Wednesday, January 1, 2020

The Unexpected Gift That Keeps Giving



On New Years Eve, I had two very intense conversations, one with a man and later with a woman going through severe mental, emotional and physical suffering.  I realized in both situations that I was not there to  offer wisdom but to listen attentively with compassion.  Both of them spoke about death, one by choice and one by circumstance.  Both of them stirred within me a deep recommitment to the resilience and creative power that lies dormant within each of us and also the awareness of devastating loss when one fails to arouse it.

We stand on a dangerous precipice in our relationship with technology and artificial intelligence. 

While we bask in ever-expanding conveniences, engage in 24/7 binge-worthy  entertainment, manage  distractions and an onslaught of endless information, our systems of education, religion, medicine, business and politics are slowly being dismantled.  Lust for power and profit dominate the mindset of more and more leaders and the “divide, control and conquor” strategies of past ages seem to be as prevalent as ever.  Our social support structures are crumbling and the family unit is constantly under seige.

What chance is there for the single individual to feel empowered against such  odds? 

Ending on a hopeless note, my two New Year’s Eve conversations left no room for “it’s going to be ok”.  It would have dishonored the sacred intimacy that held the space for their bitter honesty.  I had to feel the heartbreaking truth of their feelings.  I had to embrace the failure of our larger society in order to process and discover the true gift of these two interactions.    

Later that night, there were only questions.
 
How can we change circumstances if we refuse to change our habits of dependency on the old systems? 

How can we reframe our relationships, learning, belief, health and leadership? 

The adepts of many ancient cultures understood these dynamics of the individual and society and they created ways to develop self-leadership and inner mastery.  They understood that the Universal Law is in each of us.  When we are again attuned to It, our awareness completely shifts.  We can let go of the default programs that dominate our behavior.  With this knowing, a citizen could once again recognize the power of the individual who in our modern times holds tremendous consumer power, voting power, creative power and the greatest of all powers, the capacity to work through Love.  The possibilities are endless, as limitless as the horizons of our creative tendencies.  We are each a drop in a great and infinite Ocean. 

Do we have the courage, wisdom and imagination to access and wield these powers? 

The answer lies in the drop itself.

The true revolution of our age is not one of the masses, but of the individual willing to dive into the inner recesses of their own Being.  We cannot change the world but we can change ourselves.  We can strengthen our relationships within our society and make better choices when we know how to navigate our own lives more effectively.  Only then can we nurture stronger families, are wiser consumers, more discerning citizens and visionary leaders capable of making vital and conscientious decisions in technology, medicine and education through innovative creative design.  Our activism will have more substance and vision.  We will awaken the arts once again and let music and dance be a part of our every day life.  Living kindly will be as self-evident  as taking care of our environment.    

There it was.  The gift.  The clarity for me and what the opportunities of the next decade hold.  I was reminded that sometimes we need to listen instead of coming up with the answers right away.  I feel grateful to these two fellow travellers for the gift they gave me and I send them love.

Here’s to the first day of the new decade,  the first day of the first month of the new year… 2020, here we are… Breathe into it…

“You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one…”

Sing it, dance it, draw it, sew it, create, create, create... You are one with the Creator and all the power that ever was or will be is here in you right now.

Love always,
Ganga

Donated Image by Evgeny Lazareko of Unsplash