way which is very unsettling. They are challenging in that they put the dare to me as no one and nothing ever has before. The dare to be better, the dare to be bigger than I have been, the dare to be the Source of a world in which anger, petty jealousy², sexual dysfunction, economic inequity, educational tomfoolery, social inequality and political secrecy³, chicaneries⁴ and power plays are never again part of the human experience. They are uplifting in that they hold out the hope that all this is possible.

Can we really build such a world? God says yes, and that all it takes is for us to really choose to do it.

This book is an actual dialogue with God. It is the second in a series of three books capturing a conversation with Deity⁵ which has lasted well over five years—and continues to this very day.

You may not believe that this material has actually come from God, and I have no need for you to. What is important to me is only whether the material itself has any value, brings any insight, produces any awakening⁶, sparks any renewed desire, or promotes any fruitful change in our day-to-day life on Earth. God knows, something has to change. We can’t keep going on as we have been.

The Conversations with God trilogy began when Book 1 of this series was released in May of 1995. That book dealt with mainly personal concerns, and changed my life. It changed a lot of lives. Within weeks it became an astonishingly fast seller, with distribution reaching amazing levels. By the end of its first year it was selling 12,000 copies a month, and rising. Of course, the “author” of the book was hardly unknown. And that is what has made the document so intriguing⁷, and so powerful.

I have been deeply grateful to be part of this process, the process by which some great truths are being remembered once again by thousands of people. I am personally pleased and very happy that so many have found value in the work.

I want you to know that at first I was downright scared. It occurred to me that others might think I was crazy, suffering delusions⁸ of grandeur⁹. Or that, if they did believe the material to have been inspired by God, they would then actually follow the advice. And why was I afraid of this? Simple. I knew that everything I had written could be wrong.

Then the letters began arriving. Letters from people all over the world. And then I knew. Deep inside, I knew. This was right. This was exactly what the world needed to hear, at exactly the right time!

(Of course, there is no “right” and “wrong,” except within the relative experience of our existence. So, what I know myself to mean is that the book is “right on,” given who and what we say on this planet we want to be.)

Now along comes Book 2, and I notice I’ve gone into fear all over again. This book deals with larger aspects of our individual lives, as well as geophysical and geopolitical consid-erations of worldwide implication. As such, this volume will contain, I suspect, much more with which the average reader may disagree. And so, I’m afraid. I’m afraid you won’t like what you read here. I’m afraid that you’ll make me “wrong” for some of it. I’m afraid that I will stir up a hornet’s nest, kick up a storm, make waves. And, once more, I’m afraid that everything here could be wrong.

Certainly I should know better than to have these fears. After all, hadn’t I read my own first book? Well, there you have it. My humanness again. You see, it is not my goal in making these transcriptions public to shake people up. I wish only to honestly and forthrightly¹⁰ pass on to you what God has communicated to me, in answer to my questions. I promised God I would do that—make public these conversations—and I can’t break that promise.

You can’t break your promise, either. Obviously you have made a promise to allow all of your thoughts, ideas and beliefs to be continually challenged. Clearly, you have made a deep com-mitment to continually grow. Only a person with such a commit-ment would pick up a book like this.

So, it seems, we are in this together. And there’s nothing to fear. We are what we are, and we do what we do as a result of that, and all we have to do is stay true to that and there’s nothing to fear. What I now see that I guess I’ve known all along is that we are messengers, you and I. If we weren’t, I wouldn’t be writing this, and you certainly wouldn’t be reading it. We’re messengers, and we have work to do. First, we have to make sure we clearly understand the message we’ve been given in the CWG books. Second, we have to integrate that message into our lives so that it becomes functional¹¹. And third, we have to carry that message to others, bringing its truth to all those whose lives we touch, by the simple and exquisite¹² device of our example.

I’m glad you’ve chosen to take this journey with me. It’s much easier, and much more fun, with you than without you. Let’s walk together now through these pages. It could be a little uncomfortable now and then. Not like Book 1. Book I was God’s embrace; a big, warm hug around the shoulders. Book 2 is God’s equally loving, but more gently jarring shake of those shoulders. A wake-up call. A challenge to move to the next level.

