I had to Pass this Along
I'm just back from the TED Women conference. It was, hands down, the best conference I've ever been to. Why? It wasn't all the things I did, the places I went, or even the talks I heard.
It was the real conversations, the deep connections, and the authenticity. There was no higher or lower, no comparison, no posturing, and no facades, no us vs. them, no hierarchy.
This morning, I was sharing one of the talks with my husband and son as we discussed the wars around the world. I clumsily and inadequately tried to convey a sentiment. Moments later, a colleague forwarded the following email, which says it all.
Please take a moment to drink in this message. It is the ultimate way out:
Dear beautiful souls,
During this very polarizing time, I wanted to take a moment and remind everyone that the world presents itself in so many ways. Some beautiful, some ugly, some lovely, and some violent. Some magical and some tragic.
We, as the collective network of observers who create reality, need to understand that while we individually may not be violent, angry, greedy, hateful, or vengeful, the world is still a reflection of all of humanity's collective consciousness on the planet. And until we can accept and take radical responsibility for our own lives and our own role in the current state of affairs, we perpetuate the victim/perpetrator cycle, which is dominated by anger, violence, shame, blame, fear, and separation. As Dr. Joe would say, “If you want to change the world, start by changing yourself.”
Until we move beyond what the 3D senses and ego tell us and see that it is all playing out for us and not to us, we are stuck in the matrix. We are the victims of the emotions of the past and all the stories that enable that victimhood. And nothing changes. Until we can have compassion for our “enemy.” Until we can have gratitude for the “tragedy.” Until we can see the blessing in the curse, we remain trapped by the ego and the identity that we are separated by gender, by race, by religion, by political views, by ideology, and beliefs.
So today, I encourage you to be the peace you seek. To give the love you want. To be inspired by the vision, your vision, of the future, and to let go of everything the ego and the five senses tell you. Step into the gap between the stimulus and your response or reaction to it.
Become so aware that you catch those negative thoughts. And if one does, just start again. The thought slipping by raised your awareness, so instead of criticizing yourself as a “failure,” you can even have gratitude for that sneaky thought that taught you something and raised your awareness.
So take control as the master and commander of your mind and your body and choose a future instead of the past. Choose empowerment instead of victimhood. Choose to become the peace instead of to fight for peace.
And remember, love is reflected in love. My mom used to tell us when we were kids, “You cannot hate the hell out of someone. You have to love the hate out of yourself.”
Today is the day we set the example and choose another way.
We need more unity and less polarity.
We need more love and less violence.
We need more compassion and less complaining.
We need community now more than ever.
We are stronger than we believe
We are smarter than we think
We are more powerful than we can possibly imagine
I love you all and send you peace and blessings and hold for each of you the vision of your greatest future filled with joy, peace, compassion, strength, abundance, health, and gratitude.
— Anonymous
