Has cruelty become normal in today’s society?

It is easy to look around the world and become discouraged by the wide-spread the violence and hatred being perpetuated by people in power. Our attention is  endless news cycles and social media posts that highlight wars, inequalities, suffering, and dehumanization.

And when we’re bombarded by these images and taglines day in and day out, it’s easy to become numb and indifferent to the suffering of others. Cruelty seems to be the new normal – or at least, that’s what they want us to believe.

In order to cope with this new and unsettling reality, we may distract ourselves by constant busyness or by withdrawing to avoid a world that feels increasingly hostile and cold. We may notice our anxiety getting worse and our thoughts descending into a fear-fueled spiral. And in such a world, hope or optimism can feel far away.

But I don’t believe this is the full story. I don’t believe cruelty has become the new normal.

Kindness as a radical way forward

I believe that outside of the narrow lens of the news, exists a far different reality than the hellscape it tries to portray. This reality isn’t reflected in headlines or in trending posts, but is found in our communities and in small, seemingly insignificant interactions we encounter every day.

Yet, it can be difficult to even recognize this other reality, especially when we are constantly activated and on edge. It is deeply unfortunate that the news today gains attention by manipulating and distorting our fears, leading us to consume more of it and endlessly doom scroll. It makes us feel helpless and afraid. It isolates us and separates us from our communities and friendships.

Yet, these are the very things that can connect us and ground us. And it is through kindness that our friendships, communities, and connections can thrive.

But what is kindness, really? Kindness is the active and willful affirmation of the humanity of another.  Kindness is the path out of fearful isolation towards meaningful connection; kindness is the light that peaks through the clouds and gives us hope, direction, and clarity.

It is the exact opposite of cruelty, which seeks to actively and willfully dehumanize and strip others of their dignity. And this is precisely why kindness is such a radically powerful antidote in today’s society – because it rehumanizes others and restores their dignity. Kindness is radical because it repels fear and restores our sense of hope, humanity, and community.

I urge you to not discredit yourself here, thinking “true kindness” is only found in courageous acts of inspiration and devotion seen by the great figures of history. Kindness can be these things, but kindness is more often found in the small, routine moments of our day – smiling at the cashier, engaging in small talk with a neighbor, making cookies for your coworkers.

Underneath kindness is the firmly rooted belief in the goodness and resilience of humanity; the belief that as much as the news and those in power try to portray humanity as evil and corrupt, there is still goodness in the people around us, regardless of what we look like or what we believe in. And when we engage in a kind act, we are communicating to the other that they value and that they are not alone.

Kindness is the radical path forward. It is the light that illuminates. And it is through a multitude of kind acts that the oppressive darkness we all feel may begin to finally dissipate.

Don’t lose hope. Be kind.

Kevin Culver, LPCC, is a professional counselor, published author, and owner of Resilient Kindness Counseling. Kevin has a MA in Mental Health Counseling and a BA in Theological Studies. With a background in spirituality, philosophy, and psychological research, Kevin provides a holistic approach to therapy that seeks to honor each client’s unique personality, worldview, and life aspirations. In his therapeutic work, he helps clients rediscover their humanity and create greater meaning in their lives, work, and relationships. He enjoys working with individuals from all backgrounds, but specializes in working with men’s issues, spirituality, and relationship issues. If you are interested in working with Kevin or learning more about his practice, please visit resilientkindness.com or email him at kevin@resilientkindness.com

In any case, I watched “Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol 3” the other night, and cried almost the whole way through. First, watching defenseless creatures being experimented on is torture. My empathetic characteristics go into overdrive. Yes, I feel their pain. Having been on the receiving end of other people’s agenda with no agency to draw boundaries, I completely know that feeling of helplessness. Second, when the surgically altered raccoon is tossed into a cage with other similarly altered animals, they gather around, instantly relating to his pain and offering immediate solace. And rather than them trying to talk him out of what he’s feeling, or using distracting comments or actions to ignore the grotesqueness of his recent ordeal and thereby, also effectively denying their own pain (it takes an exchange or two to back off), they give him time to acclimate, to adjust to his new condition, accepting his silence until finally, he says one word.

