Years ago I read a book called The Science of Mind by Ernest Holmes. Written back in the early 1900s, some of the language is archaic and the sentence structure worse than mine. But something about the ideas contained in the book resonated with my husband Thom and me. We signed up for classes and over time, that positive philosophy worked its way into many parts of our lives and minds. Although no longer active in the teaching, there is a quote from Holmes that came vividly to my mind this week. That phrase is, “Find me one person who is for something and against nothing, who is redeemed enough not to condemn others out of the burden of his soul, and I will find another savior, another Jesus, and an exalted human being.”
As the dust settles following the recent election emotions are running high. Mine included. It is tempting to make those who see things differently as the enemy, and to self-righteously sooth myself with my so-called intellect and reasoning skills as being morally and mentally superior. But where is the compassion? And what does retaliation do except build a wider chasm in a world in desperate need of unity, peace, and understanding?
Of course, the argument against a mindset of compassionate inclusion (and I can convince myself as good as anyone) is that such liberal and open-minded behavior is ineffective, uncaring and just plain wrong. Even now, the shaming on Facebook among those who professed to be all on the same side is starting to condemn and judge others for not doing enough or doing it “right.” If everyone we judge is the enemy, and everything is a battle to be won in the name of righteousness, how can anyone ever win? And even if we did “win” how could that be the loving, kind, compassionate world so many of us say we want to experience?
What I believe Ernest Holmes suggests in his quote is that any time we fight something, any time we resist something, we only cause it to grow and fester. Even worse is what we ourselves become in the fight. Holmes is not the only one to point out this dualistic challenge. Zen Master Jianzhi Sengcan said back in the late 500’s, “If you want the truth to stand clear before you, never be for or against. The struggle between for and against is the mind’s worst disease.”
The Law of Attraction philosophy as taught by Abraham-Hicks backs this assertion with constant reminders that as “energy and vibration” we each draw to us exactly what we put out. Strong emotions like anger, hate, fear, and condemnation all return to us with the same ferociousness as what we send out. Like a boomerang, we get what we give. So, even if we feel righteousness about our anger, blame, and disapproval, is that what we consciously wish to invite back into our lives with increased velocity?
So what happens then? Do we just sit back and let circumstances unfold in front of us that break our hearts? Do we ignore the pain of others and watch while the world around us teeters on the brink of perceived disaster? Again, that is when Ernest Holmes offers more wise counsel. He continues his quote with, “Find me one person who no longer has any fear of the universe, or of God, or of man, or of anything else, and you will have brought to me someone in whose presence we may sit and fear shall vanish as clouds before the sunlight.” In other words, let us return to the very Source of our being and fearlessly be for what we want to see in the world, and let go of everything else.
But how do we do that?
- Be very clear about the type of world you want to inhabit. Want equality and justice for all? Then get involved and champion that at every opportunity. Care about the environment? Get involved in everything available to support the healing of the planet. Concerned about the safety and rights of women, children and minorities? Stand up, support and get involved in organizations in your community and in your country that are doing the work you want to embrace. Think our political system is broken? Be the person who finds a more equitable solution and change the world.
- Meditate daily to remind yourself of your true eternal spiritual nature.
- Train your mind to stay focused on the qualities you admire and find healing like compassion, hope, peace, love, forgiveness.
- Avoid shaming or judging anyone who expects you to do what they do to change the world. (And certainly, don’t fight back!) Again, if what we give out comes back to us, make sure that you either stay neutral or give out love. Let others be responsible for their own karma.
- Support organizations and “vote” with your dollars for groups and people who exemplify the qualities and characteristics of what you want to see and experience in the world.
- Hang out with people who model the type of consciousness you hope to embrace.
- Become as self-aware as possible so that you recognize when you find yourself slipping slowly (or quickly) into anger, fear or revenge. At those times do something proactively to create change or gently remind yourself of your greater Self.
We are not, and never have been powerless. Lots of forces in the world might attempt to convince us otherwise, but they are only coming from their own fears, sense of limitations and inadequacies. We might have conditioned ourselves to believe we can’t make a difference, but it isn’t true. Each of us has the power to greatly influence ourselves, our families, our neighbors, and our communities. But we can’t do that just sitting at home yelling at the television and wishing the world would change. We must get involved and share the very best parts of us.
Another favorite quote of mine comes from a poet named Jalaluddin Rumi in the 13th Century. Rumi said,
Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing or right doing,
there is a field.
I will meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass,
The world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase “each other” doesn’t make any sense.
When we get rid of the fences we use to separate us from one another we might find that that field is closer than we imagined. Yes, get involved and work to change the world into a place you want to live. But always remember, the place each of us primarily lives is within our own heart, mind, and consciousness and we are in charge of how to populate it, regardless of what is going on outside. May we each embrace the highest and best we wish to see in the world. And never forget, the SMART approach is to always be for something, rather than against.