There always is a next level, you know. Your soul— which came here for the richest experience, not the poorest; the most, not the least—would like you not to rest. And while the choice is always yours, your soul would have it that you never become complacent¹³ or self satisfied, and certainly never sink into apathy¹⁴. For there’s too much to change in your world, too much left of yourself for you to create. Always there’s a new mountain to climb, a new frontier to explore, a new fear to conquer. Always there’s a grander place, a larger concept, a greater vision.

So this book may be a bit more uncomfortable than Book 1. Stay with the discomfort¹⁵ if and when you feel it. Hold onto the boat if it begins to rock. Then live within a new paradigm¹⁶. Better yet, through the wonder and the example of your own life lived, help to create one.

 

 

Neale Donald Walsch

March 1997

1 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

2 jealousy   

n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌

参考例句：

• Some women have a disposition to jealousy.有些女人生性爱妒忌。
• I can't support your jealousy any longer.我再也无法忍受你的嫉妒了。

3 secrecy   

n.秘密，保密，隐蔽

参考例句：

• All the researchers on the project are sworn to secrecy.该项目的所有研究人员都按要求起誓保守秘密。
• Complete secrecy surrounded the meeting.会议在绝对机密的环境中进行。

4 chicaneries   

n.耍花招哄骗别人（尤指于法律事务中）( chicanery的名词复数 )；不诚实的行为；欺骗

参考例句：

5 deity   

n.神，神性；被奉若神明的人(或物)

参考例句：

• Many animals were seen as the manifestation of a deity.许多动物被看作神的化身。
• The deity was hidden in the deepest recesses of the temple.神藏在庙宇壁龛的最深处。

6 awakening   

n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的

参考例句：

• the awakening of interest in the environment 对环境产生的兴趣
• People are gradually awakening to their rights. 人们正逐渐意识到自己的权利。

7 intriguing   

adj.有趣的；迷人的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的现在分词)；激起…的好奇心

参考例句：

• These discoveries raise intriguing questions. 这些发现带来了非常有趣的问题。
• It all sounds very intriguing. 这些听起来都很有趣。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 delusions   

n.欺骗( delusion的名词复数 )；谬见；错觉；妄想

参考例句：

• the delusions of the mentally ill 精神病患者的妄想
• She wants to travel first-class: she must have delusions of grandeur. 她想坐头等舱旅行，她一定自以为很了不起。 来自辞典例句

9 grandeur   

n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华

参考例句：

• The grandeur of the Great Wall is unmatched.长城的壮观是独一无二的。
• These ruins sufficiently attest the former grandeur of the place.这些遗迹充分证明此处昔日的宏伟。

10 forthrightly   

ad.言行坦诚地，直率地

参考例句：

• Didn't prevaricate but answered forthrightly and honestly. 毫不欺骗而是坦言相告。
• However in the economic production function that how knowledge contains a level forthrightly? 然而知识如何直接地包含到标准的经济生产函数中？

11 functional   

adj.为实用而设计的，具备功能的，起作用的

参考例句：

• The telephone was out of order,but is functional now.电话刚才坏了，但现在可以用了。
• The furniture is not fancy,just functional.这些家具不是摆着好看的，只是为了实用。

12 exquisite   

adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的

参考例句：

• I was admiring the exquisite workmanship in the mosaic.我当时正在欣赏镶嵌画的精致做工。
• I still remember the exquisite pleasure I experienced in Bali.我依然记得在巴厘岛所经历的那种剧烈的快感。

13 complacent   

adj.自满的；自鸣得意的

参考例句：

• We must not become complacent the moment we have some success.我们决不能一见成绩就自满起来。
• She was complacent about her achievements.她对自己的成绩沾沾自喜。

14 apathy   

n.漠不关心，无动于衷；冷淡

参考例句：

• He was sunk in apathy after his failure.他失败后心恢意冷。
• She heard the story with apathy.她听了这个故事无动于衷。

15 discomfort   

n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便

参考例句：

• One has to bear a little discomfort while travelling.旅行中总要忍受一点不便。
• She turned red with discomfort when the teacher spoke.老师讲话时她不好意思地红着脸。

16 paradigm   

n.例子，模范，词形变化表

参考例句：

• He had become the paradigm of the successful man. 他已经成为成功人士的典范。
• Moreover,the results of this research can be the new learning paradigm for digital design studios.除此之外，本研究的研究成果也可以为数位设计课程建立一个新的学习范例。