“Hurts.”

And one of his new compatriots gets a rag from her cell mate, wets it with her tongue, and gently wipes at the trickle of blood coming from beneath the metal plate recently implanted on his head.

And this is what got me. I cried recognizing what courage it takes to say, “it hurts” with no explanation, no justification, no excuses or blame. Even more so, I cried harder to see the vulnerability received with compassion, acknowledgement, no judgment and no cajoling to feel better. I honestly can not remember a time when I was completely, kindly and lovingly witnessed for a painful moment, upon hearing devastating news, or making a colossal mistake that I regretted with zero interjection by someone else about their experience. Okay, once, from my father when fear overwhelmed me and he just held me, even as he was being urged to stop because we had to be somewhere else.

What would it feel like to collapse and stop being brave, smart, put together, a complete know-it-all and allow whatever feelings are there to be a-okay, just fine, and even sensible? To discover that, in such a collapse, we are not destined to drop down a dark well and be lost. Rather, we find that, either with ourselves or if we’re lucky, with someone else, there is a safe refuge of being completely human, with all our emotions in tact and that in experiencing them, fear drops away and a sense of competency and wholeness wells up. When we are with whatever arises without pushing it away (or letting someone else talk us out of it), we find a tenderness of heart, a strength of spirit, and the ability to extend compassion to others in a similar space.

Now, before we go off the deep end, this is not the same as wallowing in self-pity, crying victimhood, or railing against the unfairness of life. In Yoga Sutra vernacular, these last three examples are vrittis, mind whirlwinds, stories that define who we think we are. Vrittis are more often than not painful thought clouds that obscure us from the truth of our experience, that keep us locked into the persistent, pervasive feeling of precariousness, as my teacher, Reverend Jaganath defines dukkha, or suffering. More often than not, vrittis are not based on lived experience. Quite the contrary, they are figments of our imagination, perhaps fueled by a bit of reality, though typically blown up into a much more tragic event than the original incident.

Take the story of being cut off in traffic. We may exclaim in the moment, “Ugh!” Or something more exciting and colorful. And if we sat with the rush of adrenaline, recognized our well-being and even our competency of not running into said car, we could just shake it off (like animals are known to do) and resume our drive. However, for many of us, we begin to imagine, “what if?” What if we’d not seen the car? What if we’d not had brakes? What if we’d crashed into the car and other cars piled into us from behind? By the time we get home to our partner, or talked to a friend, we might fearfully exclaim, “I almost died today!” Sound familiar?

Back to the movie. Rather than space and silence and a willingness to let the raccoon come to terms with his plight, the other animals might have exclaimed their vrittis, saying, “Oh my god, he really did a number on you! He’s so evil. I wish he would die. Did he put you under or were you awake? When are we getting out of here? Did he smell like bad cheese like he always does?” Notice how all these vrittis are about an external experience and have little to do with the more important experience, the internal one.

Science has shown that most emotions last 30-90 seconds. That’s it. What lasts longer than that is the story, the vrittis, about the emotion or event. We can tell the getting-cut-off-in-traffic story for days, weeks, months, bringing up a similar sensation in our body. However, if we truly sat with the initial emotion, rode it out to its full and complete expression, witnessing it and treating it with kindness and respect, perhaps we would not need to keep reliving it. Perhaps what we are missing in our lives these days isn’t the technical understanding of emotions or how the brain works. It’s the simple practice of feeling the pain and saying, “It hurts.”

As I drove to the mountains the next day for a hike, those words kept coming back to me. And I was soon flooded with innumerable times from childhood, adolescent, young adulthood, hell, a few weeks ago, of instances where there was hurt that did not get acknowledged — times where I had wished someone would have been able to simply hold my hand, not to make the hurt go away, not to be told it was going to be all right, not to hear of someone else’s pain to make mine look less; instead, as a witness, as an acknowledger of my felt experience who would mirror my capacity to be with it.

