Empathy: Gift or Curse

To sense a stranger's pain enough to make me stop and gasp again.
Like an unexpected storm the tears stream down my face for one who could meet my gaze and never feel the battle I fight is for him.
For a moment I feel it weaken and then without warning, my heart is heavy again.
Why am I allowed to sense the anguish of one who refuses to face what is his?
Is life a trade?
One soul for another?
Would I go as far as offering my happiness so that he may maintain ignorance of his pain?
Is this a choice? 
Who am I?

SHE

I see her and gaze into her eyes.
Her mind shattered by all the lies.

Where there was once hope, now pain.
Wondering if she will ever be happy again.

I see her grow yet suspended in time.
Never moving forward, always left behind.

Dreaming of what could be.
Never reaching beyond the gloom.
Lying on her bed in her forever closed room.

Her shades drawn, closed tight.
Eternally looming night.

I hear her speak but never above a whisper.
Hoping yet afraid someone might hear.

Looking for answers she kneels on the floor.
Saying a silent prayer once more.

I see her. She is me.
Forever running to be free.

SINS

Because of the guilt
I feel within.
Held accountable for many sins.

Whether they're mine
or from another time.

They brand me
They scar me.
They bar me from life.

All intertwined.
Your will or mine?

What's right?
What's wrong?
I've been waiting far too long.

I need you to approve
before I make any move.

Your silence grows
like a cancer in my brain.
I pray all night
only to wait again.

My needs, my desires.
Who do they belong to?

You made me who I am
for a reason.
So release me
from this prison.

Tell me, how long do I wait
before love turns to hate?

No test too hard for the true believer.
However, there is one thing I cannot deliver.

The understanding you seek in me
Is far beyond anything I could ever be.

Intolerance

Intolerance is one of the most dangerous elements we humans have invented. For those of you who generalize, judge, practice prejudice of any kind and for those who think the earth is the center of the universe whether it be literal (cause we’re not) or figurative, remember everything on this earth and in the vastness of the universe IS God. He is the energy who created it and the one who inhabits all of His creation including humans. So when you practice intolerance, you are, in essence, being intolerant of parts of God.

As for the atheists out there, no one need judge them either. So the intolerance thing doesn't stop with religious or spiritual people. My version of creation and evolution is my own and I don't judge others who think differently.

What path do you wish to follow? Intolerance, judgment, ignorance, hate, apathy or compassion, empathy, wisdom and love for humanity? Who are you to judge others when you don't bother to research or get to know who it is you are placing under such scrutiny?

For those of us who are so steeped in our beliefs and opinions that we are blinded to any other possibility, it might be time to take those blinders off, open your heart, take a good honest look at yourself and remind yourself that you are a part of the creative force who is responsible for all life, as we all are. We are all connected through Him. And again, even those who do not believe in God can practice tolerance.  We're all still connected through the human spirit. To gain insight into a new way of thinking visit...

http://charterforcompassion.org/

Embrace Diversity

All Life is Sacred

When war enters my mind, I always find myself feeling a bit confused. Coming from a family of troops (my father was a marine and his four brothers were either marine or navy), I take on a much different view of the world in terms of war and well, just plain being against it with every facet of my being. I do support our troops and pray they make it home safe and sound to their families SOON. I am not the most patriotic person. I am admittedly a Hippy, socialist who feels as though she's living on one huge target. My compassion is for humanity itself and the loss of unity throughout the world makes me feel sick. I've heard my father's stories of his tour in Korea and I find the older I get, the more war sickens me to my very core. As anti-war as I am, I can actually say that WWI, WWII could not be avoided. Now our troops are over there fighting for their very lives in a war that never should have been. I guess I will never understand the reason for the need for power. War seems like the world's pissing contest. I do not view land as something that should be owned or fought over. We cannot own it. Just as we cannot claim the ocean, the planet, the galaxy in which we live or the universe.

For a country that prides itself on being so courageous and powerful, inside our very own boundaries we do not take care of our hungry, homeless, elderly or young. Gang violence is its own war but it seems we don't do much about it. Things are happening HERE in America NOW that need our attention.

