UNIVERSE WITHIN by Gwen Randall-Young
It’s much too easy to slip from “we’re pretty good” to “there’s something wrong with you,” which is the root of racism…
– allenswriting.blogspot.com
I had hoped by the time we reached the 21st century, racism and discrimination might have been a thing of the past. With the terrorist attacks of 2001 and subsequent incidents, there appear to be growing pockets of negative opinion against Muslims, as though all Muslims were terrorists. This is ridiculous, of course, but discrimination is not rational.
We can see the ego aspect of mankind operating throughout history. Ego is about fulfilling its own need without any regard for the impact on others. It is about polarity, good-guys/bad-guys, right/wrong, us/them. It is about our way is the right way and yours is wrong. It is about “You should be like us.”
Horrible things have been done to individuals and cultures because a more powerful group chose to impose its ways upon others. Sometimes, it may have been well intentioned, if misguided, but at other times it was simply about domination and control.
If we stop to think about the formation of our planet and how life evolved, it is pretty amazing. Many things seem to be designed to work together, from the moon and the tides to pollination by insects. Humans figured out how to survive in myriad environments, including hot, dry desert areas and the high arctic. Their survival necessitated working together, cooperating and looking out for one another.
Animals evolved at the same time and not having egos they have coexisted fairly peacefully (except when hungry). No animal species has tried to dominate or change another. It seems we humans could have done this too, but we have egos.
Ego thinking has created a lot of negativity in our evolving process. It is what makes us fight, compete, desire to dominate and believe we are somehow superior to others. Are we doomed to keep repeating the old ways because we have egos?
Humans have also been gifted with intelligence. Certainly, a big part of our evolution has been physical and in our relationship to the physical world. We also have the ability to make the choice to evolve our consciousness. This means we can change the way we think and how we relate to each other and our world.
We have the capacity for wisdom. When I use the word wisdom, I refer to the higher self to which we all have access. It is that part of us that can transcend or see beyond the immediate situation and can think in terms of the highest good of all involved. It is free of ego and ego needs and tunes into that place where we all are one.
Thinking this way means we need to detach for the moment from our own beliefs and perspectives, realizing we could just as easily have been born anywhere on this planet. We could have become the starving child or even the terrorist.
We are all part of the human family, and yes, many aspects are dysfunctional. However, if we raise the level of our own consciousness, practise loving kindness in all we say and do, validate and honour others, recognizing everyone’s right to be here, we tip the scales just a little on the side of wisdom and integrity.
This will raise the consciousness of those around us. Soon enough, a few more people will choose conscious evolution, and then a few more, and a few more. Yes, it will take millions and millions of us to make a difference on the world scale. However, the words and actions of only one of us can make a huge difference to those in our world.
Gwen Randall-Young is a psychotherapist in private practise and author ofGrowing Into Soul: The Next Step in Human Evolution. For more articles, permission to reprint and information about her books and “Deep Powerful Change” personal growth/hypnosis CDs, visit www.gwen.ca. See display ad this issue.