Thoughts On Transforming Dehumanization Into Opportunities To Choose Consciousness, Compassion, Kindness, and Love

From Aaron Niequist:
I just watched President Trump’s press conference about the national emergency veto, and was aghast by the way our President’s words rhyme and resonate with the hateful language in the New Zealand terrorist’s manifesto. 

They both use hate to demonize the other. 
They both see outsiders as a threat to the purity within. 
They both are a moral and practical danger to our world. 

I offer no hopeful words or solution, just this heartbroken lament.

*****

I do believe that there is an antidote to the epidemic of violence and dehumanization. Just imagine a world where we assumed responsibility for lowering our tolerance for violence — where we looked deeply within and saw, owned, healed, and transformed the obstacles within ourselves to being conscious, courageous, kind, compassionate, and loving. Just imagine a world where each and every one of us spread the word through the modeling of our own belief systems, values, actions, and stories we live by that Love and kindness is what most matters. Just imagine that we humans embrace the remembrance of our interrelatedness with all of life and recognize the Sacred within one another, including those who have deeply forgotten who they are and are consumed by ignorance and illusions which justify hatred and harm. Just imagine a world where more and more of us are awakening to the deepest and most vital truths of the beauty of who we truly are and how we are part of, and not separate from, the web of life. Just imagine a world where we experience our profound connection with and love of our Sacred Earth Mother. There is so much we can imagine, so many antidotes, so many countless steps we can take to heal ourselves and awaken. May we consciously create ripples that matter. May we use images like the one in this post as reminders of how vital it is that we work in an ongoing way to not bite the hook of returning hatred with hatred and instead again and again and again choose consciousness, compassion, kindness, and love. May we be the Peace our world hungers for. 🙏 — Molly