Over the last few years I have witnessed a growing selfishness, cruelty, harshness, and disrespect in this world. I have seen plans to destroy boreal and ancient forests for greed. I have seen humanity be manipulated by governments through fear, creating chasms of separation based on fearful propaganda. I witnessed families and friends turning on one of their own over something so unimportant in the grand scheme of things. I have seen bigotry grow stronger, and fear dominate people’s lives causing them to make decisions they might not have ever made if they had inner peace. I have seen civil unrest in the country I live in and the dramatic and tyrannical response to the citizens who wanted their voices heard. I have seen armed conflicts as well as out and out war being waged. I have seen the government in our country spend so haphazardly that they have driven inflation through the roof making the prices of food go up 25% in one year and homes become untouchable for anyone not already owning one. The food banks have become over run with people who once made a comfortable living and the homeless encampments grow beyond imagination. And most sadly of all, I have witnessed people just going about their daily distractions as though nothing has changed and calling those who have been brave enough to point out the truth of what is going on to large public masses all manner of names.
Throughout this time I have had growing moments of disillusionment that have thrown me into depths of sadness for this world and moments of disgust at the game I see those in power playing all for the love of money and power. I have felt broken hearted by the treatment of trees, mountains, waters, wild animals and in fact, nature outright… of which humans continue to perpetuate atrocities upon without so much as a thought to the fact that this is our only planet and the life that lived here before humanity ever set foot on the planet should be given our respect. I have asked my heart what can I do to change things, I have prayed and sent love out in the world with every word spoken and every comment written and yet, more times than I can count I have internally beat myself up for not doing more.
But then this morning I saw a vision in my mind’s eye which has lifted my spirit… and a message that has shown me to take heart. It has repositioned my focus and let me come away with an understanding that the crescendo of this human orchestrated unrest will, like all compositions, have its end. As it dies out a new song sung by those with inner peace will begin to be heard like a soft melody at first but over time as the number of those with inner peace grows the song will grow louder trumpeting the expanding joy that comes as a different way on this planet unfolds. The seeds have been and continue to be sown by those who have stood up for those who cannot speak for themselves, by those who have sounded the alarm for others by speaking the truth, by those who went to the various fronts to defend the rights of nature and humans, not by force but by peaceful means. And though we may not see the changes yet, I can now see past the destructive nature of many shortsighted and greedy humans to the ones… the ones who truly love this planet, not for what they can take from it but for what it is. These are the meek who have had the strength of their heart as their compass. These are the ones whose inner child will gather us together as we walk this season of change and these are the ones who will watch on as we harvest a future of balanced living in a simple sharing way, that holds a place of respect, compassion and kindness for each other, all life and this planet we call home.