Meanwhile people are not giving our new president a chance. They expect miracles. The media is so bias it's ridiculous to even watch. I believe the Fox news network should be taken off the air completely. Then we have the Jerry Springer of politics, Rush Limbaugh who spews lies about himself and others every chance he can get. On the other side there's Micheal Moore who seems to believe he's doing some good with his films but one is just as bad as the other. Their choice of material only creates havoc and more division between the two political parties.

To me ALL life is sacred and I will never understand violence and war when there are better ways to work things out. I mean no disrespect to our troops. I may not understand or agree with war but I will always pray for their safe return. I just wish they were fighting for a country worth fighting for instead of the capitalistic, conglomerate we call America. Yes, I know that is harsh and I don't mean to sound ungrateful but it seems the priorities of this county are a bit whacked. We let insurance companies dictate how, when and even if we get health care. Don't like the idea of socialized medicine? There are countries out there where the Doctors work for the government and the health care is free and the mortality rate is much less than we have here in America. Our health care system ranks in the 30s internationally. We are far behind not only in how we manage our health care but our procedures are lacking as well. People seem to prefer to fly to Europe to get specialized surgeries because we just don't have the knowledge over here yet.

Bottom line, we are a very young country who could stand to learn a bit from example. Instead we seem to be on more of a power trip. All life is connected. Borders are something we create just as the religious dogma that also aids in division instead of unity. Yes, I am a hippy and I will continue to respect all life.

Christmas is NOT Thanksgiving

I'm not quite sure why Americans seem to think Christmas is the appropriate time to give thanks to our soldiers. Now we have to color his birthday, which no one can accurately calculate, with the blood of war. The holiday has already suffered loss of meaning by commercialization. People pushing and shoving to get just the right gift for a loved one or friend on Christ's birthday. Some who recognize the holiday don't even believe the man existed. If you don't believe Christ existed at all then DON'T celebrate it. For those proud Americans who seem to think this is the opportune time to bring war into the picture by thanking our soldiers for being in a war that should never have been is appalling. To celebrate bloodshed on this day of all days makes my stomach sick and my heart hurt. I refuse to label myself under any religion because of the dogma that comes with it. People are missing the whole meaning of Christ. He symbolizes unconditional love, trust and unity by embracing diversity. Man made ideologies seem to promote quite the opposite. Only ONE religion can be right. Which is yet another, falsehood. Here we adapt the meaning of Christ to fit our own small minded agendas. 

We are more than our flesh.

I have been thinking a good bit lately about the laws of attraction. After viewing a Jon Stewart episode where he had an author on who seemed very defensive and closed off to the idea of the laws of attraction. I don't think she realizes that it's not a new way of being. Hindus and Yogis have been practicing this for years. It is better to embrace something negative weather it be an illness, a person or a situation. It is only then one can truly understand the body and fighting a disease with negative energy only increases fear. Both of which are highly toxic to the immune system. I have had to learn to embrace some pretty crappy things throughout my life but it wasn't until then that I realized I was starting to evolve spiritually. This is why I don't believe that one religion rules over the other. They are ideologies that our brain either adapts to or refuses. If one were to listen more to the spirit self there would be much less confusion, racism, war, hate, famine etc. We are letting an organ (the brain) create a world that is not necessarily full of truths. The spirit can and does think for itself. That is who we really are and how God made us in his own image. So no, I don't believe God is a dude with a long white beard waiting at a pair of pearly gates. Our body is not in his image but our energy or spiritual self is. Our brain is just an organ. It's a tool we use. Our true self is all comprised of energy. Everything else dies and decays whereas the soul or spirit self continues on. Who we are lies beyond an organ. As I listened to this author twist words around to make this way of being sound almost foolish, and even though she claims to have tried this through her illness, I couldn't help but see that she had no clue as to what it is like to think or exist beyond the flesh. Our bodies are just something we're encased in folks. The way we inhabit them and use them to relate to others is what really counts. But again, that is not all we are. This is also why I believe we are all a part of one another spiritually. It does not matter what religion we adhere to or chose not adhere to. We are all finger prints of God. I realize God is known by many names and is thought of in many different ways. I'm not putting down anyone's religious choice. That is a freedom God gave to us. Just as he made us all individuals but at the same time, at a spiritual level, we are all a part of him. I know I may sound nutty and new agey but the truth is, what I'm saying here is older than most religions. It's all in how your brain perceives God, religion, etc. And that is why it is so important to embrace each others differences instead of fighting against them. Unconditional love is all about the acceptance of others regardless of how their minds might comprehend what is right and wrong. When it comes to unconditional love there is no right and wrong way to accept one another.

