Dealing with World Unrest
by Lawrence Vijay Girard
Copyright 2003
Sometimes it seems like the world has gone crazy. Who can remember the lazy days of summer when the biggest problem of the day was not burning lunch? Handling intense outward challenges like the war and general chaos in the world never came under discussion when I was growing up. How can we come to grips with our feelings when the world gets crazy?
As people that feel sensitive to the pain, suffering and unrest of others, it is natural that we would want to jump in and help. Just as a fireman feels compelled to rush into a burning house to save those in need, we feel intensely drawn to participating in the healing of others and the world around us.
In order to understand how we can best accomplish that goal it is helpful to step back from the situation and get an overview of the issues involved - before we leap in blindly to thrash about in the hopes of generally being helpful.
In nature we see many powerful forces at work. When we look at the beauty of the sunrise or the sunset it is easy to feel the calm and benign nature of life. But we also know that nature can be powerfully destructive. Tornadoes, hurricanes and earthquakes cause great destruction and loss of life. Yet we accept these forces beyond our control as a part of life. We do what we can to protect ourselves from the dangers associated with what we call natural disasters, but we don’t stop our lives or live in constant fear of them.
The storms of human interaction are similar to the weather that we experience in nature. Some seasons are calm and pleasant, while other seasons can be uncomfortable - and even deadly. With weather there are localized conditions, as well as, global trends. It is the same with people of different towns, states, countries and continents. Human interaction is by its nature fraught with potential for trouble. It doesn’t have to be, but as a practical matter….it is.
Just as we accept that the laws of nature are God’s responsibility, so it is with the ultimate results of human interaction. This is God’s world. We can participate as best we can, but ultimately we must release our attachment to how things turn out. Once we have accepted this we will have achieved an important basis from which we can help the situation.
When we can truly see this world as God’s we can begin to act in the most responsible way. You see, if we try to impose our own personal feelings on the world – even if our feelings are to help others - the end result will often be conflict: in ourselves and in others.
The world presents us with endless complexity. As an example: A medical doctor must receive permission from a patient before administering help. When the patient is unable to communicate a doctor is allowed to intercede without permission. Sometimes people - for whatever the reason - don’t want help. Sometimes people intercede regardless of the feelings of the patient. It happens at times that - in the name of the greater good - leaders in life must step forward and represent those who can not help themselves. All of these different possibilities can be right at one time and wrong at another.
When setting our course in life we need to attune ourselves to truth through our own inner connection to life. It is only through attunement to Spirit that we can maximize the possibility that we as individuals will act for the greatest benefit in life.
The world is constantly promoting the idea that solutions are to be found outside of ourselves. We sometimes feel compelled to get out there and DO SOMETHING! The reality is that the most powerful way that we can help the world - and ourselves - is to grow in our attunement to God. Through that inner relationship we will be strengthened and guided to express the highest possible truth through the channel of our lives.
As we strengthen our inner connection to Spirit it is natural that we will then be able to focus more energy in the directions that we are guided to serve. So it is both practical and liberating to be a channel for God’s Will in this world rather than a promoter of our own personal preferences – even if that preference is to get in there, clean things up, and move on!.
The world is no more dangerous today than it has ever been. There may be a storm raging on the outside, but on the inside we can always rest in the shelter of God’s loving presence. Make God’s love your home and all that you meet in life will be touched by that love. There is no greater place of safety, nor power to help the world that you can offer.