It’s so easy to fall into the trap of skepticism. It’s a flavour, a shade of life that sometimes denies the goodness of us as human beings. It’s especially easy, if one looks up, from the downward spiral of depression or the red, reactive place of anger. Our perception will always be reinforced by our beliefs and our experiences.
Regardless of outer appearance, the nay-sayers, the negative forces, the careless attitude that some believe about the value of our species, we all have the opportunity of choice. I know, you may point your finger at those who are impoverished, imprisoned, ravaged by war and circumstances and ask how do they have a choice? There is a choice of how to respond to circumstances.
Those who, by choice, have risen above circumstances shine a light on this path. They’re not always famous, sometimes they have walked the walk of addictions, illness, violence, shame and blame and so on. Anything that can defeat a human being can also be turned around to empower. This isn’t to say it’s easy.
Remind yourself that you are the physical manifestation of consciousness. All of us are, as one form manifest from consciousness. The journey is how we create relationship with one another. How we practice not just tolerance but coexistence.
It’s an inside job. I have a practice, as I move through this life, that when I see what appears as other, I say there I go, in the form, of that mother pushing a stroller or the baby in the stroller, or the man ravaged by addictions. There I go. The journey of this short and precious life of ours is to realize how short and precious it is. It is waking up from this dream to know that we are all in this together. All of this is us.
This isn’t asking us to turn a blind eye to injustice or violence, it saying that we respond to this behaviour not with more injustice or more violence but with its opposite. All of the terrors we inflict on one another when truly looked at come from a place of fear. We have a choice to realize that what is committed on one is committed on all.
Small acts of kindness ripple out.
As Bob Marley sang, “One Love! One Heart!
Let's get together and feel all right”
We are all in this together!
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