Everyday, we see suffering in the world around us. War, corruption, poverty, prejudice, fear, anger and so on. And with all the unfortunate focus and exploitation by the media of that which is excessively negative, it can often seem as though the heart of the world is broken. With no hope of mending.
“What could I, little old me, possibly do to really have any effect on healing the world as a whole?”
Well, as one person taking some big, significant action that will have the type of impact to spark widespread healing in one fell swoop… nothing. As nice as it would be, to be able to do that, there is NOTHING you do that will have that kind of effect. Because we are not meant to do so as individuals. Otherwise it would have been achieved already by the magnanimous leaders and legends of our history.
We are not meant to do so as individuals, because we, together as a whole, ARE the heart of the world. Only together, en mass, can we begin to make the strides required for the changes we want see. The irony? To do so begins with us, as individuals.
Because if we as a whole are the heart, then we as individuals are each “beat”. No matter how strong our individual beat is, a single one will not keep the heart going. It needs every beat to pulse with the energy of life. But if we do not each provide our “beat” to its greatest potential, we rob the whole.
So the healing in fact starts with you. Wherever you are in life, that’s where the it begins.
Right Here. Right Now.
Healing our heart first. We’ve all faced challenges in our lives. Most of us have faced tests at one point or another that have felt so severe, we don’t know if we’ll ever come out from under their oppressive weight. Yet the sole power to do so is in our hands.
Is it right that others have doled out injustice at our expense? No. It never is. But at the same time, we cannot FORCE another to change. We cannot MAKE another accept what we feel is the error of their ways. The only person we have the power to change, is ourselves. We can draw from many inspirational sources around us, but it ultimately has to come from us to truly evolve beyond our current condition. How can we expect it of anyone else, if we cannot do so ourselves? How can others feel deeply the sincerity of your desire for healing to occur, if they do not see it from you in deed and action. For deeds will ALWAYS speak louder than words.
“Okay. OKAY! But how do I start?”
It can certainly feel overwhelming when making the connection to just how far reaching an impact our personal healing can have. But again, you start right here, right now. Exactly where you are. It starts with:
- the courage to be vulnerable
- being compassionate for what you will go through in the process
- having the strength to be the first to forgive.
It can be as simple as:
- spending 15 mins of uninterrupted time each day with your child (when you never received that attention)
- telling those closest to you “I love you” every chance you get (when you could have stood to hear it a little more yourself)
- giving yourself the space just for you (when the example you saw was to give EVERYTHING of oneself to another)
It can be in seemingly unrelated activities:
- Painting your home the colours that scream “ME” (when others might criticize or mock you)
- Saying good-bye to work that leaves you disconnected from your essence (when others will be disappointed in you or think you are crazy)
- Using your fitness, like we do here at Dare To Evolve, as a “vehicle” for developing your innate qualities towards achieving your highest potential (when all around you all you hear is “How much weight did you lose?! How heavy can you squat?! Better do more cardio to get ripped.”)
That is where it starts. Unchain and strengthen your “beat”. The very “beat” you are meant to provide to the Heart of the World and the impactful healing we wish to see in the world around us, will begin…
Dare To Evolve,
Shane.
I read this and it makes me smile because I’ve heard, read, and thought these same ideas most of my life. They are the simplest of ideas, do unto others as we would have done unto us, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, first do no harm. Why is it that I find them the hardest practices to maintain? I guess that’s the journey.