The Only Way Out Is Through

This post is about something I really believe can result in a huge leap forward on our Path to Oneness as individuals and for Humanity as a whole. I’ve touched on it previously, but a more comprehensive picture has emerged. And working “through” it involves one ultimate key . . .

From the beginning of our history, it’s been caveman vs. caveman, village vs. village, country vs. country, ethnic group vs. ethnic group, religion vs. religion, faction vs. faction, ideology vs. ideology, etc. (Jeez, with even skin color vs. skin color, I’m surprised we haven’t gone to blue eyes vs. brown eyes vs. hazel eyes!)

Currently, in America (and elsewhere) we’re mired in more than just political divides. Rather, there are opposing sets of basic personal values. And, contrary to U.S. Senator Moynihan’s famous quote, “You are entitled to your opinion. But you are not entitled to your own facts,” nowadays there are, indeed, opposing sets of “facts.” “Alternative facts,” if you will.

All sides believe “my values, beliefs, and facts are ‘right’ and theirs are ‘wrong’” with an immovable intransigence. From whichever side you’re on, efforts to “convince” or get the other side to “listen to reason” mostly fall flat. So it all degenerates into never-ending “us vs. them.”

But if Humanity is to survive and flourish, we MUST break the never-ending vicious circle of opposition, arguing, name calling, and partisanship. And we MUST defuse the virulent hatred. Yes, there are some attempts to do this here and there. There are, indeed, good people working hard on many front lines, and positive happenings that you rarely hear about in the news.

But for the sake of Humanity and our individual Paths, A LOT more of us need to actively, purposefully “take it to the next level.” I posit that those of you reading this blog are ready and able to do just that. And we can even do most of it from the comfort of our own homes.

So how do we do this?? Well, this may seem too “woo-woo” or simplistic for some of you. But hear me out . . .

I posit that the ultimate key is unconditional love of “the other” and of Self.

I’ve always thought of unconditional love as something only spiritually advanced Beings can experience and live. But maybe we mere mortals can think of it as simply acceptance of “the other” and Self for who and what we each choose to be and do right now. Acknowledging that we can’t force others to see the world the way we do—nor should we. And that it’s not our responsibility—or right—to “fix” them. Instead, respecting their right to have their own Path and to make their way on their Path as appropriate for them, as we do ours.

Doesn’t mean we all have to link arms and sing Kumbaya together, or even be in each other’s company at all. And if others impinge on our rights or safety, we have the right to speak up, set boundaries, and ensure our own well being—I still very much believe in the concept of accountability commensurate with the infraction.

But we need to really live the concept that diversity is what makes Humanity powerful—and beautiful. We need to live the United States motto of “From many, one.”

So how do we get there from here??

I think it involves a two-prong approach that pulls together many of the concepts and “guideposts” I’ve talked about:

1. “Love your ‘enemies'” AND yourself. This includes a trifecta of three of the guideposts, and then some:

• Having Compassion. Millions (billions??) of us are exhibiting anger, resentment, exasperation (how could “they” believe THAT?!), a sense of self-righteousness and superiority, fear, and sometimes pure, unadulterated hatred and violence. These can take over a person’s Being—like a red hot poison that permeates body, mind, and spirit. They’re an enormous energy drain, blind us to possibilities, and are damaging both to our Selves and to Humanity as a whole. They lead to a painful state to be stuck in. And with respect to other people, remember: you never know what’s going on for anybody beneath the surface—what deep concerns and fears are driving them. Rational or not, fact-based or not, the fears are very real and scary to them.
• Practicing Forgiveness. At any given moment, each of us is doing the best we can, given who we are and what we know in that moment. How can we not forgive someone who was raised as a child to be prejudiced, or systematically indoctrinated as an adult (by numerous sources) to hate? You may remember that Christ, hanging on the cross, said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Sometimes the wrongdoing is simply a habit for which we can use the tried and true “Ooops, there [I/we/they] go again” instead of judging or unleashing negative-energy arrows. And if it’s I/we, then stopping whatever it is, and cleaning it up, if necessary. (And also forgiving ourselves when we “go there”—like sending out those nasty, negative-energy arrows at the other “tribe.”)
• Expressing Gratitude. Characteristics and actions we find distasteful, irritating, or even infuriating in other people may actually be a mirror in which we see aspects in ourselves that need to be healed, or soul learning we need to garner. Further, without “the other,” how would we clarify our values? How would we identify what’s “true” for us? So, ironically, we owe them a debt of gratitude.
• Self care. This includes such actions as appreciating the “little things” as well as not watching/listening to the news but, instead, going outside and watching/listening to Nature; listening to your inner-knowing; and maintaining Connection with family, friends, and other people. But also feeling Compassion and Forgiveness towards yourself for being perfectly imperfect. And expressing Gratitude that you have a level of awareness to observe all this, and learn from it.

2. Be proactive and counteract the “negative.” As I always say, this can run the gamut from performing simple acts of kindness and beauty all the way to starting a global movement to remediate something you’re passionate about. I think the key here is to constructively “work for” (democracy, food security, equality, justice, peace, the environment, etc.) vs. destructively “fight against” the “others” (matching hatred with more hatred in a never-ending downward spiral).

So, now I give you the most important and comprehensive assignment I’ve ever given in these blog posts. And if it sounds familiar, that’s because it is. It’s an amalgam and the culmination of my blog posts:

1. “Love your ‘enemies’” AND yourself.
Practice:
* Compassion,
* Forgiveness,
* Gratitude, and
* Self care.

2. Be proactive and counteract the “negative.”
Constructively “work for” (democracy, food security, equality, justice, peace, the environment, etc.) vs. “fight against” the “other.”

And yes, this is probably NOT a one-time thing, but instead will be another one of those practices and processes I write about.

I know that cynics out there will decry this approach, citing the very real and imminent danger posed to democracy and peace by people who perpetrate violence, and seek to destroy rather than fix what’s broken or create a new reality. I understand. But really, what’s the alternative? Nothing else we’ve tried so far (over millennia!) has worked. Why not try a veritable tsunami of Compassion, Forgiveness, Gratitude, and positive acts—practicing acceptance, unconditional love?

Frankly, I don’t know exactly how we do acceptance AND accountability. Maybe that’s one of the lessons we’re here to figure out—individually and as Humanity as a whole. But honestly, other than working through healing Humanity’s wounds in the above manner, I don’t see how we can emerge out of this chaotic vicious circle into a Light-based, global New Paradigm.

As I’ve said many times, there’s no “they” who’s going to fix this for us; no one person; no political party, group, or government; no institution, organization, or corporation. Not even any ETs visiting from who-knows-where. It’s all up to us.

And as always, call me Pollyanna, but I have complete faith in Humanity, in you. We can do this if we act. Now.

When all is said and done, I believe that we are NOT “enemies.” We are ALL Beings of Light. We are ALL part of Humanity. As Maya Angelou said in her poem Human Family: “We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.” Indeed, we all have people (and critters) we care about, things we believe in, things we fear, illnesses we deal with, values we live by, hobbies we enjoy, challenges we face, etc. And we are ALL on our own Path of healing and soul learning.

So the bottomline:

With all of the distinctions I’ve presented in these blog posts, all of the Tips and Hints, all of the “homework assignments,” my Muse is telling me that THIS is the Path to Oneness:

Accepting and unconditionally loving ALL of “the others” AND our Selves.

Exactly how you traverse that path is YOUR Path. How you identify and travel it is entirely up to you.

So maybe today, this very minute, we can start practicing acceptance, feeling and beaming out unconditional love. Of others and of our Selves.

Maybe today, this very minute, we can start living and being Oneness.