How do we fix something which has been corrupted on so many levels? How do we repair the environmental damage done to our planet, the vast imbalances inflicted to our economic, political, and social systems? How do we heal ourselves from a century of bombardment from lies and greed, war and hunger, pain, suffering and injustice. Can we repair ourselves from the inside out, spiritually and mentally? Can we retrain ourselves to see this world from the view of what is right, what is fair, and what is balanced? Are we able to fix a system so far gone? Or does it need to be completely torn down and rebuilt again on the fundamentals which are consistent with all life, with peace, with freedom, and with an honoring of our connection to not only each other but to every organic thing in this vast universe.
Some people are still new at this, they are just beginning to see the imbalance, and the injustice. They are mad, and rightfully so. But we must move beyond anger if we are ever to enact a productive transformation. Every time someone says “screw the system.” The system still wins. That is not the answer, it never has been. We cheat ourselves more than anyone else with that approach. However much we resent the situation, we must face it, and begin to come together with a better plan. Many ask, then what power do we really have? How do we change this without becoming the things we wish to stand against. How do we defeat tyranny without fighting the way they may very well hope we will? We cannot give in that way either. Fighting fire with fire burns the whole forest down. The answer is not to create more division, nor more hate. We cannot win this battle with our swords, we must win them in a spiritual and intellectual way. We have to become the ones who reject this system by our non participation.
What can we do to create that kind of passive resistance? What kind of difference can that really make? Well if we look at the main contributor to the current system we may see one common denominator to start with; money. Money and economic warfare have been used to suppress the masses and to keep the power at the top for very few. This is the fuel that powers the engine of this terrible machine our lives have become a part of. We must refuse it, and begin to look at ways we can provide what we need without money. That is a great place to begin. However impossible this may sound, think about what we truly need; food, water, shelter, and community. These are very basic things yet year after year we work our lives away chasing more. There are many alternative ways of living which can provide freedom from this system of greed and war, as well as give us a chance to remove our piece from the game. Perhaps if only a few hundred people do this, nothing would change, but what about a few thousand, what about a million? Not completely forgoing our current lifestyles, but rather looking at where we can live more sustainably and become self reliant. This can benefit the environment as we produce less waste, and look at more responsible ways of generating energy. This can remove currency from the military industrial complex our government has become. This can save lives across the world, by not continuing to buy mass produced slave labor goods, and by removing funding which perpetuates the occupation of our troops in countries we have no right to be in.
We can begin to share what we have learned with others. We can begin to go within and learn ourselves more deeply, attain newer levels of enlightenment and illumination. We can remember what truly matters, and stop filling our lives with empty things. We can read, research, talk with one another, and fill ourselves in new ways. We have this chance to change what we are each doing, and as we learn what we are contributing towards, and the truth of all the suffering it is causing, we have a moral responsibility to do so. We cannot continue onward as if there is nothing we can do. We can come together to help each other through this, and that is the most important part, that we love each other, erase the imagined walls of division. Recognize we are one big family, and we are not only living for ourselves.
We must each find our way through this, and we will. We will make the difference we want to, and if we are willing to change in the way that this world needs us to. We must begin to see the bigger picture, not just our own shortsighted view of it. Never feel powerless, never feel as though you are just one person. Remember that we are still the majority, and if we want a change, we can certainly cause one. We must keep clear minds, and maintain love and peace at the heart of all we do. Do not ever feel hopeless, just recognize how vast your outreach can be. Try and appreciate the resonance of just one life, when they truly mean to live for what is right. Think of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Harriet Tubman, think of the hero's throughout history who have stood up peacefully for what is right. They let their message be their tool, their lives and their legacy changed the world. So stand up, resist what you know to be wrong with your whole soul, change the ways that you are living which are not complementary to the truth and what is right. Be the love this world needs, and speak up every chance you get. These are the ways we can make a difference, a real one, a lasting one, every day.
~Namaste