FINDING HUMANITY

Most, if not all of us, understand what and who humanity is.  At least we understand the meaning of the word. Humanity according to the Mirriam-Webster dictionary is by definition:

‘the quality or state of being human; the quality of being kind to other people or to animals and/or all people.’

Not wanting to focus on the negative for long we still need to mention that today, based on what most of us believe is going on in the world around us, it feels a whole lot like very few grasp the meaning of humanity or want to be a part of humanity that contributes in a positive way.  There is war, poverty, human slavery, terrorism, tyranny, oppression, racism and truly hateful people in the world today plus more.  Yet if we choose to look away from what is presented to us by the news media and look away from the actuality of some of the isolated, but still quite devastating, events happening in the world today we can if we choose see something bigger and much more positive than today’s most common world view.  To look away doesn’t mean that we deny negative things are happening or that we don’t care but looking away, even if for a brief time, helps us get a better grasp on what really is going on in the majority of the world and can serve to renew our commitment to being a positive force in the world.  The weight of the negativity, the struggle, the hatred, the battle over power and wealth can get to some people and it can poison their soul.  We’ve all seen it in others and have known others who are unable to step back and see the entire world and not just the bits of it that are in turmoil where life is suffering and suffering is life. We’ve seen how cynical, how shut off from others and how hopeless they can get and most of us don’t want to be ‘that way’ so we keep on keeping on trying to keep it all in perspective.

Perhaps the answer is for those of us who are awake, aware and who truly do want to make a positive impact on the world, on humanity, to come together as ONE adding our own individual gifts and power to something bigger than ourselves.  It may not require ‘official’ organizations or groups to assemble those of us who want the world to be a better place for all but it does require us to act locally while we are thinking globally.  It requires us each to support everyone around us, even strangers, with our kindness and our compassion; even if it’s only shown to others through a smile, a nod of the head and/or a kind word.  Giving that which we all seek, being treated with kindness and compassion by others, isn’t difficult. In fact it’s really as easy as falling off of a log because it truly comes naturally to every living being; even those human beings who are filled with hatred, a lust for power and wealth and who defend themselves by hating and harming others before they can be mistreated or harmed. 

It is within us ALL to be kind and compassionate whether we want to acknowledge it or not.  But if we don’t believe it’s there or if we believe that it is either beyond our capability or will be difficult to cultivate within ourselves then we can’t access that most human part of ourselves.  You’ll find a lot of people, some professional, who say that it’s ‘human nature’ to be cruel, to be ultra-competitive, to exert our will over others and more but I will never believe that to be true.  I refuse to accept that ‘excuse’ for behaving in negative ways because once we get in touch with our true inner selves we can easily access our ‘humanity’.  The layers we build over our lifetimes are often protective in nature and we feel that they serve us, and serve us well, because they protect us from being hurt by others. But the ‘worst’ thing that could ever happen to any of us is NOT to get our feelings hurt by another person or persons. The ‘worst’ thing that can happen to us is to deny ourselves the experience of being a caring, compassionate, empathetic and giving person to our fellow humans, because to deny that all of this exists within ourselves is to deny our own humanity.  When we lose our humanity we lose the ability to connect to others in ways that bring us much more blessings than trials.  When we lose our humanity we are adrift in a cold, dark Universe that brings us nothing but pain anyhow so why not choose to be that which we know this world needs a whole lot more of? 

In this Infinite Universe that we live in and were created by there is infinite possibility for every one of us and if we choose to join together to explore those possibilities, against all odds, then we can build a world where many fewer humans suffer at the hands of other humans.  I truly believe that it IS possible to love our way out of the dark and into the light; not just for ourselves but for all.  We are currently existing according to a certain paradigm and the paradigm will continue as it is until the pendulum is swung and TOGETHER we cause a paradigm shift. 

There are, I believe, infinitely more decent human beings who are aware and awake, if not open to being aware and awake, that we share our planet with than many of us believe there are. Thus I have great hope that if we begin to join together, support one another and love one another as the brothers and sisters that we truly are (by virtue of our shared DNA) we can affect a paradigm shift that will change everything.  We may never live in a world where there is zero poverty or zero racism or zero hostility or zero subjugation of one group of people by another but we most certainly can, I believe, create a world together where there is more peace and love and kindness and generosity and compassion and mutual support than there is all of those negative things we want to put an end to in our lifetimes.

We can do this but we must come together with others who feel the same as we do so we can begin to shift that paradigm away from all the pain and suffering to a world where there is true equality for all along with the ability to pursue life and liberty for ourselves.  A world where love is the norm and hatred is extremely rare...