Before going further, rest assured. I’m not a politician. I’m not politically motivated. What follows flows from a profound sense of responsibility.
That being said, here goes.
During 2020’s polarizing time of conflict and loss, the last thing that appeals is the urgently needed counterbalance. People are upset — angry, afraid and worried about the future. No one wants to hear about focus and meditation.
But it’s exactly when things fall apart, when it seems as if “the center does not hold,” that voices of reason telling us to stay calm are most needed.
Practical tools which help us “keep it together” don’t hurt either.
We need ways to cut through the noise of distracting, propaganda news.
We’ve got important decisions to make. As top priority, we need to know what our choices really are — what’s ultimately at stake for the future.
For example: missing the mark by a long mile, BLM’s violent agenda is anti-family, anti-freedom, ultimately anti-survival. Neither positive nor progressive, members fight no-holds-barred to shift public thinking to the extreme far left, dangerously off-center.
It’s a far cry from the vision of Martin Luther King, Jr., whose birthday is celebrated by us in the U.S. as a national holiday.
BLM’s goals are antithetical to King’s. Where MLK would uplift and unify, they polarize and fragment.
Now. Borrowing from You Are Already Enough!, this is what the madness of fragmentation looks like from the Unified Field perspective. The levels of the Life Wheel are thrown off balance. They’re out of synch:
MLK gave the world a remedy. In Pilgrimage to Nonviolence, he wrote:
Nonviolence is both an attitude and a strategy. MLK learned it from Gandhi, who was credited with showing the world “a way out of madness.” Gandhi, in turn, got the idea from the Yoga Sutras of Pantajli.
Yoga philosophy calls it ahimsa: nonviolence in both thought and action. It’s a commitment to not causing pain, mental or physical, to any living being.
Gentleness, the final outcome of today’s reading, is the I Ching equivalent.
It’s important to understand that the middle level of the Life Wheel where Natural Law operates is impartial. Unlike humans, energy doesn’t have values.
Energy simply IS. It doesn’t care who uses it, how or why. Anyone can harness it to any end. Like a docile ox or a red Ferrari, it takes the driver, without question, wherever told. Whether it’s used or abused depends on the driver.
Mao Tse-Tung is a real world example of abuse. He says in On Guerrilla Warfare:
Careful planning is necessary if victory is to be won in guerrilla war, and those who fight without method do not understand the nature of guerrilla action. . . Even in defense, all our efforts must be directed toward a resumption of the attack, for it is only by attack that we can extinguish our enemies and preserve ourselves . . .
With an instinctive understanding of Natural Law, Mao brilliantly outmaneuvered his enemies to become China’s ruler. The strategy was effective. But it was driven by shallow ambition, not love.
BLM street fighters have much in common with Mao. Using his strategy of guerrilla warfare, they’re gaining ground. But their ends are similar.
So at the crossroads of 2020, humanity faces a choice. Which path will it be? MLK’s way of understanding and cooperation? Or Mao’s road to genocide and tyranny? (BTW: Quitting in confusion — being paralyzed into inaction, is also a choice. It too has consequences.)
Think about it. Carefully. What future are we choosing for ourselves, our children and grandchildren?
The I Ching Reading
Because The Book of Change isn’t taught in schools, it remains unfamiliar to most. Like other knowledge arising from the “taboo” inner levels of the Life Wheel, it remains a mystery. That’s why I’ve chosen to bring the book to you. The goal is to make what was once unfamiliar now familiar.
FRESH START is the original answer to today’s question, “What should we be aware of NOW?” It reads:
Even when it seems that all has been spoiled, it is possible to make a FRESH START. Be willing to face your faults. Find out how to correct them. The situation will gradually improve if you are sincere and work hard. Be sure you know what you want. Avoid delay.
Spot on!
Right now, it seems virtually everything has been spoiled. The economy, the healthcare system, school schedules, our social lives . . . even the course of the U.S. election.
The prospect of a Fresh Start is a breath of fresh air!
But hold on. Fresh Start may be the original reading, but it changes. It’s not the final outcome. Getting from here to there won’t be instant. Nor is it guaranteed.
Middle steps are involved. Two were introduced on September 28th in At-one-ment. The first is recognizing mistakes: owing up to the ways we miss the mark. Repentance. The second is self-correction: overcoming conflict and shifting gears to the Unified Field paradigm.
A third is Clarity, the final outcome of We’re At Critical Mass. Going forward, we’ve got to be crystal clear about our goals.
With this in mind, the advice of today’s changing 5th line is: “Demonstrate the ability to improve yourself. This will earn respect.”
Good intentions aren’t enough. Follow-through and results are required. The end goal is earning respect. (That would get a thumbs-up from MLK. ☺)
If the warning is heeded, Line 5 changes to GENTLENESS:
As the wind moves clouds, shapes mountains and stirs the trees, so GENTLENESS has a powerful influence. Quiet, steady gradual actions win respect and cooperation. Find out what concerns the people you work with and speak in those terms. In this way, you can reach their minds. Avoid noisy conflict.
Like Gandhi’s nonviolence, Gentleness is both an attitude and a strategy. Again, respect and cooperation resonate with MLK’s goals.
Now, don’t confuse being gentle with being a wimp. Far from being weak, Gentleness is a reflection of deep inner strength.
Gentleness is inspired by love. It blends thoughtful kindness with patience. Unlike Mao’s “attack and extinguish” guerrilla warfare, Gentleness avoids conflict. Instead, it wears down resistance and overcomes misunderstandings, gradually changing conflict into peace.
NB: On a final, hopeful note: today’s Fresh Start is at the beginning. It reappears as a final outcome at the end of 2020. Twice. First on December 21st, date of an exceptionally powerful winter solstice. Then on New Year’s Eve. So keep the faith. There’s a light at the end of 2020’s dark tunnel.
Collected posts will be published as The Lessons of 2020: Using the Wisdom of CHANGE to Build a Better Future. Look for it on amazon in January of 2021.
If you’d like a copy of the CSBOC, or extras to give others, click here.
To orderTwo Sides of a Coin: Lao Tze’s Common Sense Way of Change, click here.
Okay, then. That’s all for now. Talk with you again soon. Take care, all.
Rethinking Survival 