Where is the Love these days?
I see so many friends and acquaintances getting so upset about so many things these days.
Of course the political climate in the US is a hot topic, but there’s a plethora of others: race, religion, gender identity, what food you eat, it goes on. The challenge I see is that half of the people align with one side and the other half align with the other side. Each side has become so polarized that they’ve lost sight of humanity. The republicans hate the democrats and vice versa. The “left” hates the “right.” Any particular label that can be applied has a counterpart, and the respective counterparts are at each other’s throats. Most people I hear talking about it are so filled with angst it would seem that it must be beginning to affect their health. It doesn’t matter which side they align with, both sides are polarized and both sides terrified of the other.
The news outlets are of course having a field day with this. A number of prominent news outlets have aligned with one side or the other, and basically all of the “news” they publish is so radicalized that it begins to bear little resemblance to the truth – to the extent that I no longer follow anything from those outlets. The more people become upset about whatever issue, the more they read whatever is being published, because of course it supports their view of whatever it is that they’re being upset about.
It amazes me that I even see some of my Canadian and British friends jumping into the fray and getting upset about the ruckus going on in the US. I realize that it can have some practical impact on their lives, but I just don’t see how getting upset about it is going to have a benefit to anyone.
Have you noticed that I haven’t taken sides in this, that I haven’t given any more credibility to one side than the other? It’s because from where I stand here on the sidelines, what I see is that BOTH sides have radicalized themselves to the point of irrationality. I find that very saddening. Its like when two friends whom I dearly love part ways over a disagreement, especially a disagreement that I believe could ultimately be worked through if they could look beyond the pain to see the underlying love that had brought them together in the beginning. Even though I refuse to take part, I still have to be very careful what I say lest I be labeled and hated for my label, regardless of the label’s validity. Frankly if someone wants to hate me because I don’t agree with them, that’s their business, but it can be at times inconvenient.
Let’s take a closer look at radicalization or polarization, by taking as an example two people who love each other, but of course opposites attract so these two people have different ways of thinking about things and doing things. Think of this like a number line scale, with the center being a “happy medium”; to one side – the “A” side – is more Person A, and to the other is more Person B – the “B” side. Person A begins to do something the way they’re used to doing it, in a way that feels comfortable to them. Person B doesn’t like that, because of course being opposite they’re used to a different way of doing it. So Person B tries to “balance” things out by moving further to B side on this scale of behavior. This of course is uncomfortable for Person A, and they compensate by moving their behavior further to the A side on the scale. This process continues until both A and B have moved to an extreme position on opposite ends of the scale. Both are unhappy, even furious at each other. But the whole root of the issue is that each is seeking their own wishes TO THE EXCLUSION OF THE OTHER. It becomes a “my way or the highway” attitude. Now that you understand this analogy, does it seem a bit narcissistic to you? I don’t know about you but I don’t know of anyone who has all the squirrels up one tree. Except maybe the Dalai Lama.
This is what has become of the government in the US. Each side has so radicalized that they spend their time cramming things down each other’s throats rather than negotiating compromises that find a “happy medium” – a solution were everyone can be satisfied at least to a degree. As a result, we go from one bad solution to the other. First one side does some sweeping change, then the other side can’t sleep until they’ve dismantled that solution and substituted their own. There is no compromise, and as a result there’s no way to find a solution that suits more than 50% of the people.
The Rules Of The Spirit teaches about this.
The Rules Of The World say that you must get what you need through Control, Power and Fear. That’s the way we’re living these days, that’s the way many of our news outlets and politicians are operating. But, as I’ve shown in the book “Rules Of The Spirit,” the Rules Of The World only appear to work. They are a half-truth, not the Truth. Ultimately they break down, and when they break down people suffer. Actually, it doesn’t matter whether they are appearing to work or not: people suffer.
The Rules Of The Spirit are Love, Grace, and Trust. The Rules Of The Spirit are the path out of this jungle of misery, angst and hatred. When we remember to Love one another, I mean truly Love one another in a way that recognizes that each of us is a person, that we are all one, that we each and every one carry the spark of divinity within, then we can come to the table and work out our differences to find that “happy medium.” The Human Race will never be happy until it learns to live by the Rules Of The Spirit – the basic truth that we brought with us when we were born into this world.
Have you read “The Rules Of The Spirit” yet? It’s available on Amazon (Search for “Paul C McKinley”) or you can order it from the Rules Of The Spirit website http://rulesofthespirit.com”