I am a long time subscriber and I find solace in this blog. Because I feel love and care which is not something I have been feeling from friends with differing viewpoints. I have been focusing on peace, an emotion that cannot be counterfeited.I also wrote about this today…I would love for you to read, its short…..
Hi Donna. Thank you for telling me this brought you some comfort and peace. I know it did for me and I was sincerely hoping it would do the same for others. I did go to your blog and found it touching. I loved that it reminded me that whatever we go looking for, we usually find. Be the answer in a friend, a stranger or even a book. Let us all continue to focus on peace and know that the turmoil many of us are feeling is likely an awakening to something even better. I can’t see it yet, but I believe it is possible. ~Kathy
Thanks Amin!
Beautiful quote by Rumi, Kathy, and one that is very timely at this point. It is true that when we resist something, we allow it to fester. Better to go take action than sit and preach from that soapbox that’s so easy to hop on to. I think social media has made it that much easier to rant and rave from the comfort of one’s keyboard, and even on the go.
Holmes words are immortal. Somehow, many books from the early 1900s seem way ahead of their time. Probably because there wasn’t so much noise as we now have. 🙂
Loved the post!
Hi Vidya! Thank you. I’m not sure how people are viewing the election in your part of the world, but as you’ve noticed the anger, fear and frustration by some people on Facebook is very strong here in the U.S. While I was on the side that was disappointed (probably no surprise there) I also believe from many psychological and spiritual perspectives that such anger, fear and disappointment is not healthy for any of us. I am surely not advocating doing nothing to advocate any measures we believe vitally important, but doing it from a place of peaceful resolve. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts. ~Kathy
An excellent post and advice I intend to heed. I will admit to being anxious about the election outcome. But quite honestly I would have been just as anxious if it had gone the other way. Yes, I am one of those people who so disliked both candidates that I only voted down ticket. First time I have ever not voted for president. .Not good, I know, but my state was is not a swing state so I felt less pressure to make the impossible decision. I am truly an Independent.. liberal on some issues, conservative on others. But I am cautiously optimistic. I am reminding myself that we have had presidents in the past with personal flaws and we survived and often thrived. I agree with Obama that Trump is a pragmatist rather than an Idealogue. There is hope there. We simply have no idea where he will take us. Scary, but like Tom Hanks,” I hope our new leader is such a success that I vote for him in four years”.
Hi Judy. Thanks for checking in on this and leaving your thoughts. I realize that we all see the world through our unique perspectives and even when we believe in peace and compassion for all it shows up differently. I’m hoping that we all can come together and create a world where we overlook the things that make us seem on different sides and moves forward in a positive way. And I’d never heard that quote by Tom Hanks before. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful thing? ~Kathy
Ah! You stated how I feel so well! I am liberal in many areas and conservative in many others. My stepmother used to shame me because, unlike her, I never saw issues as being one side of the coin or the other. I saw issues as being more like a diamond with numerous facets so I rarely came down firmly on one side or the other of any issue because I always saw more than two sides. Still do.
As to the election, I agree that Trump is a pragmatist. There is hope that despite the fact that he is, as we all are, an imperfect human being, he will affect some positive changes.
Thanks for this thoughtful post, Kathy. And the Rumi quote which I am going to share. I’m in a very dark place right now, questioning so many things and feeling angry and lost. What could I have done to prevent this loss–the backtracking that is occurring. I think what hurts the most is going out into the world and watching people humming along as if NOTHING has happened. I know that sounds a bit crazy, we have to live. That’s the beauty of how America makes the transition–no armies in the streets. No one was killed. But people are being harmed. A backlash is occurring and I sit here and struggle with what I will do. Write. And yes, volunteer. But when I’m with my book club and they forget who I am and that I’m the only one not on their side–what do I do? Thinking of staying home. But that’s being a coward. Maybe I’ll close my eyes to stop my tears and say the Rumi quote–if I have to. Thanks.
Dear Beth….I am so sorry to hear you are having a tough time of this. I won’t make light of that. It is a challenging time so be gentle with yourself. But I would encourage you to dig deep and begin to recognize that your “interior” state is at least as powerful as your “exterior” state. And from there you are able to do your greatest work. Think of Viktor Frankl in the concentration camps who was able to say in the pain and horror of it all that, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” That is NEVER giving up, it is just growing strong enough to help bring about real change. I pray that you are able to find that peace and inner strength. Everyone with a caring heart will be needed in the future. ~Kathy
P.S. Here is a wonderful song/chant that I find soothes my soul. Give it a listen… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVGFCwvfxxE&feature=youtu.be
It’s all very well if you aren’t worried about being deported. Or put on a registry. Some things need to be answered with more than just, “oh well, that person is getting bad karma.” Hitler had lots of bad karma, but that didn’t help six million Jews. Being for NOT putting people in concentration camps strikes me as nothing but a semantic contortion. I doubt that we are looking at another Hitler, right now. I sincerely hope that we are not. But only time will tell, and I am watching things very closely.
