We seem to be in such a swamp of negativity these days, and
we are certainly not at a loss to find causes. It's affecting all of us to some
degree. We are emotional beings. And just look at the waves of horrific sound,
sight and facts bombarding our children daily, as described in Peggy
Noonan's column this week. We need
to learn how to deal with this.
It is alarming to see my sweet, spiritual, religious,
positive friends post angry messages, even using name-calling themselves. I'm
seeing hateful rhetoric no matter what side of an issue someone is on. I'm
seeing the normalization of violent language in our media and entertainment. Dreadful
violence with vulgar and profane language in our movies and shows. I wrote
about this over ten years ago in my short investment book—how, since the advent
of television, in their competitiveness, the industry has continually ramped up
the shock value to keep eyeballs glued to the shows. The material induces us,
thus capitalizing on our human nature's impulse to watch a train wreck.
There are many reasons our culture is going through this big
upheaval, of course. I'm not suggesting there is one single cause, and I've
written more about that in the blog entry, Where are Our
Leaders?
Eventually all will be fine. Eventually a balance will be
found with a higher, more just culture. Such is the unfoldment of evolution. So,
how to we get there? Does it have to be so painful?
We can, as we have in the past, get there through force,
anger, violence, protests and more chaos. It's worked before, after much beating down
and many victims.
OR, we can begin the elevation now. We can shift the conversation.
We can shift our attention to emulating what the evolved human looks like, and
by that, lead the way. Jesus's teachings, Buddha's teachings, the ancient
Vedas, are all scriptures that define a just, wholesome way of living, leading
to better health, greater ability to serve, less suffering, and finding happiness and personal fulfillment.
One common thread amongst all of the great teachings is looking
for answers inward and not out there in the cultural messages. Ask within.
Meditation and prayer.
We all need examples of how to do this. Be one.
