Thank you to my dear long time friend Diana Steinbrecher for this
beautiful, deeply loving, and powerful piece by Dorothy Hunt.
May we all remember what we have forgotten.
With love & blessings to all ~ Molly
Do you want to be the scissors that cut people apart,
or the needle and thread that sews them together?
--Mother Teresa of Calcutta
We are living in a time where the dark underbelly of our nation, our world, and indeed, our selves is constantly being invited out of the shadows. Those who simply disagree about ideas or ideals are often turned into enemies—even enemy combatants, fighting with words or weapons. People are bludgeoning one another on blogs, and shooting each other with bullets, with no apparent respect for the dignity and sacredness of life.
For those who have awakened to our true nature, to whatever degree, we understand that we are One, not just in word, but in actuality. We are not divided except in the dream of Separation. But awakening out of the dream of separation brings challenges in this life. How, and from where, are we responding to the war of words, or to the pain of persecution, prejudice, pollution, inequality and violence?
Judgment does little more than divide us into the righteous and the unrighteous, with “who is who” determined by whose mind is doing the judging. Tolerance by itself does not seem to invite a change of heart. Love alone transforms, but how can one love an enemy? I would invite you to find out. Could it be that we were born to be love in the midst of all that is unloved?
Perhaps, you might say, violence, aggression, war is just human nature. But is it? Yes, men were once thrown to the lions for sport; torture has existed from ancient times; wars have been fought over religious differences for thousands of years. But what about us, what about now, what about taking ownership for our own inner divisions, hatred, and violence? What about discovering the true nature of human nature? Who am I? Who are you? Discover one and you will discover the truth of the apparent other.
Realizing our true nature is simply the beginning of a transformation that eventually reaches every level of our being, if we remain truthful, open, humble, and available for such a transformation. While we have many freedoms in this country, and indeed, will celebrate on July 4 the birth of a supposed “free nation,” true freedom comes from a deeper place. As Consciousness experiences being conscious of itself within, a truly different dimension of our Being begins to take over, gradually replacing our “personhood” with Presence.
Freedom is not the freedom to do or say anything that arises in our egoic thoughts or emotions. Words and actions matter in this relative life that we have been given. Freedom comes when we are truly surrendered to That which lives undivided within each of us, when we have given ourselves to That which loves unconditionally. Presence moves with wisdom, compassion, and discrimination in a particular moment, in a particular situation. Such movement does not come from a mental map of “what to do when,” but from an inner movement of Spirit that unites us rather than divides us. Can we listen deeply to the eternal truth within that does not demand, but is continually inviting everything out of the shadows to be seen, understood, loved, and liberated back into the undivided wholeness of Being?
So, today, will you function as the scissors or the needle and thread?
© Dorothy Hunt, 2016
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