The Ongoing Conflict
As we have read the news headlines the past few weeks we have noticed words like terror, fear, war, anger, conflict, casualties, etc. Once again, humanity is in crisis with itself and once again violence will be used to try and destroy violence. This is nothing new. This seems to be a given of what the human condition appears to be. But I offer that what we are seeing in the anger and violence can be reduced to a simple thing. Within each one of us is a personal conflict or war, brought on by years of being told by others: who we are supposed to be, what we are supposed to believe and how we are supposed to act. The conflict is between what we sense to be true deep within and what the world, society, politics and religion tell us to be true out there. Instead of relying upon our own inner light or voice of truth or Pure Silence, we instead believe the bill of goods or lies we have been sold. This is a profound conflict. This is the war within.
This bill of goods or lies is a long list. Please allow me to enumerate some of them (Lies printed in Red).
1) Instead of understanding that we, as humans are one species living on one planet, having been graced with the gift of 'being aware that we are' and accepting that we are the nothingness of Pure Silence itself, we believe that we are unique individuals with unique egos. I am special, more important or better than another human being. I am the center of my own world.
2) Instead of understanding that we are each filled with and by the same divine silence of love itself and that we are all the same no matter what our state in life is, we believe that we must compete with each other and compare ourselves with others. This one is better than I so I should be like him or her or I want what they have because they have more than I.
3) Instead of understanding that truth has many facets, as there are many different kinds of flowers in a field, we believe that our own beliefs are the only true ones. My religion or country is the best or has the fullness of truth.
4) Instead of realizing the need to transform our selves into non-fragmented, non-judgmental integral beings, we allow ourselves to be transfixed by the numbing status quo of accepting society's view of reality rather than our own experiential living as human being in relationship with another. I can never change and neither will the world. The rich get richer and the poor poorer and it's not up to me.
If we can simply see that each one of us is the world and that if we can stop this ongoing personal conflict within our own minds, we in a very real sense are bringing peace and change to the whole. In a sense we can wipe our personal slate clean of all these lies, of this bill of goods. How? We can turn within to the always present, never changing awareness of Pure Silence in our mind where there is no conflict in the first place, where the slate is always clean and where we can always begin fresh.
Stop now and relax into that. This is the first step into seeing that the conflict exists only in your own mind. Your natural state is peace-filled and gentle and orderly. You can allow it to be so because it is already so. Say yes to this space which is always there, which is your true face, a face that is in reality no face at all and yet contains all faces. In that face, in that silence, there is no conflict. There is just you and me and we, that's all!
Happiness to you and yours.