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.
I understand that acceptance and equal rights are a big issue. My mission in life is defending nature, and the overlooked "non human" aspects of our world. With human rights on people's conscience, not many people are taking the rights and entitlements that the animals also have into consideration. My fight lies along a different path, and I have taken the time to sign petitions protecting the rights of difference that many people look down upon. When it comes to nature and the earth, the desire to take a stand for other life forms is not something that most people are as aggressive about as their own kind. In a changing world, wildlife gets trampled upon by the wants and needs of human society, and there are not many that will take a stand on the behalf of other life forms, because it is an awkward and uncomfortable place for most people to stand in with both feet.
ReplyDeleteI know what I share with you today has nothing to do with womens rights or human rights, and human rights are important "TO US", but there are other areas of life that many people don't think about. That is where I stand out from the crowd. I also prefer calm places like the wilderness, where I do some of my work, trying to reach out to and protect that which people fear and are trying to destroy. There is a "great silence" at our feet. Feelings of despair and frustrations that can't be heard above the screams and commotion of humanity. There are areas of life struggling for survival and while many people acknowledge this, very few take a serious stand for other life.
This is my calling, to address these issues of which many people don't really care about. People are so busy living their lives, understandable of course, but so much suffering and disregard comes out of that. I can't just sit by and be silent. I have to do something, even if it is just "shaking people's trees", humans are destroying natural habitats and rearranging nature and "life" to "suit humanity". This is wrong, and I may only be among a handful of people that genuinely cares about this compared to millions, but you have to choose between what society views as right and what actually IS right. People think they can just bio engineer their way out of any problem whether inflicked by themselves or whatever nature throws their way. This is the mad path that society has chosen, and it doesn't look good for many reasons.
I do support women rights, gay rights, animal rights, and dont go along with the ideology of religion being the backbone of society, because not everyone feels the same or thinks the same, and people should not be coerced into any particular ideology. The most important things are respect, balance and harmony. Religion today seems more like a power grab of control, rather than a philosophy of true love and peace. There was a gay teacher in North Carolina that was forced to resign because religious parents didnt want their children growing up to "tolerate difference". It is sad that we still have this social intolerance of others, and when you really think about it, religion and politics have nothing to do with life, other than to control and exploit it. Wolves are being shot and killed as people prioritize their lives over everything else. There is no longer a balance between people and nature, and the first thing people do when something causes them grief is reach for their shotguns rather than being a little humble and analysing themselves. Not sure what the future will bring for us, but I feel one thing is certain. The road of life ahead of us may be riddled with bigger and deeper potholes as people desperately try to fill in the holes they have made with asphalt instead of dirt, and even worse, laying down more roadways that will only lead to more instability and chaos.
When we view ourselves as a piece of the puzzle, rather than the entire picture, then we know our hearts are in the right place. Peace.