“Today, more than ever before, life must be characterized by a sense of universal responsibility, not only nation to nation, and human, but also human to all other life forms” The Dalai lama.
We are all aware of the corruption, injustices and ugliness of a world run by fear, prejudice, and greed. I believe that through the ages most people were aware of these problems going on locally, but the internet age has brought them globally, front and center, into our awareness so that we can no longer ignore the darkness that confronts us. We can never live sustainably until we resolve this darkness of the human soul manifesting on the Earth. Even if by some miracle we did find technology, or suddenly aliens came down and give us the technology, to make us sustainable technologically, the current human condition would merely continue the fear, prejudice and greed that makes our lives so difficult and continue to ruin the planet.
For perhaps the first time in millennia, humanity finally has a choice to emerge from the psychological darkness that has controlled it for so long. Because of globalization and the internet, all the social problems that were in the shadows are now being revealed, disclosed and open, and continuing to be, so that we find necessary discussions having to occur. Yet, the mass media still try to manipulate the narrative to keep us in the dark and at each other’s throats. What I see changing from past patterns of egoic finger pointing and judgment is how more and more people are taking ownership of these problems at a spiritual level. In essence, we are realizing that all the negative in the world is also buried as a shadow within each of us.
There is a parable of an old Cherokee teaching his grandson about life. A fight is going on inside me, he said to the boy. It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. He continued, The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too. The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?” The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”
The inner wolf you feed comes from the choices you make. The evil wolf is your inner critic that drives depression, anxiety, low-self-esteem, and all negative emotions within you. By cutting off his food supply, you will be making a choice to use your energy and resources on thoughts, feeling, and emotions that serve you in healthy ways. While you can recognize the negative emotions occurring within you, you don’t have to attach to them or continue to give them attention. You shifting your focus is a sign to that wolf that you are not interested in giving him food. And while it may take some time for that wolf to lose his strength and power, eventually he will surrender – as will your unhelpful thoughts and emotions. Once you stop fixating on them, they will eventually drift away.
What is real power? – it is not controlling others. It is recognizing your own power. I have talked several times about spirituality (see post sequences, Spirituality {March 2018} and, Spirituality, Service, and Connectedness {June 2021}) as a prerequisite for true sustainability to happen. It not some new-age kumbaya. It is the basis all of religions, philosophies for living, and an inherent drive within every one of us. In our conditioned arrogance as a species, we have come to believe that simply because we can use free-will, it somehow makes us superior to everything else. You’ll note I said “can use free-will.” Most of the time we react from subconscious conditioning. True use of free-will comes from conscious and mindful responses. We create our own harmonious reality when we respond from a place of deep-understanding.
There is a deep desire in each of us to be liked – no problem with that – life is easier if people get on with each other. But some people are filled with trauma and many with deep misguided conditioned beliefs that make them hard to be around. Your inner peace and harmony comes from making choices where you set boundaries and choose who you keep in your life and who you let go. Not to make these choices means living with frustration that turns to anger and then aggression that promotes all manner of prejudice, hate, and trauma of all kinds. Getting to a state of inner peace comes from making a conscious and deeply desired intention. Just keeping telling yourself a hundred times a day, “I want peace, I want it now, within me.” “I don’t need to be right; I don’t need to be heard; I need inner peace, NOW.” Then, ignoring the external world outside your mind, let yourself feel that place within you where peace resides. Stop reacting and recognize how your conditioned triggers get pushed to make you judgmental. Then you reach a place of understanding where you set boundaries and can respond from a place of compassion instead of judgment. “Right action becomes the standard by which you live your life” Bartholomew. This is authenticity.
We all like to think we know the ‘right-way’ to live. If we listen to our inner voice, called our conscience, we find our lives become more internally harmonious. I will end this post with some comments by a wise master called Batholomew. “You know what harmonious right action feels like. You know it! You become confused when you look outside yourself, to other people to tell you what is ‘right.’ Please remember, you are not all at the same point in [your spiritual development]. People act in negative ways in areas they have yet to understand. So do not judge. We are all here learning. You are all experiencing different events and, also interpreting the same events differently depending on your personal experiences.
So, how do you learn the difference between rules and right action? You pay attention to your life. When some difficulty comes up for you, stop and look at it. Give yourself time to make deep, inner decisions. Intuitively, the responses will begin to come. Out of these responses you will become harmonious with your inner law (Conscience). (Remember psychopaths have no conscience.) Then comes the hard part. Do you have the courage to act out of inner response like a master? Your inner nature has accumulated the most amazing and wonderful wisdom for you to draw upon. It is there, like a mirror, reflecting back the Divine part of your nature, which is not separate from you. If you simply drop into that Divine part and put attention to the deep-self, you will begin to see simplicity in your choices, and you will know what to do. The more complicated you make it, the farther you are from the spontaneous, direct answer.
“We like to be out in nature so much because it has no opinion of us” Nietzsche
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