“When the power of love overcomes the love of power,
the world will know peace.”—Jimi Hendrix
Being there’s a time lapse between when I write this blog and when you read it, who knows what may transpire in the interim. But I think it’s safe to say our world’s one hot mess, and a better, brighter tomorrow does not appear to be around the corner.
There’s no need for me to list the horrors, calamities, and injustices currently occurring. Many in power have somehow forgotten why they’re there, who they serve, and what’s the “right” thing to do. They may have started with good intentions, but somewhere along the way, they became lost. Perhaps obtaining a position of “power” led them to the dark.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. We know our world can be better. However, more than “knowing,” we can “feel” another way exists. But what is it, and how do we make it happen?
“Great start to a blog that’s supposed to help you feel ‘elevated,’” you may be thinking.
Don’t jump ship too soon … I’m only setting the stage to what currently is. There’s more … it gets better. I’m not kidding … that’s the message of this blog. Our world will get better when each of us says, “Yes.”
“Says yes to what?” you wonder with an untrusting tone to your voice.
Says yes to love. Plain and simple, our assignment—as humans on Earth—is to choose love over fear.
“And exactly what does that mean?”
Choosing love over fear is a shift in attitude that’s the antidote for all that’s wrong with our world. It can cure the low vibrational behaviors that create pain, dysfunction, and trauma. Saying yes to love commits us to approaching life in a new way. Instead of judging, condemning, and isolating ourselves from those we see as “less than,” we choose to see light in areas we deemed as dark, lost, unsalvageable. Because deep down, tiny embers exist in the souls of those we’ve caste aside due to their incomprehensible actions. And if we can stop viewing ourselves as separate from all of humanity, a light may begin to flicker in those who we’ve labeled as wrong, evil, and undeserving. When we shift how we see our reality, our reality shifts. This is how we heal the world.
“But I won’t justify bad people’s behavior. These are horrific individuals who do evil things. How could I ever contemplate loving them?”
This is one of the hardest things to grasp. I know I’ve struggled with it. In fact, when it was first suggested to me by a friend, I looked at her as if she had two heads. What was she thinking? “Truly evil people do not have any trace of God in them,” I told her with a wave of my hand. But I was wrong.
Witnessing the divine connection between all people—no matter who they are or what they’ve done—does not condone life’s atrocities. Nor does it suggest we accept cruel behavior or wrongful ways. What it does imply is that we understand we are not separate from our brothers and sisters. There is a divine oneness among us, even when another seems to have lost every ounce of his or her humanness.
“What a Pollyanna perspective. You’re crazy. This approach will never work.”
Maybe not … but isn’t it worth a shot? I don’t know about you, but if seeing a oneness among all people is the path to peace, then I’m willing to give it a try. As much as I’d love for someone pure and wise to “fix” all that’s wrong with our world, we can’t wait for that to happen. I believe in miracles, but I also believe in free will. We’ve created this mess, and it is our job to find a solution.
Unfortunately, I don’t think this will occur at the macro level. Rather, it starts with us discovering our own peace. If we choose to act from a position of love—no longer fueled by fear or hate—we create kernels of hope. And when this becomes more of the pattern than the exception, amazing shifts occur.
“Let go once. And if it keeps coming up, let go again. Peace does not just happen.
You have to practice it.”—Yung Pueblo
Letting go of what holds us back from our own serenity is never easy. It often requires we surrender judgement of ourselves and others … stop feeding our egos by insisting we are “right” … trust in the unknown … and believe there’s a reason behind the gifts and challenges life bestows upon us. Acting from a position of love turns on our internal “switch.” We become beacons, illuminating the way for others to discover their unique paths. And when enough humans brighten our world, creating a sea of lighthouses, the darkness will fade. This is how we find peace. We start with ourselves, and slowly we light the way for others. Before we know it, stars shine down upon us as we reflect our radiance back. Then together we watch as our loving light dissolves the dark.
“There is no way to peace. Peace is the way.”—A.J. Muste
