One Humankind
I’ve taken to cringing every time I open my inbox, or see a news article. The stories just seem to be getting worse and worse, at home and abroad. When all we see in our news media is fear and tension, how do we find balance within ourselves? How do we find that sweet spot of paying enough attention to be an engaged and active member of society, but not so much attention we drive ourselves crazy?
Of course, one approach is to stop subscribing to quite so many newsletters. But beyond practical methods, there are things we can do to protect ourselves emotionally. While others talk about love vs. hate, I like to think of it as love vs. fear. There is a lot of fear out there right now, and we can choose to acknowledge it and respond with love, or we can let it consume us and control our actions. I think we can all readily identify the better choice here. Responding with love is better for us, and better for those around us, as our own energy fields extend beyond us and interact with the larger world.
So how do you respond with love in the face of fear? It’s not easy, but it can be done. The following are some tenets I embrace to do just that.
1.
Be the person you are, not a reaction to those around you.
There are many people who act out of love. There are also many people who act out of fear. When we read the mainstream news, or watch how people behave in traffic, it can seem like the whole world is acting out of fear. Even if that was true, it should not change the way you act. Your actions are up to you, and nobody else. If they go low, you stay exactly where you are and be true to yourself.
2.
Recognize love as a protective energy.
Love can be a highly effective shield against negative thoughts and feelings towards and from others. Need proof? Try to think of a person you are angry with. Hold that anger in your heart, and then bring up all the things you love about them. It’s hard to do both simultaneously, right? The love erodes the anger. When somebody or something is making you angry, try to find the silver lining, or to understand their story. Remember their humanity. It might not make the anger go away, but it will take the edge off.
3.
Speak the truth
We lose ourselves in fear when we don’t communicate. I’m sure we can all list times when we were spinning out, only to be brought back to earth by confiding our truth in somebody. Whether that truth is something internal you’ve been struggling with, or something somebody is doing that is driving you demented, let it out. Be open about yourself, and set boundaries where and when you need them. Boundary setting decreases assumptions — which can lead to resentment — and increases understanding and connection.
4.
Notice what unites us.
We are very good at identifying divisions — Republican vs. Democrat, Christian vs. Muslim, man vs. woman. We need to work on identifying what unites us. We are all one humankind, and we all exist on this tiny blue dot together. Most of us want the same things. We can have disagreements, and we can have differing points of view, but throughout it all we must remember our humanity. We are love, we are loved and we are surrounded by love.
5.
Collaborate and compromise
We need to start coming together as a nation, and in order to do that we need to embrace both collaboration and compromise. Reach out and connect with your neighbors, work with them to improve your block, your neighborhood, your city. Come to the table with an open mind, and be ready to embrace new ideas and compromise for good instead of holding out for perfect.
Our world is made up of systems, and each system impacts the next. By working on ourselves, and stabilizing our own system, we can gather the strength to reach out and stabilize the systems around us. We can impact the social structures, norms, and politics of our daily lives. So use your creative genius to help yourself and others align to love, and remember that we are all one humankind.
