You will have noticed how the world is seemingly being assailed by constant reverberations of fear at the moment, and that sound is almost impossible to ignore. Fear is perpetuated by the media, making us think about it every day, and we keep it going ourselves whenever we share our concerns with others. So in spite of our spiritual endeavours, we too are threads of fear in this tapestry of world upheaval. Such fears have been echoing throughout human history for eons – it is the fear of our ‘impending fall’. Each great civilisation that has taken the course of excess, driven by material gain, has been faced with the terrifying reality that obsession with money and power is ultimately unsustainable and will lead to collapse. And, like all humanity before us, we feel incapable in the face of what appears to be impending ruin.
The changes taking place in our world today should not be of serious concern. It is nothing but a process of transformation, and transformation is inevitable. At some point, everything as we know it will end, and what we cannot yet imagine will begin. What really underlies humanity’s greatest fear is the overwhelming sense of disempowerment: the common feeling that we as individuals are at a loss, that we are incapable of doing anything about it. We ask ourselves repeatedly, ‘What can I do about this?’ The answer is simple: you can respond.
We can look at our situation from three very different perspectives, each resulting in different responses. First, the level of the experience itself: relative and subjective (what we see is constantly subject to change and affected by our internal beliefs). Secondly from the collective and evolutionary perspective and thirdly, from the position of unified awareness: the timeless, eternal One Self. Depending from which level we are looking, our perception and experience will be very different, but equally valid as each state is simultaneously co-existing.
Great truths have stated that ‘All is love’, and ‘All is one’, but that doesn’t mean that this situation is free of conflict, and neither is it beyond the law of cause and effect. Within the embodied presence of enlightened love there is still the witnessing of those in fear and conflict. We must respond appropriately according to the levels of consciousness involved.
Relatively and subjectively speaking, let’s be upfront and call a spade a spade. It is greed and nothing but greed that has brought about the situation we find ourselves in. Greed is the opposite of generosity. Greed is drawn from fear and is ultimately the driving force behind the world’s divisive measures. Greed results in abundance for the few and lack for the many. Generosity, on the other hand, is drawn from love and expresses the power of unity. Generosity cultivates abundant life for the whole. We are staring in the face of Karma: cause and effect.
Collectively, humanity is undergoing a process of evolution. Although the mass of humanity is in a state of duality, current events may be a catalyst for spiritual awareness and transformation. Most people are unaware that their true being is love, and is the One life. Thoughts and actions are drawn from the perception of separation. It is this perception (even though an illusion) that breeds fear, giving way to attachments, aversions, competition and greed. At this level of consciousness humanity is driven by individual needs. The ego is the perceived reality: the sense of ‘self’ is inherently separate and singular. And, to the ego, what is happening in the world is indeed one of destruction and chaos; it appears that ‘the world is coming to an end’! While caught up in these thoughts and feelings we cannot see our own link between cause and effect. We think life is being done to us. We think it is all a mistake, some incongruent accident.
However this process can cause us to confront our fears. This can be the catalyst to our evolution! We begin to be aware of our suffering and this awareness connects us to a deeper underlying reality: the truth that we really are love, that we really are the One life. This essential, aware Self begins to stir. We are now compelled to expand our view and perceptions of life, bringing about a shift in our consciousness. Instead of being immersed in the belief that we are the fear, that we are separation, or that our world is coming to an end, we begin to observe a bigger process. What we see collapsing is making way for a higher, more inclusive order and we begin instead to witness our self within the whole: we become present to an evolving, collective experience. Our sense of ‘self’ is no longer solely separate but interconnected with others.
We can also observe the link between our selves and the workings of cause and effect by recognising the consequences of our beliefs and actions. Instead of being unconsciously trapped in cause and effect, we become present to our own role by acknowledging the power of choice and responsibility. We can now seek to bring the essence of the One life, the eternal presence, into our own lives.
And, so we begin to sense the truth: what we are witnessing is not about death. It is about transformation. It is about life and re-awakening to what life really is. Life is not about things. Life is a journey: a journey of consciousness, of relating, of being and responding. We see that when we lose sight of this, when we attach our selves to things, we remain trapped in the confines of the ego: the world is perceived and experienced in dualistic, conflicting terms. And, yes, when seen from the Self that is eternal, that is One, there is profound peace in knowing that our life is nothing other than the working and presence of love: we become a presence of true relating.
All of this is the journey and the play of consciousness. We are living through the manifestation of consciousness, evolving here on earth. We must understand its stages to be able to participate more consciously and appropriately. And, we must begin to understand the nature of this manifestation. Our life is real. How it is perceived is the illusion. This is the central cause of our fears and limitations: not that life itself is un-real but that we limit and misconstrue how we see it.
At some point we must take responsibility. Why? Because no one else is going to do it for us. We are the ones who must transform and take the journey from the confinement of the ego to the heart of the aware Self. Deep in the heart lies the sense of the unified ‘Self’, the eternal life. In this presence we know we are the creator… and it is through the manifestation of our Self as a unique individual that we contain the power and responsibility to bring fulfillment to the whole.
Let’s not look upon responsibility as something to fear, but rather as something to revere. Responsibility engenders freedom, love, respect and power. Responsibility is response + ability: our ability to respond. It is not a burden placed upon us, or a power outside of us. This power is the ability deep within us; it is our purpose; it is invested in each one of us because we are purposeful to existence. This gives us the ability to respond. Only the arrogance of the ego would make us think we are less than capable or that the life that emanates from us has no effect or purpose to the whole. In every moment we are serving a purpose within existence: every thought, every word and every action is emanating from our being, rippling out and affecting the whole from every moment thereafter. This is our responsibility.
Rather than feeling overwhelmed, thinking of this in terms of enormity, let us remember our place, our being, as it truly is. Our place, our being, is the simple presence of the Now. Just here. Just now. Here in the Now, in this moment, is the origin of the thoughts, words and actions we choose. This is us as the causative factor: the creator of the effects that will follow.
Your responsibility comes down to this: to your attention in this moment alone. This is not something immeasurable or transcendent. It is utterly embraceable, it is imminent. Let go of the illusion that you have to fix the whole thing, that you have to worry about the distant outcome, and that you’re not good enough because you don’t have the power to do something more. By holding onto this story in your mind you keep yourself in an illusion. That illusion keeps you from the one place where you really can make the difference: the present moment. Right here, right now, in you, is the ability to respond, consciously. Right now YOU are the awake one; you are awake to what you are reading; you are awake to what you are thinking; you are aware. Simply bring your full attention to this. Be centred here. If you are centred here you will respond consciously. You will be aware of your thoughts. You will choose your thoughts, words and actions wisely. With awareness you will be filled with love. And with love you will be filled with the power to respond to life in the most harmonious and unifying way.
Take care of each little moment and watch the love ripple out to fill every other moment. Do not worry yourself with an idea of an overwhelming burden, a responsibility to the world that you cannot meet. You have the power to meet your full responsibility already: the ability to respond in each moment.
Copyright © 2017 Isira Sananda