What I see as the challenge to humanity, what is keeping it from choosing a course other than polarization, division, harming the earth and its inhabitants isn’t AI, climate change, the possibility of a second Trump term; it’s the inability to fully feel our feelings, to recognize them and see them as legitimate. When we deny the human experience of emotions, especially in ourselves, how can we possibly have compassion for other people in pain? All the world’s atrocities stand on dehumanization which is essentially stripping people of their emotional capacity.

As Khalil Gibran writes,
“Many of us spend our whole lives running from feeling with the mistaken belief that you can not
bear the pain. But you have already borne the pain. What you have not done is feel all you are beyond that pain.”

When we feel pain and can be a witness to that, and to the pain of others, only then can we feel what we are beyond the pain. We experience our compassion, kindness, curiosity and courage to be with our ourselves, our fellow humans and earth’s creatures without divides, without polarizations (yep, we are often internally polarized too) without fear. That gesture, that small allowing of riding out what emotions and sensations arise, will lead us to a choice that can heal our dystopia for our own good, and the good of those around us.

The next time something hurts — someone says something, someone does something, you do or say something — take a moment to be with it, maybe even saying (perhaps silently) “it hurts, this hurts” and feel it fully.

Bear the pain, and then begin to feel all that you are beyond it.

About the Author: Beth Hinnen came to the spiritual path from the corporate world. After experiencing impermanence and greed, she left to study Yoga and has over 1,000 hours in Yoga teacher training, and ended up specializing in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, spiritual scripture that closely aligns with Buddhism. From there, she studied Zen Buddhism for over ten years, including in-person, month-long monastic retreats, until she earned certification, in January, 2023, as a Mindfulness and Meditation Teacher with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach. Currently, Beth is a co-leader of the IMCD Council, and on the Teachers Collective, as administrator. She hosts a Meetup group called Yoga Meets Buddhism, and for the past three years, has held an online Dharma Wednesdays class that discusses the Yoga Sutras while also bringing in Buddhist teachings, along with Sufi poets, Christianity, Judaism and other spiritual paths that reinforce the words of Sri Swami Satchidananda, the founder of Integral Yoga where Beth studied. “The truth is one, the paths are many.” More information about Beth is at www.samayaco.org.

As December moves along, I find myself imagining the New Year. I start anticipating the changes ahead. I wonder about how things will evolve for myself and for those I know and care about. What direction will the conversation head? What shape will the world take? How will we each arrive into whatever is to be?  

I also of course reflect on the year that has now gone by. I think of the moments that stand out. The decisions that were asked of us as individuals, and as a group. What accomplishments can we stand behind? What lessons did we learn as we grew into who it seems we were always becoming… 

I appreciate the reminder to rest and to acknowledge how much each year asks of us.

I know I personally need to slow down and bask in a comfy blanket and a warm cup of tea. What better time to go inward and to contemplate than in that liminal space where one year seems to have ended but the other has not yet begun…   

Slowing down also has the byproduct of making it clear that aspects of this time of year are always hard for me. The strangeness of the phrase “See you next year!” sits with me after I say it. Where did that time go? How quickly things pass when they are in our memory… For me this brings up angst. I start to think about how we only get so many trips around the sun before our time is up. I worry I’m missing the moment, and then, I end up missing the moment because of how worried I was that I would. 

I am also a bit more teary in the winter. For me, my malaise is quite cyclical. Typically I’m okay during the day, it’s at the bookends of winter nights that I struggle. Sleep comes with more tosses and turns, and mornings seem drudgier. I can be quite the grump. In that state, self-care is more difficult to commit to, and comfort food, lets just be honest, sounds way better.

I am much kinder to myself than I used to be. Really I owe much of that change to those who have held space for me. Thank god for love and friendship and therapy! And yet it’s still hard to share pain. When I do, my shame pops right up. Who are you to complain? Why don’t you do something about it then? Do you know how much worse other people have it? What’s wrong with you? Why would you burden other people with this? And on and on that voice can go.  

To name the shame here helps me to interrupt it. I want to give myself permission to take the holiday season in stride. To let all of my emotions be there, without judging them, or myself for having them. It’s okay to have my mixed feelings. Sometimes my joy will be front and center and I’ll be singing (way out of key) and laughing about something silly. At other times my anxiety might make a go for the ol’ rabbit hole. Or perhaps I’ll find myself hanging out with some sadness for the afternoon.

