Saturday, December 1, 2012

The Gift That Only We Can Give Ourselves ... Is What the World Has Always Wanted

After our recent contentious presidential election and then the resignation of General David Petraeus, a respected military leader, due to an extra-marital affair, I started a self-imposed news-fast and retreated into my sanctuary within.  I asked for insights to help myself and others cope with a nation and a world that seem to be in a decline in all the basic areas: economics, education, environment, healthcare and human relations, including such daily necessities/building blocks as respect and civility.

As I contemplated what visionaries and futurists like Barbara Marx Hubbard have termed "a planetary transformational shift," I began to share their positive outlook for great opportunities in this tumultuous but historic time.  The gift in it for humanity, I hoped, would be that instead of resisting this powerful shift we would embrace it, helping to stem the tide of greed and selfishness in our nation and co-creating a world that works for everyone.  And this would need to be a very personal involvement.

Like many others, I'm aware enough to know that there's no valid reason to blame all our ills on political parties, the government or our leaders.  The truth is we're the problem - individually and as a group - because the state of our personal lives, our government and our nation are a mirror image of our thoughts, actions, values and collective consciousness.

We are being called now to seek a higher potential as human beings, which include becoming less judgmental, more benevolent, more caring, more conscious and more aware of others and the world around us.

Even though we are facing breakdowns in many systems, in the gap between the "breakdowns and breakthroughs" there is already emerging a vision of a world that with our help could realize our dearest dreams and desires for better lives and a better world. 

Although the shift is already underway and inevitable, I sense that whether the results will be what we desire depends more on us as individuals than we could ever imagine.  Potentially, it could be the first time in history that a large number of human being are conscious enough to take part in a natural evolutionary process by design instead of by default.

It is obvious that if we're here on Earth during this time of transformational change, we're meant to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.  I believe this is the "gift" that only we can give.  I also realize that if I am sensing this truth within me, others are also--and our concern and confusion comes from not knowing what to do about it.

The challenge seems to be that when we become overwhelmed by national and global unrest, our victim-mode kicks in, and we feel helpless, hopeless and alone.  The good news, however, is that millions of individuals, spiritual masters, sages, mystics, writers and visionaries around the world are spreading positive messages filled with incredible opportunities for humanity in this evolutionary process.  I believe it's time to join them.

Just as Arun Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi has observed about people seeking peace: "They want peace but don't know how to go about getting it," and the hope is "that when shown the right way they will ultimately change their ways and make a difference."

His comments resonated within me as they also apply to the situation at hand.  And, while I was still seeking a solution, I already sensed that the changes necessary to help us birth this brave new world are not going to be zapped on us, they will have to happen through us.

This means we need to consciously choose to align with the process and make the internal changes in ourselves that will make the results we desire possible.  It also helps to be reminded that the power to do this is inherent in our ability to change our thoughts and change our lives.

I began to grasp the insight I sought while reading an article by the late Ernest Holmes, founder of the Science of Mind spiritual philosophy, and an acknowledged religious scholar.  His words reminded me that throughout the ages we've had the help of enlightened souls during times of crisis.

Holmes noted the ethics of Buddha, the morals of Confucius, and the Beatitudes of Jesus, as well as the valuable and ongoing supportive spiritual experiences expressed by other great minds, masters and mystics past and present.

The examples he recounted remind me that we live in a perfect universe and that perfection is confirmed in the ongoing transformational opportunities presented to us as an eternal push for humanity to evolve.  We are meant to be better, kinder, wiser and more authentic, humane and enlightened human beings.  And now we have another chance to consciously seize this opportunity.

After refreshing my memory regarding the contributions of these enlightened souls, I realized two things:  First I was stunned by the fact that although these incredible individuals of the past may have been centuries apart in time, there was a striking similarity in the Universal Truths they shared with humanity.

And second, my research resulted in the list below, which offers proven pathways that will open us to achieving higher levels of conscious awareness - our gift - that heralds only good for us and the world.

We do this by choosing one of the affirmations based on Universal Truths that "speaks" to us, making it our life purpose and committing to living it to the best of our ability for the rest of our lives.

It truly is the gift that only we can give to ourselves ... and is what the world has been waiting for!

Here are affirmations based on Universal Truths to help us on our way:

I do unto others as I would have them do unto me.  ~Jesus - Live the Golden Rule

As I change my thoughts, I change my life.  Only good goes from me and only good comes to me.  ~Buddha - What We Think We Become

I am benevolent, humane and loving.  ~Confucius - Live a Moral Life

I am the change I seek in the world.  ~Mahatma Gandhi - Live the Change We Seek

I am loving kindness, and I know the power of love and forgiveness.  ~Dalai Lama - Live Loving Kindness

Everyone is Just Like Me and I wish them well. ~Thich Nhat Hanh - Just Like Me
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Copyright 2012 by Fern Stewart Welch

The author's books: "Tea with Elisabeth," recipient of the 2010 Silver Award for Non-fiction; "You Can Live A Balanced Life In An Unbalanced World," and "The Heart Knows the Way," are available at Amazon.com and other online booksellers, as well as in bookstore chains such as Barnes & Noble.