We Were Made for These Times

I would say the prevailing sentiment for me right now is disillusionment. I'm seeing things as they are, not how I'd like them to be. I read an article the other day about the presence of white supremacists growing faster on twitter than ISIS. The number of accounts has grown by 600 percent since 2012. What's interesting is instead of feeling scared, I feel relieved. I think a part of me knew this was coming, expected it, and perhaps even prepared for it.

As I've perused news stories about the rise of white supremacy and neo-Nazis, a voice clearly said, “You were made for these times.” I'm not alone in this. We were all made for these times. Every experience we've had to date has prepared us for this precise moment and for all the moments to come. No experience is wasted.

We are each a spark of light.

When I think about my experiences, I see how my outlook, my loving nature, and my empathy are useful for today's world.

I grew up in a household that practiced yoga and meditation and was taught from an early age to find similarities over differences. It wasn't unusual for a person from a far-off land to stay with us. Hearing different accents was normal. I won't say I'm completely free of bias and prejudice, but I will say I make an effort to work on it. I didn't realize how valuable that was until after this election.

My spiritual teacher says, “Those whose preachings encourage discriminatory feelings are the worst enemies of humanity. These are the people who in every age ... have caused blood to flow. And even today these vested interests are still trying to perpetrate discrimination in a thousand and one ways.”

He obviously has some strong words about those who want to encourage division. Instead, he advocates seeing everyone as a expression of the divine, something far easier said than done. A way for me to practice that is empathy. To recognize we are all human beings trying to meet our needs. I may not agree with the strategies to meet those needs, but I can see we all want the same things.

Audrey Hepburn said, “Nothing is more important than empathy for another human being's suffering. Nothing. Not a career, not wealth, not intelligence, certainly not status. We have to feel for one another if we're going to survive with dignity.”

Surviving with dignity means building bridges, not walls. It's important for us to create a “we” space, not an “us versus them,” space. “Us versus them” means hate, it means discrimination, it means fear, it means cruelty. I do not hate those who hate me. I do not hate those who hate others. Hate only breeds more hate and more division. Instead, in these challenging times I'm choosing to see other people as human beings, worthy of love and respect. I will fight tooth and nail against policies and practices that harm others, but I will not do so with hate in my heart because my experiences do not allow me to do that. I was made for these times. We all were.

I dream of a world where we realize we were made for these times. A world where we realize we all have unique talents and skills that may be put to use in service of others. A world where we understand each experience prepares us for another. A world where we realize we were born for this.

Another world is not only possible, it's probable.

Building Blocks

I am struggling to have hope for the future. To keep the faith things will work out in my favor both personally and in society. It's very easy to feel that way right now I think. When all signs and evidence are pointing toward one direction, how could I possibly believe another? I know that's why it's called faith, but faith has always been a struggle for me.

There's a saying I like: “More will be revealed.” It's popular within the recovery community because more will be revealed. We don't know what the future holds and more will be shown to us. I appreciate that sentiment, and know it to be true, but I also need a little more because, again, issues with faith over here.

Slowly and gradually some things are built.

My spiritual teacher says, “[W]ell-directed effort is the first and the last step toward the mundane success, psychic achievement, psycho-spiritual attainment, and spiritual fulfillment of human beings; indeed, aversion to this [well-directed effort] is the greatest impediment to success, great or small, in human life. That is why Shiva said in clear language, 'Without well-directed effort, success in any field of activity is impossible.'”

Reading that I feel a little better because I can't control the future, I can't bend the world according to my whim, but I can keep doing my part. And my part is to keep showing up, to keep doing the footwork, to continue the well-directed effort, and success will be achieved. I think of it in terms of building blocks. I want everything to be finished and complete already, maybe just slap on a coat of paint, but that's not how a new house is built. A house is built starting with the foundation with each piece carefully placed, otherwise the structure isn't sturdy.

Maybe instead of wishing the house was already finished and lamenting that I can't live in it yet, it would be better for me to see I am building something. Slowly but surely I'm building something new, and gradually, with time and continued effort, the house will be complete. The important thing is to keep going, to not give up, even though right now the house looks like a maze instead of a home.

I dream of a world where we keep making strides toward our dreams even when we can't see the fruits of our labors yet. A world where we realize it's our efforts that make change possible. A world where we understand the future is made up of building blocks and it's up to us to place each piece.

Another world is not only possible, it's probable.