Whatever emotion is there I am grateful to know that there are those to share it with. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and for staying connected as we begin again. Happy (and other feelings too) New Year. 

About Elan

I provide therapy for individuals and couples. My approach as a counselor has elements of existentialism, humanism, and transpersonal psychology – though more than anything, I’m committed to helping people discover their authenticity and develop as human beings, in whatever way feels most organic.

elan@elanbenami.com; 720-722-0565

From birth we are bombarded with dogma: Merriam Webster defines dogma as “a point of view put forth as authoritative without adequate grounds.”  We are conditioned early on, for better or worse, to believe. 

Believing provides many emotional benefits.

If we believe the world is essentially good, we feel less stress and greater wellbeing. All the unknowns in life can be explained with a belief. Beliefs tell us what to do when and why. They provide a moral and ethical basis to operate from; they are essentially operating programs that tell us how to interpret life. As such, people often ask: “What should I believe? How should I look at this?” 

Behind every belief is a fear.

If you think about it, the only reason anyone adopts a belief is to alleviate a terrible fear. The parent says to the child: “Do what I say, or you will be punished.” This, “What I say” also includes how the parent feels about him or herself – the nonverbal parts of awareness that cause us to react to others unconsciously, i.e., “What you said made me feel like trailer trash.” Obviously, I could not make you feel like trailer trash if you did not already believe that you were.

Beliefs are all self-reinforcing.

If you believe a latte will calm, and reward you, it will. Not only that, but anything anyone does or says to dissuade you from your belief only intrenches you more. You become a “Latte-ite” and look for others to join you. You form groups of latte-ite’s, and that only distracts you from discovering the real source of your stress: It is always another belief, like, “I’m not good enough.” So, behind every belief there is always another belief that counteracts your first belief, such as, “I am good enough. I’m even better than anyone else.” All this complexity works against your own function. It takes a lot of energy to balance “I am good enough” against “I’m not good enough.” It is important to note that neither of these beliefs, that consume so much of your time and energy, have anything to do with who you are. What would it be like to go through life without any beliefs at all? Or should I say, actively observing yourself to see if what you just did was an automatic reaction, and then tracing your reaction to a belief. Having discovered the belief, like: “We should always be loving and kind,” not reinforce it – allow it to wither and die. What you are left with is your naked self. Why don’t you effervesce with love and kindness without your belief? The more you look at the why of what you do, the less you relate in a prescribed way. You begin seeing the fear behind your belief, and you begin to separate who you are from your conditioned self. You become less rigid and controlled, more open and accepting – loving if you will.

David Hoefer is an unlicensed psychotherapist specializing in depression.
He is in private practice at DenverDepressionHelp.com in Denver, and Lakewood, Colorado. He can be reached at 720 404 9160 or hoeferman2@gmail.com; davidhoefer.com.

Doesn’t it feel wonderful when you know that someone cares for you?  It is a deeply felt knowing that you are not alone in the world.  It is an essential need.  There is a longing to be connected to someone in your life that supports you and has your back.  When you don’t feel “cared for” by your partner you experience disconnection.  A lack of attention and care can leave you feeling unloved and forgotten.  

Biologically we are “wired for connection.”  Humans have a very long dependency period and being cared for is critical in order for a human child to survive.  Caring relationships are basic to human existence and consciousness.  The inherent desire for a companion that cares about our well-being continues throughout life.  

In partner relationships, the desire to be seen, heard and known is fundamental because if we are truly known by another there is a sense that they care for us. We think of healthy attraction beginning with the spark of erotic polarity, which is necessary but unless it includes caring intention from both partners, the sexual attraction will not be enough to hold the relationship together.  Caring intent is essential for intimacy and having a healthy meaningful relationship that lasts.  The absence of being cared about can lead to loneliness, loss of meaning, despair and depression, which is why it is vital to keep the caring connection alive. 

