Ripples

I watched a video this week documenting the work of Jane Elliott (A Class Divided). Jane has been running an exercise that has ignited controversy around the world. She says it lays bare the hidden truth about racism in white societies. Her methods are intense but her message makes an impact. One must remain open minded and accept her intentions as leading to a positive outcome. Surrender to her method and there is a lesson to be learned The lesson isn’t obvious but it seems as if that’s part of her point. Neither are the subtleties of racism including but not limited to the notion of white entitlement and the overall lack of awareness concerning the unspoken modus operandi that elevates whites to a different social status based solely on the color of their skin.

These were my thoughts as I watched the documentary.

Unless we wish to spend our mortality endlessly repeating the past, doesn’t it stand to reason that at some point, if we want a different result, we have to change the way we emotionally react to it?

The tendency toward world domination and the endless pursuit of power has created a massive weight of human suffering. It has taken on a life of its own. Emotions are measurable. They have weight. The suffering of fellow men from acts of domination weigh down the fabric of our shared consciousness. We are all caught in its gravity to the extent that being at its mercy feels "normal." The earth spirals around the weight of the sun. The moon spirals around the weight of the earth and our collective consciousness spirals around the weight of our emotional attachments to outcomes. We are equally at the mercy of and largely unaware of the gravity of the situation.

From a operational stand point, if we recognize the weight of emotional expectation as an entity unto itself, could we then decide to challenge the negative charge of the entity by casting a positive ripple of heightened recognition toward it? Could we either reverse the emotional charge and turn these entities into an equal weight of positive energy or dilute the negative charge all together and dissipate their weight entirely?

If we chose to view the past from a broadened perspective and if we looked upon it as a valued teacher instead of an object of duress, could we send out a ripple that might unsettle the entity and affect its charge? When it comes right down to it, in spite of our intellect, we just don’t know how to do. Who knew that free will was a free radical? Step one: recognize that we are mired in centuries of weighty, emotional, anguish that has taken on a life of its' own. Step two; diffuse the past by stepping out of the mire and recalibrating our social expectations based on the notion that all humans are created equal. Step three goes how it goes … right or wrong … at least it’ll be different.

“It's a hand-me-down, the thoughts are broken, Perhaps they're better left unsung. I don't know, don't really care Let there be songs to fill the air. “

Yes.

I’ve read The Power of Now, Barrington Bunny, The Giving Tree, Illusions, The Prophet, The Greatest Salesman in the World, The Way of the Wolf, the bible, the Tao Te Ching, The Tao of Pooh, Chicken Soup for the Soul, The Art of Happiness … you get the picture. I’ve laughed, cried, meditated, and prayed … but … then what? What happens when nothing happens?

It wasn’t until I discovered the silence that resides beneath desire that I began to understand the true meaning of enlightenment. It isn’t about gaining something. It’s not about being more (or less) than the other mortals. No one gains special power. There are no psychics or intuitives. There is no such thing as an empath. Medium is a size, not an ability. Anyone who makes a claim that they possess “special” power is either wishful thinking or lying to you, or both. Once we make peace with our normalcy and what it is to be mortal and give up the notion that we were meant for “something greater” or that we are “special” we begin to comprehend that there is nothing more miraculous than breathing in and out. There is nothing more precious than being exactly whom and where we are, at this moment. Consciousness is magical. Think about it for a second. Think about the fact that you are a tiny representation of the entire universe riding around in an earthly suit. It’s mind blowing.

Conversely, there is thoughtfulness and observance. There is intuition and empathy. As with anything else, these traits must be exercised and honed if they are to be useful in our daily lives. Otherwise, they lay dormant. If we apply the same effort to awakening these traits as we apply to our 9-5 jobs, something breaks open. We DO seem to be able to read minds. We DO seem to have abilities beyond that which others possess. We DO appear to possess something "special." There is an awakening. When we take the time to hone these traits and when we practice, practice and practice some more the art of observation and empathy, when we consciously practice feeling our aliveness by focusing on ... being alive ... as with any skill that is repeated many times over we become better at it. In a state of surrender to what is and with complete acceptance of the now (as it is), we awaken. Is enlightenment really that simple? Can we transcend these earthly bonds and find inner peace by simply being aware that we are alive? Is it that simple? Yes.