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A recurrent theme in our human experience is the mentality
of “Us versus Them.” I’ve often wondered about this predominant proclivity,
while engaging in a fair bit of it myself.
If, as the Bard wrote, “All the world is a stage,” then the
“Us versus Them” drama plays out continually on that stage. It plays out daily
in corporate boardrooms, in office and familial settings, on school campuses, in
church pulpits and congregations, in political arenas and on sports fields. It
permeates the human experience. Whether it’s Microsoft vs. Google, Republicans
vs. Democrats, God vs. the Devil, the Hatfields vs. the McCoys, or the Mariners vs. the Yankees, never underestimate the unitizing power found
in perceiving a common enemy.
Dare I say it? “Us versus Them” just might be our favorite
global pastime.
It’s quite profitable, you know. (To be fair, “Us versus
Them” is not a uniquely American phenomenon, although the energy is strong here
because of the value placed on free market competition, a "two-party" political
system, etc.)
It's not a bad thing. The worldly reality is, “Us versus Them” is quite an
effective tool…a tool born in the primal consciousness of Survival.
Obviously, survival is a really good thing. But in the evolution of human consciousness, I
believe the time has arrived when we are truly capable of utilizing more
enlightened understanding to ensure it. Joseph Campbell said, "Survival is the
second law of life. The first is that we are all one." As Spiritual Pioneers, together we can bring
greater awareness of the first law to the conscious level; doing so is an
intelligent, deliberate step toward dismantling the pervasive archetype of "Us
versus Them."
During my years working in corporate America, “Win-Win” was
a commonly used strategic term. I held that consciousness in high esteem
because it worked so well for me and for my clients, especially when conflict
arose. "Let's create a Win-Win" was inherently practical and effective.
We know how to do this. I
don’t know if that phrase or its practice has simply gone out of fashion or
what, but it sure doesn’t seem like I hear “Win-Win” very often anymore.
Instead, broad, sweeping phrases like “You’re either for us or you’re against
us,” “It’s an ongoing battle,” and “We will not succumb to the enemy,” seem to
be more the norm these days.
It appears something shifted.
And by all appearances, it’s backfiring. For the time
being at least, it looks like we have become collectively mired in the quicksand
of “Us versus Them.”
Well, two steps forward and one step back. And it is
never “too late.” Though our survival nature may strive to engage in the
battle, our divine spirit always yearns for Win-Win.
So what can be done? Well, I don’t want to offer up
simplistic answers to age-old conundrums. I’m realistic...and I’m also not
particularly interested in witnessing the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Seattle
Seahawks playing to a 13-13 tie in Super Bowl XL. I am, however, highly
interested in fostering more cooperation, more open-minded communication, and
more healthy resolution to conflict. And I’ll do whatever I can to create that
in our world by doing my best to live it from the inside out in my own life.
I’ll utilize discomfort to shift and expand my perspectives. I’ll refresh my heart and
mind daily with an empowering vision of harmony rather than conflict. I’ll
focus more on what I am FOR, rather than what I am AGAINST. And as always I
will exercise my faith and spiritual gifts in support of an unconditionally
loving God who, (even and especially) through diverse viewpoints and
expressions, moves through all of humankind for the cosmic and
evolutionary betterment of the Whole.
As Jesus plainly demonstrated, it can require great
spiritual wherewithal to disengage from the energy/archetype of “Us versus
Them.” Interestingly, what it requires is an ongoing practice of the good old
reliable and foundational spiritual principles common to nearly all of the
world’s enduring religions:
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Love
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Forgiveness
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Compassion
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Faith
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Patience
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Gratitude
Perhaps that is why I so dearly treasure the Prayer of St.
Francis. It girds my loins with the truth of my own accountability to
the enduring principles demonstrated by the Spiritual Masters, the Enlightened
Teachers, and the Way Showers.
Where there
is hatred, let me sow love; Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is
darkness, Light; And where there is sadness, joy.
I like to envision a world where the energy of that simple
prayer infiltrates our hearts, minds, and religions.
I’ll always remember a precious incident that took place
when my son, Andrew, was five years old. We were in our car driving along
serene, tree-lined Manito Boulevard in Spokane and from somewhere on the street an
abrasive, blaring noise interrupted our drive. Andrew asked loudly, “What’s
that!?” I casually replied, “Oh, it sounds like somebody’s car alarm went off.”
He didn’t respond, so I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw him sitting
quietly in the backseat with a deeply puzzled expression on his face. And
then he gave me a direct, "have you gone off your rocker?" kind of look. “What’s
wrong?” I asked.
“Dad, the alarm didn’t go off, it went ON,” he said.
He was absolutely correct. Common though the phrase is in
modern vernacular, “the alarm went off” is not accurate, not even in the
slightest. Thanks to the astute observation of a little boy, something shifted
in my own head, and to this day, I have never unconsciously used that erroneous
term again.
May unconscious worldly destruction rooted in “Us versus
Them” thinking continually diminish right along with the unconscious usage of
inaccurate and erroneous terms.
They are related. It’s a process. And it all starts with
a shift.
The power of One.
Sometimes when I look at our world and see what appears to
be an unprecedented amount of conflict and polarization, I find myself thinking
in a positive way, “The alarm has gone on.” Not in a traditionally held
apocalyptic sense, but in the sense of a rapidly unfolding journey into the
evolutionary depths of the individual and collective inner soul.
If there is an “Armageddon battle,” that’s the holy ground
upon which it is wrought. One diverse soul at a time.
For you who are called to consciousness, who awaken and
then courageously enter into the sanctity of your inner soul, the time is NOW to
shine the Light of your Being. In the sacred words of Jesus, “You are the Light
of the World.”
I’m not a Biblical scholar, nor do I strive to be. I do,
however, appreciate the beauty and hope found in the Old Testament words of
Isaiah:
“...they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and
their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:4)
"...they." That means You and Me. Them and Us. In the midst of many
differences, we’re still - and always - in it together. One big sacred
circle.
Unite.
Amen. |