Through Empathy to Light

    

   

    This morning at breakfast Mark and I discussed some reasons not to dwell on the sorrows and suffering of the world. Some people steep themselves in daily reports of war and the unspeakable horrors of earthly life. They say those who don't are acting like ostriches with their heads in the sand. Mark and I are not ostriches - we are well aware of life's darker side, and we see enough of these reports to know that humanity is still struggling to emerge from its evil tendencies.

    I can't say that I never feel the weight of this evil, but I make a concerted effort to lift that weight whenever it threatens to squash my spirit. I know what it is like to "walk through the valley of the shadow of death" and I believe this is something every person much do before we can emerge into the light on the other side of this shadow. 

    Many people experience "man's inhumanity to man" firsthand. (I would add, even more women than men experience this inhumanity, and too many children.) Most of my experience has been due to my empathic nature, my ability to feel the pain of others. As a child, I became acquainted with the horrors of war when I watched the movie "War and Peace" and afterward cried myself to sleep. Not long after that I watched the evening news with my parents and saw the coffins of Vietnam soldiers coming off the plane, one after another, after another. I felt the pain of their parents and other loved ones who might be wondering for what purpose these men had made the ultimate sacrifice.

    Throughout my teen and young adult years I read books and news stories, and watched movies, that illustrated the shadow side of humanity. Sometimes I would dwell on a story, cry and pray for days and days. I didn't realize that in doing so I was adding to the sadness of the world, and yet it was something I had to go through before I could know that I didn't have to do it anymore. 

        As I said to Mark this morning, I think it is necessary for most people to travel through that shadowy land before we can be the light of the world. Those who are still able to harm others have probably never learned to feel another's pain. Once a person experiences empathic feelings, they will not be able to hurt someone else without feeling it themselves. 

    Both modern science and spiritual inquiry are discovering the interconnectedness of all beings - something that has always been known by the indigenous peoples of the world. This oneness of everything means that when one being suffers, we all suffer, and when one being is filled with joy, the energy of the whole is raised to a higher level. When enough people fill the world with light, we will have heaven on earth.

    Now that I understand my unity with all life, I know that the lighter and more joyful I feel, the more love, light, and peace I can contribute to the world. Some people make fun of me because I avoid violent movies and books. After all, it's part of real life, isn't it? But I have seen enough of life's hellish side. Now I choose to focus on these words from Philippians 4:8: ". . . whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things."

    To focus on beauty, peace, and love when so much of the world is focused on ugliness is a formidable task. I have decided to accept the challenge along with a myriad of other lightworkers!