“A Caring person is one Who has Appropriate Motivations to Care for Others and Who Participates Adeptly in Effective Caring Practices”

~ Virginia Held

Caring is an Action

Caring for someone is more than just liking or loving them; it means that you are concerned for their well-being.  Your actions and behaviors include serious attention to protect their health and welfare.  You are interested in looking after their needs and willing to put yourself aside to give to another.  Virginia Held, a philosopher on the ethics of care, describes a caring person “as one who has appropriate motivations to care for others and who participates adeptly in effective caring practices.”  The motivation to care can arise from the initial attraction to another and deepens with the sense of love for another.  A person may “care about” another without knowing how to “care for” another.  

The kind of care you received when you were young will have an affect on the kind of care you expect to receive and the kind of care that you give.  Living in a culture that upholds Independence and self-sufficiency as a high standard has diminished the value of caring to the extent that many people have not learned how to care for others or even for their own deepest needs.  

Knowing what actions and behaviors the person you care about needs in order to feel “cared for,” supported and protected is necessary in order to give healthy caring intent.  This is often where misunderstandings, feelings of discontent, and of not being loved occur in relationship.  One person may truly care about another but have no clue how to show their partner that they care. 

Effective Caring Practices

Commit to the Relationship

All relationships go through periods of harmony and disharmony.  Without a commitment to stay, work through problems and resolve issues there can be an underlying feeling of dissolution at any moment.  Don’t be, “One foot out the door,” whenever there is an issue that arises.  This is a lack of commitment.  The thought that one’s relationship is not solid gives partners a sense of insecurity and the feeling that one’s partner doesn’t really care.  Trust is fractured.

Trust is crucial for security and when both people commit to supporting each other through difficulties intimacy increases and the feeling of care results.  Resolving and repairing issues requires skill.  Commitment entails overcoming your habitual reactions that cause separation and learning the skills of coming back into harmony. 

Connect with Your Partner and Give them Attention

Relationships suffer from absence, inattention and taking your partner for granted.  Have the demands and activities of your life taken precedence over your relationship?  Caring behavior includes attending to the thoughts, feelings, desires and needs of one’s partner.  Once you commit to a relationship you may believe that you have “tied the knot” and are done with the job of giving your partner caring attention.  “I’ve told you I love you, why do you need more?”  Neglect feels like rejection and can silently creep into your relationship.  Absence in the form of neglect and lack of attention does Not make the heart grow fonder.  Distance for short periods of time can create a sense of appreciation and longing….but if you are not making an effort to be with your partner and connect with them or to be there when they need support, you are not valuing them and they will feel the lack of care and concern.

Attention is shown through being present with your partner, focusing on their needs, putting your needs aside and truly listening to them.  You care about how they experience life, what brings them happiness, what their passions are and what they want to pursue.  You understand and empathize when they hurt and support them when they are sad. 

Attention is shown through Daily Actions. Make Appreciating Your Partner a Priority.

• Be Present and consistent.  Our bodies crave the feeling of a trustworthy and reliable partner.
• Connect with your partner every day.  Ask about their day and take time for sharing.  Be curious and interested in what interests them.
• When you are traveling or apart from one another Call, Text, and check in.
• Leave notes of endearment.
• Remember special occasions, dates and events.  Notice what lights up your partner’s face and how they like to celebrate.  Treat Special Days with extra special attention.  Plan ahead. 
• When your partner has a project or event that matters to them be supportive and show your appreciation for their passions.  Make your partner your Priority and what matters to them matter to you.  Be present and drop what you are doing.

Be Emotionally Engaged and Actively Listen

• Make sure your partner is your “Go To Person.”  Create a sacred intimacy between the two of you that no one else shares.  Keep confidences.
• Share your thoughts, ideas, and vulnerabilities.  Open your heart.
• Have common interests and share in social engagements and activities.  Do an activity your partner enjoys even if it is not high on your list.
• Be emotionally intelligent; know your feelings and be willing to share them.
• Regulate your emotions; do not suppress and do not project.
• Validate your partner’s feelings.  Emotions are real; do not ignore, dismiss, or try to change your partner’s feelings.  It is diminishing, hurtful and emotionally abusive.  Instead, accept your partner’s feelings and do your best to understand.
• Actively listen.  Be present and look at them.  Attune yourself to the other person.  Notice their body language and the sound of their voice.  Paraphrase back to them what they said.  Validate their feelings and words.  Ask for clarity if you do not understand.  Show that you are interested in what they are saying.  Don’t numb out. 

