We are all individuals .....
One of the truest parts of the human condition is that parts of us are always alone. We all have pieces that we don't particularly like and keep squirreled away from the light of day. And in keeping those parts hidden, we feel lonely. So we seek to find people, groups, anything to keep the lonliness at bay.
We so want to belong to things. I know I do: I have spent most of my life seeking connection. And it's hard, very hard for me to reach out in a way that isn't desperate for connection. (and we all know how attractive desperate people are .... as in, not at all!)
That which has made it much easier for me to reach out, not in desperation but as an equal, is finally realizing that we are all of the Divine. I already am connected, I had simply forgotten. And with that connection, I can't ever be truly alone, because I am of everything. That doesn't mean I'm never lonely .. I'm still human! But I can handle it better and move through it faster when I remember that I'm never truly alone. I can reach out from a place of love because I am loved.
What harm does loneliness bring? It destroys, when it goes on long enough. It brings with it self-doubt and a horrible self-loathing .. because, after all, if you were good ENOUGH, you wouldn't be lonely, right? OTHER PEOPLE aren't lonely! (and that is the worst lie that it brings. Because everyone's lonely sometimes .. even in a crowd, even in the middle of a loving family .. always). As far as truth/illusion .. it is always both. Because it's a feeling, and y'know, your feelings ARE your feelings .. you can't have a false feeling! But at the same time, we're never alone because the Divine is always within us. And through that, we can reach out and be with others, if we only try. (individuals will still reject us at times, of course. Not everyone was made to be friends! But an individual rejecting you isn't the same thing as being rejected by everyone).
Why do we form groups? Lots of reasons. One of the easiest: to discuss or deal with items of mutual interest. I'm not going to go to my writing group to talk about parenting, and I'm not going to ask my mother for writing advice; I'm going to talk to the people that share the interest and have some useful things to add to the discussion. I'm also not likely to join, say, a group of wrestling fans, because wrestling doesn't interest me at all and I'd have nothing to talk to or share with them. Doesn't mean there's anything wrong with them, just that there's no reason for me to join that group. Even if we were all in the same room together, the writers and the wrestling fans, there would still be two groups. The important thing to remember is that the people in "my" group aren't somehow inherently better or worse than the people in the "other" group.
How do we find compassion for out-group people? We HAVE to remember that they are Divine as well. There is no easy way to do this. By nature, we cling more to those closer to us and demonize those so far away that we don't see commonality. (or we demonize those that are close but not quite right, because they *might* be right .. and so we must make them wrong). But we are ALL Divine. You can't destroy one person without destroying a piece of the Universe.
all in all, I'm not saying that we're all one big happy mooshy pile of human. We're all individual and should stay that way. And this group is not that group. What I am trying to say is that difference isn't evil .. and that when it comes right down to it, we're all human and we're all part of the Divine. And worthy of love for that. (as hard as it can be to love some people!)
We so want to belong to things. I know I do: I have spent most of my life seeking connection. And it's hard, very hard for me to reach out in a way that isn't desperate for connection. (and we all know how attractive desperate people are .... as in, not at all!)
That which has made it much easier for me to reach out, not in desperation but as an equal, is finally realizing that we are all of the Divine. I already am connected, I had simply forgotten. And with that connection, I can't ever be truly alone, because I am of everything. That doesn't mean I'm never lonely .. I'm still human! But I can handle it better and move through it faster when I remember that I'm never truly alone. I can reach out from a place of love because I am loved.
What harm does loneliness bring? It destroys, when it goes on long enough. It brings with it self-doubt and a horrible self-loathing .. because, after all, if you were good ENOUGH, you wouldn't be lonely, right? OTHER PEOPLE aren't lonely! (and that is the worst lie that it brings. Because everyone's lonely sometimes .. even in a crowd, even in the middle of a loving family .. always). As far as truth/illusion .. it is always both. Because it's a feeling, and y'know, your feelings ARE your feelings .. you can't have a false feeling! But at the same time, we're never alone because the Divine is always within us. And through that, we can reach out and be with others, if we only try. (individuals will still reject us at times, of course. Not everyone was made to be friends! But an individual rejecting you isn't the same thing as being rejected by everyone).
Why do we form groups? Lots of reasons. One of the easiest: to discuss or deal with items of mutual interest. I'm not going to go to my writing group to talk about parenting, and I'm not going to ask my mother for writing advice; I'm going to talk to the people that share the interest and have some useful things to add to the discussion. I'm also not likely to join, say, a group of wrestling fans, because wrestling doesn't interest me at all and I'd have nothing to talk to or share with them. Doesn't mean there's anything wrong with them, just that there's no reason for me to join that group. Even if we were all in the same room together, the writers and the wrestling fans, there would still be two groups. The important thing to remember is that the people in "my" group aren't somehow inherently better or worse than the people in the "other" group.
How do we find compassion for out-group people? We HAVE to remember that they are Divine as well. There is no easy way to do this. By nature, we cling more to those closer to us and demonize those so far away that we don't see commonality. (or we demonize those that are close but not quite right, because they *might* be right .. and so we must make them wrong). But we are ALL Divine. You can't destroy one person without destroying a piece of the Universe.
all in all, I'm not saying that we're all one big happy mooshy pile of human. We're all individual and should stay that way. And this group is not that group. What I am trying to say is that difference isn't evil .. and that when it comes right down to it, we're all human and we're all part of the Divine. And worthy of love for that. (as hard as it can be to love some people!)
posted by Vieva | 8:56 AM
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