As I sit down at my keyboard to spell out my thoughts and feelings this morning, let me set the scene as it unfolds for me today…
My lovely wife and I are vacationing at the beautiful Cumberland Lake in Kentucky. The sun is rising as I sit at a picnic table taking in the sites around me. The water is still and reflective, like me. I hear mourning doves cooing in the trees as crows cackle in the distance. It’s serene and peaceful. I feel wonderful this morning. I’ve chosen to be here and have this experience.
I love to be quiet and alone to reconnect to spirit. I wasn’t always this way in my earlier life. For years I had the belief that to be relevant to myself and others I had to keep moving, working for a living, or speaking up for myself, trying to persuade others that I was right, trying to preach my truth to others who had their own truth. Even creating chaos and drama to draw attention to myself in the perverted belief that attention somehow equated to the love I never felt as a child.
Quite frankly, my behavior in these regards only served me because I thought that’s what I needed to do. I believed that’s what I needed to do. I was taught from birth to fight and struggle against others to acquire everything I wanted and if someone didn’t like it, well, “Screw ‘em, let them scratch and claw for everything they want just like me”!
The Principle of Correspondences states: As below, so above. And as above so below. This statement means that events that happen on a micro level are reflected on the macro level and visa-versa. The universal laws that govern one are the same as the laws that govern the whole. To me this means that the thoughts, feelings, and emotions that catalyze my behaviors are no different than the ones that catalyze yours and the whole of humanity. Understanding this principle makes it much easier to write these articles. I know that if I speak from my heart you will be able to relate since we are all governed by the same universal laws.
Being honest with myself concerning my beliefs and behaviors has lead me to observe how beliefs and behaviors are playing out on the world stage. One person may watch news reports and say that the world is going to shit and we are spiraling out of control. Another observer may say that we are in a state of chaos so a new form of order may take place. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? The short answer is they both are. Now, please let me explain.
As members of humanity, we are incredible creators of our realities. We create based upon our perspective and our perspective is a result of our beliefs. For example: If I have the belief that I must be violent to force others into understanding my points of view then I will create violence in my reality. On the other hand, if I believe that love and compassion are a way to influence the world then I will create a loving and compassionate reality around myself. This leads me to remember something I read years ago and that is that beliefs are never based on truth. They can’t be if they are created from a limited perspective. I seriously doubt that anyone can truly see any situation with 100% clarity and understanding.
Now most of us feel we are the loving and compassionate type. We just want to be joyful and carefree and live our lives in happiness but we have to deal with all of the hatred and violence around us. But do we really? From my observation the majority of people on this planet are trying to force their beliefs on others as a way to change the behaviors of the opposing side. Too often we believe that we need to be killing terrorist to make them stop terrorizing. Some feel that the answer to the world’s problems is to kill all Muslims, or Christians, or Jews. It’s often perceived that if a group won’t change their behavior then we are going to have to bomb them into submission until they finally see the light. Will this tactic work? Has it ever? Hmm, I doubt it.
Let’s use some examples that are easy to understand. Some feel the answer to murder is to bring back the death penalty and use it more often. But it’s easy to see that this doesn’t work. When most states employed this system of punishment it was supposed to be a deterrent to murder but it was, in reality, a complete failure is this regard. Murders still persisted unabated regardless of the forced punishment.
Another example is the tactic of killing terrorists to stop terrorism. This is not working either. When one terrorist is killed another one takes his place. Why is this? The answer seems quite simple to me. We are trying to change the behavior through force without changing the belief that is sponsoring the behavior.
Again, it is believed that if we disarm the citizenry that mass shootings will end. Well, shootings may end but the violence that is a result of the beliefs of the perpetrators will continue but with another tool of destruction. Just as many lives have been taken with the sword and long bow as have been taken with firearms. Throughout the centuries the beliefs about taking the lives of others hasn’t changed so the behavior has remained the same.
If one happens to be a Twenty-First Century history buff he will recall that during the first year of prohibition, 10,000 illegal speakeasies sprang up in New York City alone. Why did this happen? The simple answer is that the beliefs surrounding the consumption of alcohol were not addressed and changed. Instead, the federal government tried to force a behavior that very few wanted so this experiment also was a complete and utter failure.
So now you may be thinking, “Well, smart-guy, what’s the answer”? I can only say that I know the answer, but then again I don’t know. I’m only one person in a sea of billions so I can only relate what works for me. Personally, I am choosing as much as I can, to refrain from forcing my opinions and beliefs on others. I can only react to the world around me from my extremely limited perspective. What feels right to me certainly may not feel right to someone half a globe away. You may choose to enjoy this article or you may choose to consider it a load of B.S. I don’t mind either way. Perhaps the most effective way I can bring about a more loving and tolerant world is to be a more loving and tolerant person. Even if I am silent about it others may see that I have found a way to have peace in my life. If they ask why, I’ll tell them but if they don’t want to know I won’t force my beliefs on them. To my mind that would be an imposition upon their free will and that’s a karmic no-no!
I guess my only advice would be for you to be an example of the change you wish to see in the world and don’t worry about the beliefs of others. Consider being an impartial observer of the world’s events and don’t add more judgement and chaos to negative events. It may sound cliché but Love really is the answer!
Peace and Happiness to All, Patrick
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