|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
UNIVERSE WITHIN by Gwen Randall-Young
"Grace happens when we act with others on behalf of our world."
"When you open to the pain of the world you move, you act."
Joanna Macy
World As Lover, World As Self
When a human is in the infant stage it is completely egocentric. It is only concerned
with its own needs and welfare. It will do whatever it can to get what it wants,
and has no awareness of the needs of others.
Depending on the environmental influences, the child either grows into an adult
who still functions on the basis of "me first," or evolves into one
who has compassion and insight. Insight allows us to understand the interconnections
and complexities of our world. We see that our actions and beliefs have an impact
on the whole, because we are all part of the same global village.
Compassion is heart awareness. It allows us to feel what others feel, and to truly
understand the impact of each unique situation upon the individuals involved.
If we are still encapsulated in ego we distance ourselves from the suffering of
others. We live in our own little world, content to take care of our own.
We see and hear what happens in our world, but think of it as something out there,
not really connected to us. We may feel sad for those who suffer, but we do not
know them personally, so we can turn off our feelings. In a sense, our lives are
fragmented from the larger world in which we live, but only on the level of mind.
Our thoughts have "fragmented" our selves out of the larger equation.
Of course, thinking does not make it so, anymore than thinking the air pollution
in your city does not affect you in your home. If there is toxicity in the physical
environment, it will ultimately affect us all. If there is toxicity in the energetic
environment of our world, it will likewise impact us.
When we hear stories of brutality and torture, or children who are starving, there
is an impact on our emotions and our physical body. Because we often feel helpless
to do anything, those feelings are stuffed down, out of consciousness. We may
forget about them, but they are still impacting our psyche. We may feel some guilt
at being safe, warm and well fed, when others in our human family have nothing.
We may also feel their pain, insofar as we can imagine what it might be, but that
gets stuffed down too.
Feelings of sadness or depression are uncomfortable, so we may distract ourselves
with television, consumerism, or eating. In other words, we do more of the things
that set us apart from those who are suffering. We watch movie stars who earn
millions, spending our money in a way that casts our vote for costly entertainment.
We watch sports contests, supporting the advertisers who push their products upon
hungry consumers.
We feed ourselves more than what we need - our society’s growing obesity
a testament to the excesses in our culture. One way or another, we numb ourselves
from the awareness of the distress of those in other parts of our world. We can
no more do that than we can ignore a pain in our foot. The world is one living
organism, and imbalance in one part will ultimately affect the whole. We can begin
to shift the imbalance with a shift in consciousness. We can break out of numbness
and denial by taking some responsibility. It is too easy to think that governments
or charitable organizations are taking care of things.
The way to shift the balance is for each one of us to do something to help. Perhaps
it is to give money, or do fundraising. It might mean volunteering some of our
time. It also can be to build awareness, paying attention to where there is suffering
in our world, and bringing that into conversations with friends, family and co-workers.
It is really about mobilizing some energy that can move in the direction of helping.
Do not think for a moment that what little you can do will not make a difference.
Little grains of sand, piled one on top of the other will sit there, until finally
one more grain sets off an avalanche. In the same way, each one of us, each doing
a little, will ultimately set off an avalanche of good will. Perhaps the avalanche
is imminent... just waiting for you to take action.
Gwen Randall-Young
is a psychotherapist and author of numerous books
including Dancing Soul: The Voice of Spirit Evolving. Visit her website at www.gwen.ca
 Top
|
|
|
|
|
|