The Hero Within Us

Last week I wrote about how I don't want to be responsible right now. I want to retreat, to withdraw. I'm tapping into something deeper this week and realizing it's more than that. I want to be taken care of. I want someone else to make the hard decisions, to be a leader, a hero. I want to be like a child feeling joyous and free because someone else is taking care of business.

This week has destroyed all notions I've had that someone else is taking care of business. Regardless of your political affiliation, I think the majority of us are fed up with many of our political leaders. I think the majority of us have lost faith in the people steering this ship. I know I have.

We all have an inner hero.

It's hard and it's scary for me to say that, because again, I want to be like a child, only concerned with her toys. What I'm realizing is I cannot. None of us have the luxury of becoming disengaged. We are who we've been waiting for.

Dhomang Yangthang says, “But now who is the arya sangha [the exalted community]? It is all of us, all of the practitioners of the present time.” That to me means I can't wait for someone else to show up and be the hero. I can't wait for someone else to come in and save me or save humanity. I really don't think it's up to one person anymore. I think it's all of us. My spiritual teacher says all spiritual aspirants must strive to become leaders.

We must all find our inner hero because as I think we've been shown, most of our leaders are primarily concerned with power, not with our welfare. There are exceptions of course, thank God, but it is up to us to keep the pressure up, to have a voice, to be empowered. And it's more than just voting once every four years. It's easy for me to sit back and say, “Well, I voted and that's good enough, that's all I can do.” Voting is great! Voting is important! But voting isn't everything.

To ensure we're being taken care of, we have to take care of ourselves. To ensure our brothers and sisters are being taken care of, we have to take care of them. What I'm saying is we can't rely on someone else. We can't be passive players in our lives because when we are, we become like sheep terrorized by wolves. Wolves will always be wolves, but together, we can drive the wolves away.

I'm going to quote my spiritual teacher again who said leaders will “work for the good of all countries, for the all-around emancipation of all humanity. The downtrodden humanity of this disgraced world is looking up to the eastern horizon, awaiting the leaders advent with earnest zeal and eagerness. Let the cimmerian darkness of the interlunar night disappear. Let the human being of the new day of the new sunrise wake up in the world.” I'm ready for that new day. Are you?

I dream of a world where we realize we have to work together to save ourselves. A world where we realize we have to be our own heroes. A world where we develop the leader within us in order to make the world a better place for all.

Another world is not only possible, it's probable.

The Power of Retreat

I don't want to “adult” right now. By that I mean I don't want to be responsible, I don't want to run any errands, I don't want to show up and engage in life. What's interesting is I don't want to go somewhere else, I don't want to swim with dolphins in Maui for instance. I want to withdraw completely. In yoga, the term for withdrawal is pratyáhára.

Pratyáhára is not the same thing as hibernating. In its true form, pratyáhára means the conscious endeavor to withdraw the mind from mundane qualities and attractions and direct it toward something subtler. It's considered a crucial first step in meditation.

Sometimes it's important to retreat from the world.

I won't claim that I practice perfect withdrawal, but the space I'm in right now is a melancholy one. I don't want to engage or connect. I want to retreat from the world, which is highly unusual for me because my name literally means to bind. I'm all about connection, presence, and form. I love making things happen, turning an idea into reality. But right now, that doesn't interest me.

I could start to chastise myself because I place so much value on engaging, but when I think about pratyáhára, I remind myself it's possible this, too, is OK. This, too, is a part of the spiritual process. I know my spiritual teacher discusses the term in relation to meditation, but I wonder if for me right now the desire to physically withdraw is also a call to go inward. To turn toward my inner self and practice communion with the loving presence within me that's also within everyone.

All things in moderation of course – the world cannot function if we all retreat all the time, but maybe retreating also has a place. Maybe I don't have to be “on” all of the time or responsible all the time or aware all the time. Maybe it's OK for me to check out. I struck a nerve there because typing that I started to tear up.

I'm learning to become a more balanced human being, but to do so I have to spend time at either end of the spectrum. To paraphrase my spiritual teacher, meditation is an effort to remove one's internal distortions – to extract the gold from the alloy, in order to experience merger with the divine. The distortions should not be cast aside, but should be smelted in the fire of meditation and restored to their pure and original form. And withdrawal is a part of that process.

I dream of a world where we strike a balance between withdrawal and engagement. A world where we give ourselves permission to retreat every once in a while. A world where we understand there is a place for all things.

Another world is not only possible, it's probable.