So often, our biggest challenge is knowing how to handle our own inner environment amidst the outer storm. The truth is, that's half the battle. In some cases, it's the whole battle.
Whatever action you take during these tumultuous times, remember that it will always serve the greater good if you first center yourself, so you can then act from a place of clarity, wisdom, and love.
When you're no longer fighting against your own inner turmoil of anger, fear, guilt, and so on, you're able to respond to any situation with clarity, compassion, and integrity - all qualities the challenges of our world call for.
Think twice before spewing out hate.
Feeling anger is one thing, but is acting out your anger the best action for the greater good?
Reactive forces are at an all time high. With the amount of pent up anger we're all carrying, all it takes is one slightly misused word and people are up in arms.
The very reason there has been so much outrage over the recent senseless police brutality is because people are carrying generations of pent up anger. That’s thousands, probably millions, of collective human years of suffering injustice and oppression.
Of course it’s going to come out. Leaders must understand this. But we can’t just speak to leaders and expect them to change. We can only control our own level of change, and do our best do influence others.
I believe it starts with understanding.
Not at a race level. Not at a society level. But at a human level.
We need to revisit the basics of what it means to be human, of what it means to be this quality of awareness living inside this vessel of flesh and bones. We need to start by putting aside all that separates us and makes us different, and instead focus on what makes us the same.
When I think about what we share in common, I always revert to the same truths.
We’re all just trying to have a pleasant experience of life.
We all want to experience our inner energy flowing, regardless of what triggers it.
We all want to avoid pain and seek pleasure.
Knowing these common traits, we can then understand others’ actions, regardless of how moral or immoral they are. We can understand - not condone, not approve of - just understand why someone acted the way they did.
If you can’t understand it at this basic human level of someone trying to be okay, then any solutions you pose likely won’t contribute to the greater good.
Taking your time to get it right.
While there are countless violent protests and reactive forces, I’ve also seen many people taking their time to find the right words and actions.
Some might see this time as wasted, but I see it as intelligent. After being shaken up, as long as your body is not in immediate danger, it’s always intelligent to center yourself before taking action. This act of centering yourself need not take extra time, in some circumstances. Or maybe it does.
Either way, it means you acknowledge that something terrible has happened. Now, with that, do I want to react to it with my pent up anger and insecurities that have nothing to do with the situation? Or do I want to first make sure I’m acting consciously from a place of clarity and willful, guided energy?
Realize that the latter approach will always be the one that’s greater for the collective good.
You may disagree, and that’s perfectly fine, but in no way shape or form do I feel that spewing out pent up anger is the most productive and beneficial long term solution to what we are facing.
I understand why people are doing it, and I certainly do not impose judgment. As I said before, millions of collective years of injustice and oppression are a sure fire way to ignite rage.
All I’m saying is, when we learn how to work with our inner energies rather than being thrown around by them, we’ll start to see more systemic improvements.
Leaders will start to lower their guard and make it less about their ego. The oppressed will feel safe to explore their inner dimensions while still going about their lives. Right now, there’s no excuse for people to not feel physically safe enough to do this. And that’s where we’re at today.
Learning what it means to accept.
Finally, I’ll end with another common topic of this blog, but one that’s more important now than ever, which is acceptance.
If you’ve understood what I’ve written about this before, you know why it’s so important. But maybe you still get hung up on the word acceptance.
Let me say this. Acceptance does not mean leaving something the way it is. When painful things happen, then by definition they hurt. What follows - our reaction to this pain - is what will determine whether or not we get a different outcome in the future.
If we cannot accept that something hurt us, then our subsequent actions will not be rooted in reality, but rather in denial or resistance. We will act in disharmony with reality.
We must accept so that we can participate harmoniously with reality and do whatever it asks of us in the moment.
Many people are being courageous and doing that today. But many people still are not, and instead, understandably, letting their reactive personal energies guide their actions for the greater whole - which doesn’t work.
Together, let's work on acceptance, so that we can step into the world and be the change we hope for.
Live with substance!
Gabe Orlowitz
P.S. This article was repurposed from another article titled "A Response To Injustice" from several weeks ago. I felt the message needed to be shared again, with some minor tweaks. I hope you found value in it.
