Broaden Your Vision

As another year comes to an end it seems customary to reflect on the old, and begin to create thoughts towards a new year.

We’ve seen this country in full turmoil. A volatile world at war. A divided nation ripped apart by its differences. A world separated by cultures and faiths.

Culture is not your friend, it's an impediment to understanding what's going on.

The word cult and the word culture have a direct relationship to each other. I mean the American family is what keeps American psychotherapy alive and well. This is a cauldron for the production of neurosis.

People must be deconditioned from cultural values.

"This is what makes it such a political hot potato, since all culture is a kind of congame, and the most dangerous candy you can hand out is candy that makes people start questioning the rules of the game." —Terence McKenna, Into the Valley of Novelty Lecture

We have created a world where difference is celebrated by self-serving politicians and angry mobs. In this age of "spin," we are less inclined to believe that our histories have anything more in common than struggle and division.

Yet, ironically, our separate beliefs of spiritual renewal keep us entangled. Every religion celebrates a plank level of truth.

For those who have not taken the time to nurture their soul and examine their spiritual heritage, truth is then degraded and violence becomes sanctioned.

Violence and faith are hateful contradictions.

We all know that violence justified by a misrepresentation of faith is the greatest threat to peace in this world.

As adherents to our respective faiths, we are obliged to engage in a process of personal spiritual growth and as a collective consciousness.

My sister Rebecca would say, “we are drops in the ocean, causing ripples”.

As the year ends, and the new year begins, I will continue on my journey of many lifetimes, hoping that I will break the chain, and finally rejoin the cosmic oneness that some call God.

The meaningfulness or meaninglessness of a life is dependent upon our behavior with our fellow man, irregardless of what time of year it may be, and in the end, perhaps the greatest lesson to be learned here is that, in a world disfigured by wars and catastrophe , there is clearly much work needed to be done.

Love is basis for everything. Stay true to your path and find Love within yourself.

"Love" a word that rolls off the tongues of so many, without weight or definition. It seems as if everyone uses it to justify their actions.

After all, this is the universal law—right?

Can Love be defined? Or is it just out there - a love force that pervades the universe?

Always know that you do not need a personal being to love you; there will always be this Love coming from the cosmic oneness that we all are.

Looking back, I can see that we have lost the capability to communicate, to understand and trust each other because of race or faith—our differences.

I must stress the importance of working together, and to learn from each other. We must begin to communicate, to understand and last but not least to trust each other.

If we are not to suffer from worsening divisions between our different cultures and traditions, we must reconquer the shared ground of common values we all hold dear.

This process must involve a return to the concept of the common good and to help to renew spiritual bonds and restore an ancient relationship that has, so recently, been tarnished.

Restoring "truth" in faith requires difficult concessions on all sides. We cannot speak of peace and love with organized religion controlling our thoughts. If we are to coexist, we must learn about our respective faiths and search for common standards.

We must teach our children about their true inheritance and provide them with the necessary tools of understanding. We must separate faith from the lies of politics. That is the only way we can survive our present, terrible reality of conflict, and build, instead, a future of dialogue, of love, light, understanding, and compassion.

From this, respect is born, and trust is seeded.

I do not believe that God made man with such a fundamental and destructive flaw, nor do I believe His scriptures, any of the various scriptures, condone such behavior. As cousins in faith, many of us do not understand each other, but we know each other far too well to excuse continued acrimony. I believe that believers of all persuasions must allow their common veneration of truth to guide their actions.

The importance of peace for the individual is emphasized many times in all scriptures, and should be our common ground.

"The way to a long life and happiness is to "strive for peace with all your heart" –Psalm 34:14

Similarly, Islam places the highest value on social harmony; even its name, which signifies submission to the will of God, is derived from the Arabic word for peace (salaam).

The cynicism engendered by generations of conflict will, doubtlessly, draw scorn from members of all organized religious faith communities who read this.

I try to remind myself that the plank level of our faiths are sufficiently powerful to transcend any acts of those who have abused their tenets.

As we near the end of this year and the beginning of the next, some folks try and make resolutions which are never kept. They are used like a band-aid. Something to cover a much deeper wound.

I try not to fall into the illusion of resolutions, instead I make changes.

I will continue my blog, which is a representation of my truth. I express to all that I do not have a monopoly on truth, but that I do share certain ethical values, including the honest search for truth, itself—and as always, I urge you to find your own truth, and your own path.
In our society today, religious celebrations and spiritual reflection has been commandeered by commercial interests and misrepresented by ideologues. The messages of spiritual reflection has lost out to the temporal imperatives of greed, acquisition and capitalism, with arrogant triumphalism.

To lose sight of this imperative is to invite anger and hatred into human society.

Our common imperative should be to find truth within ourselves and peace between our differences.

I often dream of a world without war. Without want. Without fear. A world of love and trust.
We can make that dream a reality only by working in the spirit of cooperation. Together we can solve any problem. Go any distance. Build a future as beautiful as our dream.

Provided we do it together. "The youth of a nation are the trustees of posterity."

You have one eye open if you understand the process which has been accelerated by very worldly conflicts and man-made sectarian hatred.

Somewhere in these shared feelings there has to be a way for us to meet beyond the conflict that diminishes and corrupts us all, Jews, Christians, Muslims… But there are possibilities of meeting each other at the level of religious understanding. Let this be a call to us to escape the narrowness of vision that lumps all people together, that denies their uniqueness and humanity, and reduces them to a label or a slogan, the other, the enemy.

It is human contact that draws out the best in each of us.  Without the warmth and stimulus of others, our finest gifts go to waste. Open up. Reach out.

Let the current flow.

During a time of increased extremism, when stereotyping blunts any hope of recognizing the humanity of 'the other', I remind you to arise from the illusion, climb out of your narrow box, lessen your tunnel vision, and widen your perspective and do not give in to instant judgment—be more reflective.

Find peace and love and happiness without delusion. Make the most of yourself.

There is only one person in charge of your life and that person is you.

You are your own creator.

Every day you have a new opportunity to create the person you want to be.

Broaden your vision for the new year.

Related Articles

Happy New Year 2010
In Memoriam Brandy - 1995 - 2010
Culture is Your Operating System