On Divisiveness and Being Ablaze with Awareness
11/10/2020
In the darkness, we are. Division is the nature of our Society. Conflict and sorrow and loss of authenticity is the consequence. Yet, the penetrating light of awareness wakes us up to the wholeness within and the wholeness of the Universe. In that awareness that complete presence, where is the division?
Last night, seven of us dove into the nature of divisiveness. We first talked about how dialogue is not easy and can not be rushed. A beautiful moment occurred when we all realized that we are all learning together and that we are seeing that dialogue is about seeing one another, understanding where one is, and flowing together without judgement.
From there, we dove in. As we journeyed into the domain of divisiveness, one member shared, “It comes down to love. If we can just love, listen, look to understand, and not judge even if people are different, then things could be different.” Another member shared, “I think that if people just allowed others to be and not worry about their actions, then things could be different. Why do people worry so much about others?” While another member, said, “Divisiveness is taught into us and used against us for power and this mirrors what another member had shared earlier about how certain groups will use divisiveness for their own gains.”
The question remains, where do we begin to solve our culture’s divisiveness? We seemed to conclude that it must begin within oneself, and with a quiet mind in order to get under our programmed thought patterns that through conditioning create the division we see in the world. In other words, one is the world. We mirror and impact what we see by how we think. And just maybe, there is something underneath thought….
Later, two of our participants shared with us these beautiful connections.
First, this song and how this points to what we were talking about.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn6IO78BmRM
Ablaze
The first thing that you'll notice is some separation from each other
Yes it's a lie, we've been believing since time in memorial
There was an apple, there was a snake, there was division
There was a split, there was a conflict in the fabric of life
One became two and then everyone was out for themselves
Everyone was pitted against each other conflict ruled the realm
All our devotions and temperaments are pulled from different wells
They seem to easily forget we are made of the same cells
To my boy, all that energy so wild
Of your hues and your blues in equal measure
Your comings and your goings-away
My mission is to keep the light in your eyes ablaze
Second thing you'll notice is that often we think that there's not enough
It might feel dark, it might feel lonely and you wonder why you're here
You may be overcome with darkness and a sense of hopelessness
But it won't matter if you keep the core connected to the one-ness
To my girl, all your innocence and fire
When you reach out, I am here hell or high water
This nest is never going away
My mission is to keep the light in your eyes ablaze
And this cord is unbreakable
This pilot light is there in your pocket
And this bond, beyond un-shakeable
Even if we all forget
All at the same time
If we forget at the same time
To my boy, my precious gentle warrior
To your sweetness and your strength in exploring
May this bond stay with you through your days
My mission is to keep the light in your eyes ablaze
To my girl, all your innocence and fire
When you reach out, I am here hell or high water
This nest is never going away
My mission is to keep the light in your eyes ablaze
To my boy
The first thing that you'll notice is that everything is temporary
To my girl
Next you might notice is that we will always be a family
To my boy
My mission is to keep the light in your eyes ablaze
——-
Second, while another member shared this excerpt from Peace is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hahn,
Pg. 126 - 127..
“During our journey together, I have presented a number of practices to help us maintain mindfulness of what is going on inside us and immediately around us. Now, as we make our way through the wider world, some additional guidelines can help and protect us. Several members of our community have been practicing the following principles, and I think you may also find them useful in making choices on how to live in our contemporary world. We call them the fourteen precepts of the Order of Interbeing..
1 Do not be idolatrous about or abound to any doctrine, theory or ideology. All systems of thought are guiding means; they are not absolute truth.
2. Do not think that the knowledge you presently possess is changeless, absolute truth. Avoid being narrow minded and bound to present views. Learn and practice non-attachment from views in order to be open to receive other viewpoints. Truth is found in life and not merely in conceptual knowledge. Be ready to learn throughout your entire life and to observe reality in yourself and in the world at all times.
3. Do not force others, including children, by any means whatsoever, to adopt your views, whether by authority, threat, money, propaganda, or even education. However, through compassionate dialogue, help others renounce fanaticism and narrowness.
4. Do not avoid contact with suffering or close your eyes before suffering. Do not love awareness of the existence of suffering.
Garin
