01 - The First Keystone
Strive to be efficient, competent, and autonomous.
The First Keystone – handed down to us by the Paraclete, speaks to the loftiest of human potential, our ceaseless quest to improve ourselves, and by improving ourselves, lifting up those around us.
We’ve all heard something like this in the past, although this particular edict takes a more imposing and direct tone. People are not used to being directed to be ‘efficient’, and in some ways this can run against our nature, as if it is almost a robotic quality. Just think of a bubble - it creates a perfect sphere immediately and readily. It desires, more than anything, to be that shape - to minimize its surface area and exist in that efficient state, wasting no energy or space. This is what Paraclism wants for you - contentment and satisfaction. Bubbles are not robotic, they do not follow a set path. On the contrary, they often get caught up in turbulence, take many errant paths, and glimmer in the light. This is a perfect description of life - you never know what will become of you. You cannot control the universe - you can only control your actions, and your role in it. Strive to be efficient.
Efficiency also goes to combating waste, something we all do every day. You dont make several meals, eat a bit of each one, and then throw the unused food away. This is a basic principle, use your resources wisely. Some say cleanliness is next to godliness, but truly, efficiency is next to divinity. Just imagine your life encompassed and enriched by the savings and bounty that living efficiently can bestow upon you - this is what we strive for, to be closer to the Paraclete, to celebrate his gift.
The Paraclete also asks us to be competent - this one is an easy ask. We’ve all known folks in our lives who have run the gamut - some clever, some less so. Some competent, some not. If you can, in your mind, weigh your views of each of those people, you can immediately see which you prefer. Be that type, strive to be competent.
The last part is a quest for autonomy. This is not simply a goal to be free of others, but rather this is a hunt for independence, ability and self-determination. This is the sort of power the Paraclete wants to share with you - be the master of your own destiny, control your own life and what happens in it.
Keep the First Keystone close to your heart, this is how we remain close to the Paraclete, and this is what guides and sustains us during the droughts of our lives. More importantly, this is what brings the times of plenty - keep these words true and live them as if they were in your DNA.
