Photo credit: Matt Collamer, Unsplash
As humans, we tend to get caught up in the battles in life. It is easy to develop tunnel vision or get blinded by our emotional attachment or resistance to what shows up. We’ve all been there, right! And yet, we can thrive, grow and flourish during times of conflict by understanding the deeper process that’s unfolding.
Every time we become absolutely zealous and charged about something, we actually dissociate from some part of our own being. We inhibit our own progress. Step back from the intense attachment or aversion, and it becomes clear that the person triggering us isn’t very different than us. Like us, they are trying on the 10,000 ways of being human, which includes a very colorful range of expression and thinking – all of them temporary.
Events that may feel overpowering in this moment do not define us either – they are simply temporary props on the stage of life, chapters on our journey of growth and becoming.
Clearly, it is not the people or events of our lives that define us; but our response to them. And when we learn how to respond appropriately, we can use the dissonance of life as a springboard to personal growth.
Whenever we experience anger, fear or disappointment, these uncomfortable emotions offer us a gift: they shine light on parts of ourselves that we’ve denied, pushed into the unconscious, or simply taken for granted. Discord actually helps us grow, because it’s in the to-and-fro of opposing viewpoints that change occurs.
Whenever we experience inner dissonance, it serves us well to remember the words of Master Yoda, “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”
There is another way forward, one that requires us to push beyond the illusionary strength of our fear: it demands the clarity of our hearts.
To progress, we cannot afford anger or impatience to cloud our judgement. We need to see beyond the immediate conflict and feel the deeper connection among all things. In so doing, we will find a better path forward.
Those who differ from us and stand on the other side of the fence are not simply adversaries. They are human beings and evolving souls as well. We are all bound together in the vast, intricate web of the galaxy, our fates intertwined.
The ones who see no path forward except through using brute force are not evil; they are operating at lower levels of understanding. Their rigid attachment to control as the only means of survival blinds them to other viewpoints. They can’t see that conflict borne from fear, anger and hatred is like grasping at sand and only deepens suffering.
Instead of reacting impulsively to dissonance and discord, such times require us to first still ourselves. Patience is needed now.
We know what we need to do. With steady hearts and calm minds, we need to remember that we are all connected. What happens to one, ultimately affects all of us.
The fear-based survival instinct can blind even the best of us, making us do things we’d have once thought unimaginable. It is not so much cruelty but misdirected survival that distorts thinking.
There is no future holding onto fear. We need to let go of fear and find a path forward where we all survive.
The universe hums to a symphony of spiritual laws that echo through the lives of those who listen with open hearts and awakened minds. These unseen forces guide us as we navigate the space between the sacred and the everyday.
The Sufi Poet Rumi expressed it very well:
“When I run after what I think I want, my days are a furnace of distress and anxiety;
If I sit in my own place of patience, what I need flows to me, and without any pain.
From this I understand that what I want also wants me, is looking for me and attracting me.
There is a great secret in this for anyone who can grasp it.”
–Rumi, 100 Bedtime Verses
Like a stone cast into still waters, every action we take sends ripples outward, shaping the destiny of the one who cast it. Mahatma Gandhi lived this truth with every breath, wielding non-violence as both shield and sword because he understood that the tender sapling of peace, once planted, will grow even in the harsh soil of oppression. Tested by imprisonment, hatred, and the weight of an empire’s cruelty, he remained unbowed, trusting that the seeds of love and justice would bloom in time.
At the heart of existence lies love, not brute force. Love is the pulse of creation itself. This is the Divine Love that Rupert Spira calls the everyday name of the Divine. It is the Presence that transcends ego, seeing Divinity in every living thing and calling forth that potential instead of fixating on and hating the shadow.
Saint Francis of Assisi embodied this Divine Presence, moving through the world as a servant to forgotten, broken and mistreated creatures. His love knew no hierarchy. He fed lepers, spoke to wildlife, and loved them all with the same tenderness, even as the world mocked his humility. His faith in Love’s power became his sanctuary, impervious to the storms of derision.
This Divine Presence of love exists in everyone, whether it’s hidden or acknowledged. It connects all of life with filaments of the Creator throughout time and space. When we understand this intrinsic interconnectedness of all life, we must choose compassion and forgiveness, because we know it’s the only doorway to healing for us as individuals and for our shared humanity. This non-violent clarity lets us stand steady and resolute so we can stitch together the torn fabric of a divided nation, knowing that healing can come only when all hands hold the needle.
Faith is here to guide us. It quietly whispers to those who trust in vision beyond sight.
Harriet Tubman lived by this law, her faith guiding her through dark forests and across the waters of the Underground Railroad. Every step she took, every life she saved, was rooted in an unshakable faith in the Divine guidance moving her forward. Fear nipped at her heels but she outran it, carried by her conviction that freedom is not just a dream, but a birthright for all.
And yet, freedom does not come only through holding on, but through letting go. Non-attachment teaches that peace is born not from grasping, but from surrendering. As we let go of old resentments and outdated dreams, we create space for something new to be born – and we can collectively create something better than the flawed constructs of the past.
These spiritual principles are not distant or abstract, they are the living breath of the Universe, calling us to harmony. We can find inspiration and a mirror reflecting our potential by looking at the shining examples of those who’ve gone before.
Together, we can do this! Let conflict and upheaval invite you to surrender to a Higher Power, trusting your heart’s wisdom to follow the path of non-violence, compassion and peace. Open your heart and consciousness to the deeper truths of existence, prompting you toward a more conscious life.
Unlearn the old. Surrender the ancient habits of fear, anger and hatred. It is time for us to grow beyond the ego and reflect our Source. Trust in the unseen hands that guide you, keep your heart open, and look to see the Creator Presence in everyone you meet. This could be a very good time for your soul!
©Copyright Ada Porat. This article may be freely distributed in whole or in part, provided there is no charge for it and this notice is attached. For more information, visit https://AdaPorat.com