Choose Love

The Miami Herald, on 1/1/06, ran an op-ed piece by Frida Ghitis
(http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/13518051.htm) about how there is less violence on the planet now than at any other time in history. That the planet is more peaceful now is the conclusion reached by the Human Security Report that was published in October 2005 (http://www.humansecurityreport.info).

Of course the question begs, if that’s true, then why aren’t we celebrating? Why are people filled with anxiety and dread? Why are people stressed out and filled with anxiety? Why are millions and millions of people on Prozac?

The same issue of the Herald had an interview with me about defining spirituality (http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/editorial/letters/13518041.htm). At one point, I spoke about how I learned that I could see the world through the eyes of love or the eyes of fear.

It seems as though the world runs on fear. We have to worry about an endless array of threats: if the terrorists don’t get us, then a hurricane will; if it’s not avian flu, then it’s global warming. The nightly news features fires, tornados, murders, car crashes interspersed with commercials touting the latest cure of that deadly of all conditions – yellow teeth. We have to worry about dandruff, deodorant and dirty floors.

Fear impedes growth. I read recently that in order for an organism to survive it needs to do two things: it needs to protect itself and it needs to grow. If too much energy is spent on protection, there isn’t enough energy left for growth. Love fosters growth. Growth leads to self-actualization. It is a state of Self-realization. It’s the awareness that humans are all part of one Spirit. We are all the Buddha, the Christ or any other term for the Divine Presence. It is Enlightenment or Buddhahood or being a Bodhisattva. The Hindu term Tat Tvam Asi means “thou art that,” or as Joni Mitchell said in the song Woodstock, “we are stardust, we are golden, and we have to get ourselves back to the garden”.