We are all born with a moral compass. Philosophies like treating each other the way we want others to treat us should be common sense. Sadly, it is not because some folks can't realize their full potential spiritually if they don't see beyond the flesh. World peace will never happen if we cannot meet on some common ground and I believe our spirit selves are that common ground. It is the foundation of who we are as individuals and as a complete consciousness. In other words, regardless of beliefs, thoughts, etc., we are all made from the same energy (God) and that is where our roots are found. It is so important to be clear when we communicate with each other because no two people are going to view the same situation in the same way as long as they are using their brains only. We are all here as teachers and students of one another. If we truly could grasp the concept that we are all a part of each other, just imagine how that would change our views and the way we relate to one another. Having your opinion is one thing but to expect others to adhere to what your brain is telling you is preposterous and sadly, there is no unity if we continue to cling to our own ideals without even a chance of imagining how this might affect others in a much larger picture. We are not just a country, we are a world full of people and acceptance comes from embracing our differences for that is the only way we can learn and teach one another. Close minded individuals have no idea what they are missing out on because they cling so tightly to their ideals and beliefs. We cannot all be right or wrong. We just are and just how God intended us to be... individuals as humans but spiritually connected to Him.

A Chance For Peace

I wonder if anyone wonders how God feels? How painful it must be to watch His children fight each other over territory, beliefs, wealth and other material items. If we are all a part of God or a higher power, some energy source which creates and has the capacity of a love we humans cannot comprehend and I believe we are all a part of something much larger than ourselves, I can only imagine the agony He must feel. War, like cancer, is a disease and it seems we do nothing but feed it. We can build machines to destroy each other but we can't seem to help the starving and the truly needy. We spend billions of dollars to send people and objects into space but we cannot seem to take care of the human race. Have we lost the ability to truly communicate with one another? Why are our priorities aimed toward destruction instead of taking care of one another? All this energy wasted on such negative objectives, which have very little chance for positive outcome if we don't do something to save ourselves. Like feeding the hungry, offering free health care and creating a sense of compassion felt throughout the world. Even if the belief system is taken out of the equation, for the atheists and agnostics out there, shouldn't it still be common sense to take care of our own? Would you let your children or even your animals for that matter live in the horrible conditions some humans are subjected to? I know I wouldn't. I would do everything in my power to not only help my own family; I feel it would be second nature to help our neighbors as well. It feels as though we are racing towards something and I'm afraid it's our extinction. As long as we abuse the planet the way we do and let apathy be our guide, we are all one huge train wreck waiting to happen.

Emotional Resonance Theory

Through the years it seems as though we have separated ourselves from one another. Each person caught up in his or her own agenda. In doing so we have isolated ourselves from any type of unity or bond leading to understanding and peace. If we are all part of something much larger, compassion and empathy should replace hate, indifference and apathy.

We have become consumed by our own wants and needs and disconnected from true emotions weather they originate within ourselves or from others. We seem to shut off all stimuli not pertaining to ourselves. What if we were aware enough and open minded enough to tap into others emotions? What if there were a possibility of emotional resonance, where we all affect each other by a current or wake produced by a collective consciousness? Maybe that’s what true empathy is or why some psychics are so successful. What if déjà vu worked the same way? A person is able to walk through another’s emotional wake and be affected by it because, for whatever reason, that person is in tune to another’s emotional energy or “frequency”.

What if the human race is misunderstanding what we all perceive as emotions? How do we know if they’re really our own or an emotional resonance from someone else or even from another time? If the emotional resonance theory were true there might be people capable of being constantly in tune with other’s emotions or states of mind. I wonder how different the world would be if we were all aware of this possibility.

If you think about it, almost every action a person makes has to do with an emotional state. Unless you’re a robot you cannot escape this. Even those who seem to be in “control” will eventually hit a point where they may reach their emotional limit, leaving those around him or her who are sensitive to this, in an emotional wake or resonance.

