This was sane, beautiful and spiritual on all levels,
Veronika. Thank you for sharing. It injected hope
and common sense into a situation of great despair for
all of us.
Namaste,
Jo
--- veroniKA <Spiritual_Messages [at] heavenletters [dot] org>
wrote:
Quote:
Where Is Peace In a Time of War?By Deepak Chopra - July 31, 2006
I'm in contact with many peace workers, especially
in the Middle
East, who want to be part of a larger movement. One
of them, Ms.
S--, wrote to me form Israel about her despair. She
has worked for
peace from a kibbutz and personally runs a radio
station that
attempts to bridge the Muslim and Jewish worlds.Needless to say, M. S-- feels desperate and rather
hopeless right now.
Reading her first-hand account of what it feels like
to stand for
peace in a raging war zone moved me deeply. I wanted
to give a few
points that may help all of us who are asking
ourselves, "Is it
realistic to hope for a new kind of humanity when
the same old
aggressions keep coming back?"1. Change doesn't start on the surface. It's
generated from
consciousness. This has been true throughout
history. If Buddhism
can begin with one person and Christianity with
twelve, let us not
think in terms of numbers and odds. It may sound
grandiose to
compare ourselves to great spiritual guides, but we
act
collectively, as an alliance. Our strength comes
from critical mass.2. We aren't here to make the world evolve. We are
here to evolve as
individuals and then to spread that influence. In
the wisdom
tradition of Vedanta, the stream of evolution is
known in Sanskrit
as Dharma, from a root verb that means 'to uphold.'
This gives us a
clue how to live: the easiest way for us to grow is
to align
ourselves with Dharma.
We don't have to struggle to grow--that would be
unproductive, in fact.
The Dharma has always favored non-violence. If we
can bring
ourselves to a state of non-violence, and connect
with others who
are doing the same thing, We have done a huge thing
to reinforce
Dharma.3. Societies get into the grip of their own
self-created story. It's
helpful to realize that we can choose not to
participate in that
story.
Realize that national and tribal stories are
limited, self-serving,
based on the past, reinforced by orthodoxy, and
therefore opposed to
real change. Stories are incredibly persuasive. Wars
are fueled by
victimization that runs deep, for example. So let us
not try to
change anyone's story. Let us only notice and
observe ourselves when
we buy into it and then let us back away from
participating in it.4. Let us not demand of ourselves that we alone must
be the agent of
change. In a fire brigade everyone passes along a
bucket, but only
the last person puts out the fire. None of us know
where we stand in
line.
We may be here simply to pass a bucket; we may be
called on to play
a major role. In either case, all we can do is
think, act, and say.
Let us direct our thoughts, words, and actions to
peace. That is all
we can do. Let the results be what they will be.5. Let us realize that engagement and detachment
aren't
opposite--the more engaged we become, the more
detached we will have
to be.
Otherwise, we will lose ourselves in conflict,
obsessiveness,
anxiety over the future, and feelings of guilt and
inadequacy. Keep
in mind that we are pioneers into the unknown, and
uncertainty is
our ally.
When our minds want closure, certainty, and
finality, let us remind
ourselves that these are fictions. Our joyous
moments will come from
riding the wave, not asking to get off at the next
station.6. Since most misery is born of failed expectations
let us learn to
minimize expectations so that we will feel far less
guilt and
disappointment.7. We aren't here to be good or perfect. We are here
as the antennas
for signals from the future. We are here to be
midwives to something
that wants to be born. Good people have preceded us.
They solved
some problems and created others. As once wise
teacher said, "You
aren't here to be as good as possible. You are here
to be as real as
possible."8. I know this sounds difficult, but let us try to
be tolerant of
intolerance. This is a hard one at times, but if you
try the
opposite--showing a hard heart against those with
hard hearts of
their own -- all we've done is expand the problem.
It's helpful (but
often difficult) to remember that everyone is doing
the best they
can from their own level of consciousness. Trying to
talk a
terrorist out of his beliefs is like trying to
persuade a lion to be
a vegetarian. All we can realistically do is seek
openings for
higher awareness.9. Let us resist the lure of dualities. These
include us versus
them, civilized versus barbarians, good versus evil.
The good,
civilized people of Europe managed to kill millions
of themselves,
along with millions of "them." In reality we are all
in the same
boat of human conflict and confusion. Sometimes it
helps to admit
that the doctor is not far from being a patient.10. Let's create an atmosphere of peace around
ourselves. Imagine
that we are like a mother whose children come home
crying about
fights at school. Would it be her job to soothe
their wounds or to
arm them for fighting back tomorrow? Simplistic as
it may sound, the
male principle of aggression can only be healed by
the feminine
principle of nurturing and love.Love, Deepak
--------
love/laugh light and JOY and FUN - Confidence/ Trust
and TRUTH
VerroniKA