I do agree with you about focusing one’s energy on doing something positive, rather than just ranting – on trying to make your corner of the world come closer to the vision you have of what it should be. Of making a world you want to live in. One shortcoming of this as your only approach, however, is that there may be other people whose view of the world they want to live in is diametrically opposed to yours. I agree that attacking people for how they voted is hurtful. It’s also counterproductive because people who feel attacked tend to just dig in. I agree that hating people is hurtful to your own soul, and that it also tends to make people hate you back. So I agree that, in general, being for as many positive things as possible is a good plan. But I still think that when you come up against someone who is for something that you feel is a really, really bad idea, it is necessary and appropriate to tell them – as calmly and respectfully as you can – that you are unequivocally against it. And if there is action you can take to try to stop them from achieving that bad objective, I also believe that you should take it, rather than standing by and watching on the grounds that you don’t want to “fight” or “be against” anything, no matter how bad it is.
Hi Carol! I really think you and I agree on just about all of this. Perhaps I didn’t explain it well enough, but I do believe we all need to get involved and help whenever we can…so yes, if someone is being very disagreeable about something, by all means speak up….if, and it’s a big if…you can keep your inner resolve and not try to hurt or create as much violence from them as you believe them to be giving you. I so agree this isn’t easy but again, if we do believe that what we give out come back to us, our first priority must be our own peace of mind (that’s the karma that I was referring to!) If we can stay passionate and focused about the good we want to see (by changing it and getting involved) I believe we are far more powerful than if we are reactive to others. It is the difference between being proactive or reactive….with some Law of attraction thrown in. As Abraham-Hicks says, you can never get sick enough to help a sick person get well. You can never get unhappy enough to make an unhappy person feel happy….etc. I believe we can heal the troubles of the world by wallowing in the pain and violence. We MUST rise above it if we really want things to change. ~Kathy
Yes, Kathy, I think that as usual we are not really very far apart. One of my deepest concerns right now, which I did not allude to in my earlier comment, is what will happen to the United States’ contribution to the global effort to prevent, reduce, and mitigate the effects of climate change world wide after the election of a climate change denier to the leadership of a country that is the second biggest polluter on the planet when it comes to greenhouse gasses. I think that your blog can possibly make a contribution in this area since right-sizing and living SMART can easily meld with living green and minimizing one’s carbon footprint.
(If you haven’t yet watched “Before the Flood”, you should. This National Geographic film is available free on Youtube.)
Hi Carol! Yes I’ve seen the movie Before the Flood. I agree that protecting our climate is a very important issue for me. I have been, and will continue, to fund and support work that focuses in this area because it is so important to me. And in case you didn’t know the “S” in SMART stands for sustainability! What’s the quote? If we can’t breathe the air then everything else won’t matter that much! But as I said in the post, we must each find what we are passionate about and get involved if we want to see the kind of world we hope to live in for the future, but I refuse to destroy my inner peace today in order to do that. I believe it can be “both/and” not “either/or”. ~Kathy
This is fabulous Kathy and very positive. 4-7 are great! I am lucky, for the most part our Thanksgiving will be spent with like minded people.
Hi Haralee! It was certainly something that I needed to write for me so I’m happy if anyone else finds it helpful. I hope you have a very happy Thanksgiving and that we continue to work together for a more compassionate world. ~Kathy
Wise words, Kathy. I hope to get there soon. For now, I’m avoiding Facebook and other social media sites that only cause me distress.
Hi Janis! I do believe self-care is important if we are ever to help others. What’s the saying, make sure you take the oxygen mask before you try anyone else. Breathe. Take care of yourself. When you’re ready the world will welcome you! ~Kathy
As you can imagine, Kathy, I absolutely love this. As a kindred spirit, I’ve worked diligently to maintain this attitude over the past week. I can’t say it’s been easy (a fairly constant challenge, actually), but I do believe in my soul all that you’ve shared here, and said so beautifully. Yes, there is much work to do. But the attitude with which we do it predicts our success.
I just adore that Rumi quote. As soon as I saw it opening this, my heart felt comforted.
Thank you, thank you.
Hi Susan! I thought you might like this one after reading your current post. I am so grateful for blogging and my background as a way to process it all. Only through careful, proactive, loving intentions can we ever create the world we want. Thanks for being a mutual heart in all this. ~Kathy