Sunday, December 4, 2011

Changing the World

"Our actions arise not from a desire to change others or the world but from an inward outflowing of love for all that is."

There is a temptation to look at the state of our world and of people and want to change it.  We look at the injustices in the world, all of the negative things that are going on, and we instinctively want to make a difference.  At the same time, we might also look at another person and want to help them by sharing our philosophy of life or spirituality.  The desire to make a difference and to help our world and others comes from a good place.  However, we must make sure that this desire does not arise from attempting to cling onto things in this world.

For example, I may want to "save" someone by introducing them to a spiritual path.  However, we are all on a spiritual path, even if we do not know it, and are just in different stages.  Each person will get to where they need to go in their time of readiness.  Injustice is a tricky one, because it implies a notion of justice, right and wrong.  However, right and wrong are merely labels.  If we can help others from a place of Love, then this is a better motivation for our actions.

There seems to be a tie between spirituality and the environmental movement.  Trying to heal our planet for fear that it will uninhabitable some day is trying to cling onto the form of this planet.  Instead, our motivation should be from one of love for the planet, animals and nature.  Our identity should not be wrapped up in how environmentally conscious we are yet this desire comes from us seeing God in all things.  God is in the stones, trees, air.  She makes up our very being.  The tiniest molecules that form our bodies are held together by the thought of God as are the things we perceive with our senses.

If our instinctive desire is to change our environment or others, this should be a cue that we need to change ourselves.  Focus that desire for change on your inner life, because that is why you have the desire in the first place.  On some level, you know that there is a veil of separation between yourself and the Divine and this desire for change runs through an improper channel.  If we look at the inner life, we see that what needs to change is accepting both the dark and the light of ourselves.  What needs to change is getting rid of accumulated emotional and intellectual baggage we have accumulated in our life time.  In short, we need to accept ourselves.

Once we accept ourselves as whole, complete beings that are perfect as we are, our outlook on life begins to change.  We see that the world is exactly as it should be and we do not need to change it.  We are all engaged in this game called life.  If you wish to help others and the world, then that is what you should do.  However, our actions arise not from a desire to change others or the world but from an inward outflowing of love for all that is.

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