One of the “consequences” of committing to a life filled with more love and consciousness is that you realize even more fully the power of choice and the responsibility that comes with the gift of free will. The world is definitely random and cannot always be explained. However, we can make more sense of it and co-create with the universe through the choices we make.
Even though circumstances and conditions may make it difficult or even impossible to always make choices that are for the highest good of all, most of the time we are able to know whether what we are doing feels and looks like love. We are in enough control to know when we miss the mark and what it will take to aim a little higher.
I have not always chosen love. When I didn’t, I was always aware of what I was doing deep down, even if I found it impossible to change course in the moment. It seems so easy: say what’s right … do what’s right. Then our egos get in the way — at least mine can.
It can seem risky to choose love over fear … to choose what’s right when it involves having to admit that we may have been very wrong. There is such vulnerability and shame in being human. We can judge ourselves and others so harshly.
On the flip side of that, of course, is our undeniable divinity. When we are self-loving, aware and brave enough to harness the divine energy that we all possess within — when we make choices that rise above our conditioning and defenses, we discover our true potential and purpose.
We’re all at different places. We make different choices based on where our individual inner compass is set at any given moment. One day all the traffic in the world cannot bother us; the next day we are in a fit of road rage. It happens to all of us at one time or another.
I recently watched in abject horror as Republican Congressperson Marjorie Taylor Greene taunted, bullied and spat venom through the mail slot of the locked office door of fellow Congressperson Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Rep. Greene is convinced that someone with an ethnic last name who has different beliefs must be a terrorist and part of a radical movement. She is convinced that appearing stronger will help her from feeling and being perceived as weaker.
There is nothing strong about losing control. There is nothing strong about not choosing love.
I watched in horror because I personally know what it is like to be taunted, bullied and spat at by people who are afraid of me being different. I watched in horror as a I realized the hideous example that was being played out in a very public way for all the “mean girls” and “bully boys” in the making. I watched in horror, knowing there have been moments when my fear and self-loathing didn’t make me choose love. I watched in hope at the regret Ms. Greene may feel one day very soon feel when she rediscovers her divinity — and how she might start to aim higher.
Ironically, another Republican Congressperson made a choice at the very same time that was in stark contrast to the kind of behavior Ms. Green exhibited. Liz Cheney chose to honor her ethics and values by standing up to the lie that our last Presidential election was rigged. She was clearly afraid of losing her position and power — but not nearly as afraid as losing her soul.
I do not agree with many of Ms. Cheney’s political views. However, her character speaks volumes about the many places where we might be able to meet in the middle.
We are at a monumental time in the history of civilization when our choices matter more than ever in deciding our future. If our choices are in alignment with what the great spiritual masters have taught us, we may create peace in our nation. If we continue to fan the flames of tribalism, corrupt capitalism and untrue conspiracies, we will likely find ourselves trapped in the same kind of hell we see in so many other parts of the world.
We are not immune. It’s all about the choices we make.
I believe with every core of my being that there was a part in each one of us that was horrified to watch Marjorie Taylor Greene’s diatribe as she yelled for her colleague to “get rid of your diaper.” We would be so embarrassed by that kind of behavior in ourselves— well, at least most of us. We would never want to be the recipient of that kind of anger and cruelty.
We wouldn’t want our daughters or sons to act that way. We wouldn’t tolerate it in our employees. We certainly wouldn’t consider it to be very God-like.
Why then aren’t more people making the choice to stand up and say, “Enough!”? We don’t have to shame each other for behavior that makes us human — but we also don’t have to sacrifice our own divinity to brush it under the carpet.
We all have choices that go way beyond the color of our skin or political party — choices that transcend the way we are conditioned and raised. They are choices that strike at the core of who we are when we are alone facing the mirror. Every single choice we make is sacred because it adds to the essence of who we are and how we honor the essence of others.
We make hundreds of choices every day. On the surface most are too insignificant to make a difference. Whether you turn left, or right, might not matter — unless there is an accident waiting to happen in one direction or the other.
We often choose what we say and do without even thinking about it. Sometimes we think about it too much when feeling it might be more helpful. Most of the time we need to do both.
Let us choose today to reject criticism, bullying and mean-spiritedness no matter how natural, justified and right it may feel in the heat of the moment. Let us not make it okay and normal for one grown woman to harass and taunt another without all of our roles being called into question. If we cannot take the stand publicly, let us at least do it in the privacy of our own hearts.
Let us choose love.
Love,
G.