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UNIVERSE WITHIN by Gwen Randall-Young
How can we maintain any sense of security in a world that seems increasingly unsafe? Terrorism is frightening due to its chaotic and unpredictable nature. It is one thing to feel unsafe while living in a war zone. It is another thing when the whole world becomes a war zone.
With each terrorist attack, the level of vigilance in the world increases. It is difficult to imagine ever being able to go back to a previous level. Further, the old rules for protecting ourselves – avoiding political hot spots, for example – are no longer sufficient. Terrorists are attacking innocents on their own turf.
We outgrew our childhood fears of bogeymen, those nameless, faceless, scary entities that would come out of nowhere to hurt us, only to grow up into a wilder, less civilized world, where the bogeymen are real.
Even if we ourselves are not victimized, we may be traumatized by what we see happening to others who were simply going about their daily lives. We know it could have been us. We worry that next time, or the time after, it might be us.
It would be easy to go into a place of anxiety and fear, cowering in our little corner of the world, losing the ability to be happy or experience joy. Real as the threats might be, however, we are still dealing with the issue of fear. Fear, unless we are in immanent danger, is about something we imagine may happen in the future. As we focus on the fear, we cannot remain in the moment.
We can maintain some level of peace within our own being, even as the world becomes increasingly less peaceful. It is important for us to do this, especially in times such as these. Some of us must hold that place of peace so that, energetically at least, we can offset some of the violence.
We can do this by, as much as possible, remaining in the present moment as we move through our day. Take the time to notice the people you care about, your pets and the sounds and sights of nature. Aim to be conscious of how good each moment is, savouring the peace that exists in that moment.
If possible, set aside at least half an hour to sit quietly. This can take the form of meditation, or it may simply be a time where you calm the body, quiet the mind and perhaps listen to music that is centering and relaxing. Try not to think, but rather feel deeply into that place of calm that rests always at the core of your being. Notice your breathing; follow the in-breaths and the out-breaths for a while. With each exhalation, allow yourself to go a little deeper than before.
When you reach that place of stillness and calmness, imagine you are now sending that energy out into the world, particularly to those people and geographical regions that are in turmoil. You may be but one cell in the body of humanity, but what happens in one cell can affect the whole. Yes, there is much that is fearful in our world, but holding on to fear only adds to the imbalance and negativity.
If our body is experiencing illness, it is more empowering to focus on health and vitality, than to fear all the bad things that might happen. Positive thoughts and holding images of health have a positive impact on the human immune system. Might it not then follow that if our world is out of balance, by creating peaceful energy within ourselves, and holding healing images for our wounded world, that we might strengthen the global immune system? It is worth considering, and is so much better than cowering in fear, which is exactly what the terrorists would have us do.
Gwen Randall-Young is an author and psychotherapist in private practice. For articles and information about her books and CDs, visit (www.gwen.ca). See display ad this issue. |
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