With how large the world's population is today, making decisions that affect others, wars break out, anger, hate and many more negative elements that reside within us are at an all time high. What if all of this is due to a misunderstanding of where our own emotions originate? Everything has a resonate frequency so why not our emotions as well? If that were the case, we would be living in an ocean of emotional chaos. Waves and ripples of all sizes, going in different directions, even crashing into one another. If we could harness this somehow or even begin to comprehend this idea, we may be able to actually start living a more peaceful existence. Ever mindful of our actions and how we affect each other. Then we would be a true extension of one another actually living in unity.

Unconditional Love

The definition resides in the very word. It is not reserved for relatives and loved ones. There are many people throughout our lives we may encounter who spark this beautiful form of love. It asks nothing in return and yet resides inside those of us whose hearts are open enough to accept it, cherish it and even crave it. There are those of us, once struck with this type of love, who want nothing more to give and aid. This form of love just is and the reason for its existence is not known and doesn’t have to be. For it is love in its purest form. Those who have the gift of true compassion and empathy for others will be the most likely to experience unconditional love.

If you already have these traits of compassion and empathy, you do not need to have children, a great home life or even any surviving family members. Unconditional love is what it is. It is pure, kind, unassuming and a true gift to those who aren’t afraid to experience it, those who just feel the joy of the love itself. Remember, unconditional love expects nothing in return and finds joy in giving and caring for those who have struck our hearts in this very special manner.

Compassion a Lost Facet?

Compassion, once an intense fire burning within us is becoming harder and harder to find. Strangers helping and reaching out to one another was once a common occurrence. Now it seems on the verge of extinction. If we could all take the time to look at each other and recognize the energy within. It might not be too late to resurrect the powerful and positive energy flowing through each of us. People need one another. We are all linked in one way or another like drops of water in the ocean we all affect one another. Somehow we have become selfish and ignorant to that reality.

Look in the mirror, look very closely and that flame of compassion is still there. Perform a good deed... a smile, a joke, opening a door for someone, helping with packages, letting someone in front of you in traffic. No matter how insignificant it may feel it is not. For if we all keep that flame burning and the positive energy flowing the world can be a beautiful place.

Fear and Apathy on the Rise

Fear seems to be writhing in the hearts of people today. Not only is it used as a tool of intimidation it corrodes the brains of people when prejudices, differences of opinion and beliefs are involved. Misunderstanding each other or fear of the unknown promotes the high anxiety levels we are witnessing today.

Instead of using the alternative of learning from one another even if we tend to disagree or even find the other’s lifestyle offensive, why can we not take a step back and view each person as an individual? Their choices, genetic make up, circumstance and beliefs, their own personal struggles brought them to where they are just as this cycle is the common denominator in all our lives.

We seem to keep forgetting that we are all human. The focus on country of origin, religion, race, sex, or sexual orientation should all melt away when one human being is seen just as that… human.

The judgment does not seem to stop there. We seem to look at another’s misfortune or fame as a part of who they are. There are so many possibilities of how a person can end up in any given situation how can we judge? Who decides who assumes the role of the human appraiser?

Instead of uniting we have become detached from one another, divided by boundaries we have created by our apathetic attitudes. Compassion appears to be looming near extinction.

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” Marie Curie, French (Polish-born) chemist & physicist (1867 - 1934)

Pure Spirituality is where Wisdom Evolves

Some religions use their bibles as if they were some sort of instruction for living life in the grace of God. The words are taken so literally that they in fact, lose meaning. What if the Bible was meant as a guideline not as literal instructions? People are born with certain levels of spiritual awareness (predisposed to culture and gene pools) and then develop according to experience, environment and circumstance. So in knowing this how can the bible be interpreted in one true form? No two people will see the same word or situation in the same way. We are our experiences and defenses. We are, as God intended us to be, each individual. Children of God are not robots all acting in the same manner. My interpretation of God would not desire drones that abide by His laws motivated by guilt and peer pressure. Rather, to follow God is an individual choice and our identities are not to be lost only enhanced by that choice.

So the question still remains… how involved is God in mans life? That should depend upon how much a man chooses to let God in. Although, I believe God to be an all knowing, all loving God I suspect He does not intervene until we ask or accept His help. Until we truly believe that He indeed can help.