Do Acts of Kindness

At the beginning of your relationship, you probably noticed the small gestures that gave your partner joy.  You made their favorite meal, you tidied up your mess, you brought them tea or coffee, you planned a special outing and surprised them, you bought concert tickets to their favorite group and you made sure that when they had a tough day you turned off the television, sat with them and listened.  The day-to-day kindnesses add up.  Each time you do an act of generosity and kindness for your partner, you are adding the positive qualities of love and caring, which enhances your life and theirs.

“And in the End, the Love you Take is Equal to the Love You Make” ~ The Beatles

Value and Cherish Your Partner Every Day

The more you put into the relationship by being generous with your care and attention, the more safety and trust are enhanced.  When you cherish your partner you are valuing your connection of Love. 

Dorothy Wallis is a former intern at People House in private practice with an M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy.  She is a Psychotherapist, Certified Relational Life Therapist, Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, and an International Spiritual Teacher at the forefront of the consciousness movement for over thirty years grounded in practices of meditation, family systems, relationships, and emotional growth.  Her work reflects efficacious modalities of alternative approaches to healing for individuals and couples based upon the latest research in science, human energy fields, psychology, and spirituality. 

As a leader in the field of emotional consciousness and the connection to mind, body and spirit, her compassionate approach safely teaches you how to connect to your body, intuition and knowing to clear emotional wounds and trauma at the core.  The powerful Heartfulness protocol empowers your ability to join with your body’s innate capacity to heal through holistic Somatic, Sensory and Emotional awareness. 

www.TheDorWay.com and www.Heartfulnesspath.com  

What we are experiencing on the planet is unprecedented. Never before have we had the magnitude of global interconnection and communication during a crisis that affects every human being, as we are experiencing in this moment.  

Much of humanity is focused on the media, the daily changes in life and the effect it is having on distant parts of the globe as the Covid-19 virus circulates around the world. 

Where is your focus and attention going?

You don’t need to listen to the news to know something remarkably uncommon is occurring. You can see it on the empty streets, with the closing of schools, people being sent home to work, and empty shelves at the grocery stores.  You can see it in your personal life and how it has affected your livelihood. Now, people are self-isolating or sheltering in place either by choice or because they have to.  

As you observe this phenomenon what are you experiencing inside? 

Does fear arise? Does confusion, panic or astonishment arise? Are you at peace?  Do you enjoy the “alone” time? Perhaps you are at home with family members that before were all out in the world.  Now you find yourself in constant contact with them. Are you kind? Are you enjoying one another? What is your response?  

It has been just a week, although it seems like a month, since this became a serious enough issue that I thought to take action to be prepared.  Being a pragmatic Virgo, I made a list of items I would need to stay at home for a month or so and set out to purchase them. Lucky to find a parking space at Costco, I started toward the door when a man ran up behind me, “Ma’am take my cart.  There are none in the store.” A bit bewildered, I thanked him for his thoughtfulness. Before entering, a woman holding a bottle of hand sanitizer and wipes swabbed my cart handle. Again, I smiled and thanked her. Inside I beheld a sea of people and baskets.  It might have been daunting yet as I navigated through the crowd, I felt a sense of joy. People were not pushing and shoving, they were actually slowing down and allowing others to get where they needed to go. There was an air of kindness…a sense that all of us were in this together.  Checkout lines were long going all of the way to the back of the store. I rounded an aisle near the front to pick up some protein powder, the last item I needed, and saw a short line. In disbelief, I asked the man standing at the end, “Are you at the end of the line?” “Yes, he replied.”  I had the most delightful time as we conversed noticing our similar feelings and views on keeping a positive loving attitude and approaching the situation from within our heart. Normally, I am not inclined to be so open with a “stranger” but it felt good to share and reflect on our abundance and goodwill.    

