What the World Needs Now Is Love!
The world would be a better place if we all learned to live in peace with one another.
This is not a new concept, I know, but merely reflecting on this sentiment is vastly different than taking it to heart and incorporating it into our lives in “real time.” It appears that the world-at-large is becoming more and more combative: rallying against one thing or another-no matter how insignificant it may actually be in the overall scheme of things-in order to support a cause or be a voice that gets itself heard in the world. The desire for change is inherent in all of us: it is a part of our creative, spiritually-based nature and is necessary for the evolution of our species. Conversely, hurting others to get a point across or using control and pain to affect change is not natural at all as it emanates from our human, earthly-bound side that is mired in ego.
Our government does not set a good example for its people. Our politicians often act more like spoiled children who throw fits to get their own way and win no matter the consequences, resulting in the expansion of even greater disharmony and segregation. When we are divided-as the all-too-common attitude “it’s them against us” so aptly depicts-and the ego is allowed to take the lead, conflict resolution with a peaceful outcome can’t happen and nobody emerges unscathed from the fallout. Despite our individual differences-how we look, where we come from, what we do with our lives-all of us are very similar in our desires at the most rudimentary level. We all want love, security, happiness and success; even though our individual interpretation of what these mean to us may vary greatly.
The question to ponder is this: “Can we ever fight enough wars to create peace or hate each other enough to induce love?” The obvious answer is “NO”, but it appears that not enough recognize that this is the very thing we are attempting to accomplish as evidenced by the ridiculous behaviors mankind repeats generation after generation. (My favorite definition of insanity applies here: “doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result.”) If we are blinded by prejudice, fear and hatred, we cannot see past what these negative, dark forces bring and consequently, the light of understanding cannot dissolve these illusions and free us from this cycle. If we continue to blame another for what we have created and refuse to acknowledge that we are responsible for our present reality, we will continue to be held hostage by our own ignorance and inevitably repeat these patterns, readily passing them down to the next generation.
Here are 3 important steps that will get you started on the path to peace:
1. It’s time to wake up to what we are doing to ourselves. Whatever we focus on expands, so if we live in fear we allow this negative emotion to darken our outlook and our energy, attracting more into our lives to fear. Our economy is a good example of this in general and the stock market certainly reflects this in particular. When fear of a recession became an every day headline in the news, it caused a trickle down effect on the masses, creating a dire situation for many. We can’t focus on what we don’t want without attracting more of it, so being diligent in noticing what has captured our attention is paramount to changing it.
2. Love is the only answer. Loving ourselves first makes it possible to love another. We can start by lending a hand to someone who is in need and this will help everyone feel better: “what goes around comes around.” Let’s find peaceful resolutions to our own personal conflicts and when we do, this way of life will automatically be extended outward to society. Let’s look at others with the intention of seeing the best in them and not amplify the bad: we will, after all, find what we are looking for.
3. The bottom line to our lives is how we leave the world when we make our transition from it. Making sure that your life is everything that you want it to be is easier to accomplish if you wake up every morning with a new decision to look for the good in all and appreciate everything you do have: this will certainly create a sense of peace and happiness within you and this is where it must begin.