I do not believe any religion is a religion of convenience. Praying or meditating only when things are bad and only praising God when something good happens in our lives. It is a choice to follow and worship and truly experience God to open up the mind and soul to ANY possibility.

It seems to me that one of the main ways to sin is to trust and honor that which exists in the material world. Where items of substance are treated with such admiration we lose ourselves and any meaning of existence. Where appearance is held in such high regard that we do not see an individual rather physical aspects of that person.

So is it not our responsibility to learn and experience others? To shut ourselves off from another human being due to a difference in belief or culture would in essence be robbing ourselves of understanding. Avoidance due to appearance, life style or belief instead of asking ourselves what we could learn from or teach this person is a true theft of knowledge. Instead we tend to judge solely upon ignorance and fear. Knowledge in any form breeds intelligence replacing ignorance and prejudice.

I believe God loves all creatures. Some religious organizations with degrading and oppressive messages such as “God Hates Fags” induce thoughts that God is prejudiced against his own creation and is a vengeful creator. God is incapable of hate therefore, loves all. God is love and that love is a part of each one of us. Some chose to selectively interpret Scripture to meet their own small-minded agendas.

So if this country was founded on the principles of Christianity and we have more groups / organizations / religions using malignant slogans, what must their God represent and what purpose does it serve to create hate? Have we really become so jaded as to think God promotes segregation instead of unity? We need to look deep within ourselves to distinguish who is making these decisions and judgments, God or our own egos?

FORCES

The world is a place where good and evil co-exist.

The line that separates the two continues to become more and more transparent.

Often times hard to distinguish one from the other.

So many guises, muses and vices draw us from what should be obvious, what should be second nature, the truth.

Every day well-meaning people are swallowed by temptation, confusion and oppression, while evil continues to camouflage itself in ever changing disguises.

Making it difficult for us to escape its traps.

The body is no longer of one mind, one heart and one soul.

The ever-fighting forces that surround us and leave us fragmented within make it nearly impossible to commit to one force.

If we are not careful to learn the lessons we are given, as we grow older the voice within us could weaken by the battles taking place inside and outside our consciousness.

All the while making it increasingly difficult to hear the one that lives inside of us.

The moral compass that was given to us at birth, some might refer to as common sense, is faltering under the pressures of the way we live today.

While those of us that may stumble from time to time under this influence are led to believe we are weak hearted and impure.

We are human after all and we need to learn to forgive others and ourselves and get on with the business of healing.

These are the very experiences that strengthen us if we just hold on.

Hold on with the gift of prayer, for communication with our Creator is the only fighting chance we have.

We are here to learn and teach one another lessons that will be valuable in the hereafter.

Everything outside of ourselves is man-made and artificial but still we continue to become immersed in these external distractions, leaving ourselves vulnerable to the dark side.

It is unfortunate we judge one another by the choices we make, never seeing the circumstances involved inside and out.

We are so quick to judge one another by actions, race, sexual orientation and financial class, never bothering to look any further into the creature in front of our eyes, another human being.

Nothing is viewed in its full spectrum rather in fragments.

Leaving us fragmented without love, trust or unity.

Concepts to Grasp

Please note this was written during the Bush administration.

We, the human race, are all part of the same being / entity / energy…God. Religious beliefs are irrelevant. Whichever form your God takes is only important to you. Weather one believes in Christianity, Buddhism or Judaism, they all have a common denominator; they all derive from belief in a higher power. So regardless of your faith the same presence resides in each of us. That same ability for compassion, integrity and grace resides in us all. Why then, do so many of us take the low road by refusing to understand others because of a difference in race, color, political and religious beliefs or ideas?

In viewing campaign ads of late I find myself watching in utter horror how these people are not only chosen to run for an office but make up a majority of our government. There seems to be a missing ingredient, a very important and urgent one, compassion for humanity. There is no civility left in politics or campaigns. War and government is America’s poker game and nothing more.

It is up to us (the few with true compassion and empathy left) to either listen to or ignore the inner positive force that resides within each of us. In neglecting this energy that loves us so, we deprive ourselves of the spiritual growth and become slaves to this world with no hopes of ever seeing the next and in so doing we die to our ego selves.