Peace, Love and Oneness are words we are hearing a lot right now in social media, depending on the type of friends you have and of course the person you are. This however happens to be a very desperate time in our world. Not just for the people of Paris but for us all.
I read an interesting article tonight about an interview the Dalai Lama gave about not praying for Paris. As the piece from www.collective-evolution.com stated praying to God to clean up a mess we created is futile. God did not do this we as humans have.
We have separated ourselves from one another. We have created labels and boundaries that some how make the person on the other side less of a human than we are. While the mainstream media would have us believe that terrorism is a Muslim problem, in reality it is not. It is a human problem.
I started a little experiment with myself the other day as I was out shopping to see what my first reactions were when I would see people out and about. I am saddened to tell you in all my peace love and hippy talk, I was very quick to judge people. I can blame all kinds of media and family programming, but the truth is it is solely on me.
I am happy to say though that I was aware for the first time ever how subtle these judgments were, almost so subtle I wouldn’t even have known if I was not being mindful. It wasn’t always even a thought that came into my mind but in many cases my body would tense or my body language would change. I have also taken pride in the fact that I was an open to person to whatever it was you believed in, what color your skin was, or your sexual orientation. I do not care who you voted for and I accept healthy challenges on political and spiritual views. However, something dark stirred in my deepest part of my soul. A separation of you and me, something I’ve always felt but could never pin point.
The very second I was willing to admit to myself the darkness in my mind, I was also able to allow the love to flow and instantly my perspective changed. The people I was looking at became people just like me, with darkness and light coursing through their souls. They became everything I regretted and everything I was able to find love in.
The problems this world faces are far more complicated than a decision to let refugees in or not, they are much deeper. The depth of them however is found within us all. How did we let ourselves become so “apart” from our fellow man. I am not just talking about the terrorists or the refugee, not just the people on the other side of the world, I am talking about the man panhandling on the street corner, the woman selling her body for money, and the child bullying. Within all of us lies the very possibility to act out in any of these ways. When we can honestly look into our own souls and hearts we will see that we are really a part of all these people.
Praying for Paris and begging God to help us solve these travesties will not bring us peace. The only way we can see the peace we so desperately seek is to look within. It is so crucial for us, our planet and every living soul on this earth that we stop identifying as Canadians, as refugees, as Christians and start identifying as humans.
Even the most open minded of us all, myself included, sets limits and labels on the person standing next to us. Is it wrong to identify with something close to our hearts, NO! But the problem lies within our hearts, when what we become passionate about sets us apart! We all have a story to tell, we all have a past but we are all human. We are all mothers, daughters, brothers, and fathers. We all feel hurt, fear, anger, sadness and each of us has a unique place in this world and in the evolution of humanity. Welcome the difference and see the lessons.
A wonderful friend sent me a beautiful message tonight and the quote that keeps on repeating is one from Nelson Mandela “ Be the change you want to see in the world!” Find the peace and love within and show that to every single person you meet in your day! Find the love within your heart, forgive yourself and others and remind yourself daily that each of us is human!
So I will not pray for Paris, but I will pray for humanity and more importantly I will pray for myself. I will ask for the strength and courage to bring my darkness to the light so that I may be the change I wish to see in this world.
We are one!
Peace, Love and Oneness
Rachel
