“All You Need is Love” – John Lennon “You must be the change you want to see in the world” – Mahatma Gandhi “It’s all about how we speak to one another.” – Tom Kenyon “Can’t we all just get along?” – Rodney King
With the horrors of war, prejudice, anger and hatred confronting us in the news every day, I often ponder what can be done on a personal level to help shift the world into a state of peace and love. How do we get there?? What do we need to do to learn to love? How can I learn to accept everyone, to honor everything in the world, to achieve inner and outer peace?
These certainly aren’t simple questions and the issues facing us individually and globally can be overwhelming. But change begins with us, one step at a time, one person at a time, one day at a time, one moment at a time.
In the powerful documentary “I AM”, director Tom Shadyac sets about on a journey to discover answers to his questions “What’s wrong with the world?” and “What can I do about it?” In the process, he also discovers what’s right with the world. What shifts his perspective is observing time and time again the effects of kindness and compassion everywhere he traveled. These experiences motivate him to make incredible changes in his lifestyle and to participate in the world in an entirely different way. Although not everyone has the luxury of traveling the world in search of answers, we can still grow and change through personal efforts.
There are some people who are born with traits of loving-kindness and compassion, or develop them from an early age as part of their social upbringing. But for some, these skills need to be cultivated and enhanced. Our society has been conditioned by the media to believe that the individual must stand out from the crowd – be better, richer, smarter, funnier, more powerful, win more awards and recognitions, etc., etc. The concept of the individual as part of the community, once so integral to world life, has been replaced by the power of the ego, the force of needing to be Separate. However, we are all connected; what one person does affects everything else – in thinking, feeling and actions. One individual calibrating at a level of 500, the energy of Love, counterbalances 750,000 individuals calibrating below a level of 200, which is where people drain energy from society without giving back (Power vs. Force, David R. Hawkins)! Every change we make towards positive growth, kindness and compassion, offsets the vibrational rate of those who are stuck in patterns that no longer serve the development of the Earth.
So What Can I Do?
The Power of Introspection
Begin by taking time each day to ask yourself: How can I be kinder? Where could I have shown more compassion? And include yourself as the recipient! Tame the beasts of self-judgment and judgment of others. Energy flows where attention goes, and what you think and feel you consistently attract into your life. So focus your attention on what truly you WANT to achieve, rather than what you DON’T want. What you resist, persists, so you will continue to attract similar experiences. It’s really about your vibration, your frequency. The universe recognizes and responds to your vibrational rate by sending you experiences with the same frequency. Which ones do you choose?
Acceptance
How do you feel about yourself? Do you have a critical judge protesting loudly inside your head about everything you do? In fact, we all have a judge hiding somewhere in the shadows. The real question is whether you listen or not. The judge shows us clearly what we need to shift and can be a wonderful “motivational speaker” to catapult us into making changes! When we begin a path of transformation, it doesn’t mean the judges aren’t there. It only means they no longer influence us because we no longer have the desire to listen to their criticism. Practice gentleness and forgiveness towards Self, also known as “spiritual selfishness”. It’s an important part of helping to shift the world consciousness away from hatred and anger. Make peace with yourself first.
Breathe with the Heart
The Institute of Heart Math has proven that the magnetic field produced by the heart is more than 5,000 times greater in strength than the field generated by the brain. The heart is clearly an important carrier of information. To increase the resonance of your heart, breathe slowly while visualizing and feeling your breath entering and exiting from your heart. Imagine how the effects of this exercise impact everyone around you!
The Power of Outrospection
Not everyone’s destiny is to change the world in global ways, but there’s no lack of opportunities to make a difference. The scope of the difference isn’t the important part; it’s the effort that counts. Are you an empath who notices and feels the pain and suffering of others – whether it be animals or humans or the earth itself? Continue to do that! Then make a choice to help in whatever way is appropriate for you. Assist an elderly person to cross the street; rescue an animal that’s being abused; volunteer at a local shelter. Whatever it is, IT MATTERS. Actions based on kindness and compassion resonate powerfully with the universe and have a huge impact on the positive evolution of the Earth.
And that’s how we start to become the change we wish to see in the world.
“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive." – Dalai Lama
“I love you. I am sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you.”
~ Ho’oponopono