Ready For the Paradigm Shift?

In Stephen R. Covey's book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, he writes extensively about the concept of paradigm shifts. A paradigm is a roadmap of sorts--its a personal perception of how the world works. Often our life paradigms hold great power over us as we observe the world around us and make judgments about it based on those beliefs. There are many occasions where we believe we have a solid understanding about what is going on. Then something happens to make us see the situation in a whole new light, often upsetting the apple cart in the process.

Covey's book gives a wonderful illustration of a paradigm shift, which I read more than twenty years ago and still remember to this day. It begins on page 30:

     I remember a mini-paradigm shift I experienced one Sunday morning on a subway in New York. People were sitting quietly.....some reading newspapers, some lost in thought, some resting with their eyes closed. It was a calm, peaceful scene.
     Then suddenly, a man and his children entered trhe subway car. The children were so loud and rambunctious that instantly the whole climate changed.
     The man sat down next to me and closed his eyes, apparently oblivious to the situation. The children were yelling back and forth, throwing things, even grabbing people's papers. It was very disturbing. And yet, the man sitting next to me did nothing.
     It was difficult not to feel irritated. I could not believe that he could be so insensitive as to let his children run wild like that and do nothing about it, taking no responsibility at all. It was easy to see that everyone else on the subway felt irritated, too. So finally, with what I felt was unusual patience and restraint, I turned to him and said, "Sir, your children are really disturbing a lot of people. I wonder if you couldn't control them a little more?"
     The man lifted his gaze as if to come to a consciouness of the situation for the first time and said softly, "Oh, you're right. I guess I should do something about it. We just came from the hospital where their mother died about an hour ago. I don't know what to think, and I guess they don't know how to handle it either."
     Can you imagine what I felt at that moment? My paradigm shifted. Suddenly, I saw things differently, and because I saw differently, I thought differently, I felt differently, I behaved differently. My irritation vanished. I didn't have to worry about controlling my attitude or my behavior; my heart was filled with the man's pain. Feelings of sympathy and compassion flowed freely. "Your wife just died? Oh, I am so sorry! Can you tell me about it? What can I do to help?" Everything changed in that instant.

We all experience similar paradigm shifts every day which change our whole outlook on life. Still, we operate under the illusion that we have all the answers and judge what we encounter accordingly. Time to snap out of it, People!

We don't have all the answers. If we did, the world would not be such a screwed up place! It is this all-knowing attitude--the attitude of the ego--that keeps us at odds with one another! We operate in a world of separation, but separation is not the goal. As matter of fact, if we continue this stance of fighting and choosing sides society will continue to degenerate! Judgment only brings more judgment. Fighting only brings more fighting. Violence only brings more violence.

It's time to shift the paradigm--time to understand this world concept of separation is leading us to our own demise! It is only through acceptance we can balance out the judgment. It is only through peace we can balance out the violence. It is only through love we can balance out the hate. It's time to replace the old way of thinking with the new! Are you ready for the paradigm shift?

The Buck (Violence) Stops Here!

Last night, I witnessed countless people, both on the news and on Facebook, celebrating the death of Osama bin Laden. Yes, he did some terrible things. Will his death be the end of the crisis? Absolutely not. Now that we have turned bin Laden into a martyr in the eyes of his people, we can only expect retaliation and they will be planning BIG. If we continue in our present way of thinking, this sort of violence will only fuel more anger. This sort of violence is a never-ending cycle.

Martin Luther King, Jr. had it right! He once said, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." Retaliating same action for same action perpetuates extremism. Balance is only achieved through applying an equal and opposite force--in this case the force of love.

It's time to take a stand--right here, right now! The buck (the violence) stops with me! I will not retaliate from further aggression when it comes. I will show courage in the face of danger. I will choose kindness over violence. I will become peace in a world of unrest. I will be the example of love in the world.

Take time this day to meditate on the Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
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.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
     Amen.  

