A friend recently asked in a post on Facebook, "Are you standing against what you don't believe in, or are you standing for what you do believe in?" While she wasn't speaking to me directly, it felt as if she had grabbed a big, bright spotlight and aimed it right at me.
It's so easy these days to get sucked into the powerful flow of negativity. At first, it's almost a relief to be there, just floating along with the crowd. You may even feel that, if you don't participate in the anti-whatever-you-don't-believe-in movement, you are sticking your head in the sand -- that you will personally be responsible if something horrible happens and you haven't been out there making your opinions heard. But here's the thing. Something horrible is already happening, and its being fed by this rampant negativity. It has nothing to do with presidents or policies. It has nothing to do with walls or immigration or religion.
We are losing our ability to see each other as the unique, beautiful, spiritual creatures who are simply here to have a human experience. We are so wrapped up in our humanness that we are losing sight of that which is eternal inside of every single one of us. That is more of a tragedy, with more far-reaching and long-lasting consequences than any temporarily "bad" situation we could ever be faced with.
At this moment in history, we are being presented with an opportunity like no other. Will we stand like a dam against all of the perceived wrongs in the world, attempting to hold back the insurmountable flow of negativity? Or will we choose to let go of our need to resist that which does not serve us and instead create an escape route, allowing the raging river of negativity to pass, in the process finding our way back to calmer, deeper waters. Each time you post a mean meme directed at a group of people who think differently than you, whenever you get into a right-fighting argument and insult another person, you are no longer the dam holding back the negativity. You ARE the negativity.
Neither choice is easy. Whether you choose to be the dam, or whether you choose to create an escape route. Each comes with its own set of challenges. For that reason, it's important to do the work that calls to you -- there is a lot to be done -- but for me, the calmer, deeper waters are much more inviting. That's the path I choose. If anyone wants to follow me, you're welcome to come along.