If you haven’t noticed, we are witnessing an extraordinary moment. 

A moment when we have an opportunity to awaken to the truth that we are truly One.  One human family, breathing one breath, globally interconnected and interdependent. Is there any doubt now that what happens in China or Italy or the U.S. or Canada or Australia, or Syria, or any country affects every single one of us?  We are joined physically, mentally, emotionally, economically and spiritually.     

You can look at the virus as a demon or as transformer.  It is showing us that we All Breathe the Same Air. We are One Breath.  We are not Separate. We are one global family. With that understanding the question becomes, how do we respond as One Being?  How do we lift our consciousness to a higher level of Care for One another?    

There is so much I have thought about over the past days with so much to say…and so little to say.  We are in Unknown Uncharted waters. Isn’t that the greatest fear? We cannot know for certain what lies ahead.  The world has turned upside down and in the outer world there seems to be no stability. Our healthcare, economic, social systems, and leaders are showing their vulnerabilities.  No one is immune. This tiny creature is raising All of our personal and systemic vulnerabilities to the surface.    

As strange as it sounds, that is the Gift. 

We are getting a clear view of our response or reaction to this crisis.  Distractions are few. We are at a standstill. When have you ever seen the world Stop Doing?  We have been running around willy-nilly doing, doing, doing with endless thoughtless busyness. We have been so preoccupied with doing life that we have not stopped to see where we are going.  What have we created? How are we impacting each other? How are we impacting all of life?

In a moment of fantasy, I had a Sci-Fi vision of Mother Earth creating this microbe to get rid of humans.  We would not be missed. In actuality, the earth is taking a deep breath right now. Water in the canals of Venice is clearing and fish and dolphins are populating the waters.  Pollution in cities is abating as cars, trucks, businesses and factories are shut down. Animals and other creatures are happily carrying on. We humans are the ones in crisis.         

We are in a pivotal moment in consciousness.  We have a great opportunity to pause and observe without judgment but with great discernment our habitual conditioned response to life.  We invest lots of our energy in attempting to control just about everything. It is a basic reaction to ensure survival and it can also be our greatest downfall.  There are a zillion different views on what and how to control the outer world and other people in order to be secure.

How secure do you feel right now?

Can you awaken from the trance?  You have never been able to control the outer world.  External stability is fleeting. The only place where true stability resides is inside of you.  A great teaching is offered in turning inward. Through this extraordinary circumstance you have a chance to glimpse the eternal part of you that is constant.  Here resides a core of centeredness and stability that is awareness. You have the power of choice in how you respond to whatever you experience. 

As you approach life from this pillar of timeless balance, you are coherent with the ebb and flow of life.  You are able to observe and choose responses that enhance life. Innovative and creative solutions abound in times like these.  Already, we are seeing people creating new and exciting ways to deal with work. Others are using their skills to find solutions to save people’s lives.  What we know for sure is that we are all in this together. We are having a rare Shared Experience. I trust we will adapt. Humans are resourceful and resilient.  We are in the midst of an upgrade in consciousness if we choose it.  

As you move inward into your heart and know without a doubt that we are One, you will respond with care for all humans, for all creatures, and for our dear planet.  

This is our challenge and how we respond will be written in our memories for all time.  

__

Dorothy Wallis is a former intern at People House in private practice with an M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy.  She is a Psychotherapist, Certified Relational Life Therapist, Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, and an International Spiritual Teacher at the forefront of the consciousness movement for over thirty years grounded in practices of meditation, family systems, relationships, and emotional growth.  Her work reflects efficacious modalities of alternative approaches to healing for individuals and couples based upon the latest research in science, human energy fields, psychology, and spirituality. 

As a leader in the field of emotional consciousness and the connection to mind, body and spirit, her compassionate approach safely teaches you how to connect to your body, intuition and knowing to clear emotional wounds and trauma at the core.  The powerful Heartfulness protocol empowers your ability to join with your body’s innate capacity to heal through holistic Somatic, Sensory and Emotional awareness. 

www.TheDorWay.com and www.Heartfulnesspath.com