Peace On Earth

We enjoyed a truly blessed Christmas here in Georgia (even a miraculous snowfall!), yet for all the talk about peace on earth that the season brings, I am left pondering how we have come so far from it. The discord spread throughout the world seems almost overwhelming at times. Wars are fought, genocides are committed and gang activity seems at an all time high. I believe peace is more than an idea, but how do we accomplish this on a global level?

One of my nephews, home on leave for Christmas from his job as a medic in Iraq, brought back some rather sobering information. He signed up for the military specifically to be a medic--a role where he would take care of people instead of kill them. You would think he would be allowed to do his job and help his fallen comrades relatively unscathed, but this is not the case. Medics are second only to gunners on the snipers' attack list. I can understand why they would want to take out the gunners first, but why the medics? Is their level of hatred so strong they do not want to see anyone helped?

What is it about places like Iraq that encourage such hatred and violence? Why do people choose to join gangs and live as outlaws? I believe the answer to all these questions is quite simple: humans have a basic need for love and when that is in short supply they try to fill the hole up with what is available. In places like Iraq and Afghanistan, a religion that promises a better life in heaven and that makes them part of a community in the present is often very attractive. Here in America, where gangs are quite prevalent, people who join them often lack strong family support. The gang then becomes their replacement family. The bottom line is, we are all searching for love. When it is not there, we fill it with other things to try to plug up that emptiness.

So what can we do to promote peace on earth? We help take care of the needs of those around us. We can donate our time, our resources, ourselves to help people fill that basic need for love. It doesn't have to be big. It just needs to be done. Peace on earth begins in the heart. Peace on earth begins with you and me.

How To Change the Political Climate

Typically my blog posts have focused on what I am doing as an individual to promote positive change in my own life. Lately, I have been highly distracted by the current political climate. To me, politics in the past couple of years has taken on a disturbing new life of its own. There has always been a practice of mudslinging. The changes I see focus more on tactics of intimidation and misinformation--fear at much higher levels. The problem with using fear tactics is that fear is the exact opposite of love. Anything that moves us away from love is just plain wrong!

On the conservative side, people are afraid we are entering a "Big Brother" era and our rights under the constitution are being slowly taken away. On the liberal side, people fear what they perceive to be violent actions on the part of "narrow-minded" conservatives. At this point, I don't see anyone on any side truly listening and trying to understand what the "other side" is saying. IF WE CONTINUE ON THIS PATH, THINGS WILL TRULY EVOLVE AWAY FROM LOVE.

Now more than ever, it is important to ask ourselves this question. WHAT CAN I DO TO PROMOTE LOVE IN THE WORLD? How can I show people I love them, even when their political ideas are the polar opposite of mine? How can I promote peace?

First of all, it is important to remember that we are all people, regardless of our beliefs. We all come from different backgrounds and have been taught different things by our families, friends, teachers and environments. Remember how these differences play into our individual ideologies. Deep down, everyone years for love and acceptance, not judgement.

Secondly, we all need to practice looking at each other with compassion. I like to see myself as looking through Jesus' eyes. I have a tendency to be a very sensitive person and can be hurt quite easily. However, when I step away from myself and see the people who have hurt me through Christ's eyes, I see a much different picture. I am able to love them anyway. Often, I am given insight into the very things that have made those people hurt me as they have. I see how they too have been hurt and are just reacting in the only ways they know.

Finally, we need to make the attitude of forgiveness a habit. Holding on to past hurts keeps us in turmoil and prevents us from moving forward. We can never affect positive change in the world under these conditions. Let the pain and animosity go!

In this time of great change, it is important to be a force for positive change! Learn to listen without judgement! Learn to reach out in love, peace and friendship! BY REACHING OUT ONE PERSON AT A TIME, WE CAN BE THAT CATALYST OF LOVE AND PEACE IN THE WORLD! We can be change! We can be hope! We can make a positive impact on the world! It is all a question of choice. What will your choice be?