Over half a century ago, Martin Luther King Jr said; “We’ve learned to fly the air like birds, we’ve learned to swim the seas like fish, and yet we haven’t learned to walk the earth like brothers and sisters”.Unfortunately, this statement still rings true today. Why are we unable to see ourselves in each other? Why have we progressed so little since then? Could discovering who we really are change this?
division and hate are taught
Being from the south, I can vouch for this! I remember sitting at the dinner table with my grandparents and younger sister when I was 12 years old and my grandmother said out of nowhere “If either one of you girls ever brought home a black man, that would be the death of me”. I remember the look of disgust on her face. However, I know now that was her programming. By default, she was passing that old TAUGHT mindset to us. Even then at such a young age something felt heavy about the message she was delivering. It didn’t feel right or in alignment with who I was. Guess what happened… I married a black man! Of course this wasn’t planned! It just worked out that way!
Growing up, we had a television in every room. There was always ambient noise in the background. It usually consisted of the local news, world news, talk shows, 20/20, etc. The world seemed to be a dangerous place according to the television. Although, real life seemed to be relatively safe. I remember certain words being ingrained in my mind. For example; terrorism, Islam, Muslim, racism, war, shooting, kidnapping, etc…This seemed to be the general message. Nevertheless, I stayed busy and never just sat around and watched it. However, my dad would get home from work and sit in his chair and watch the “narrative” being painted for the world to see. As the years went by, he seemed to get more angry towards people whom he’d never met before. He believed in blowing someone off the map! However, this wasn’t who my dad really was.
These are just a couple of examples of how division and hate are taught. Other divisive tools include; music, politics, patriotism, and religion. Again, taught!
where do we go from here?
Since division and hate are taught, acceptance and love can be learned. First, this starts with self-love. We must truly love ourselves before we can love others. Self-love includes all aspects. In order to do this, we must understand the importance of feeding our mind, body, and soul with content that is positive and healthy. It’s impossible to be at your best by feeding negativity, eating shitty food, and doing absolutely nothing to nourish your soul. Therefore, our “why” must be strong enough! We must get real with ourselves to WANT to feel better to be better. Excuses must go. The term “DIET” must be eliminated from our vocabulary. This word has been a substitution for “TEMPORARY”. Instead, to make this transition, loving yourself must become a “LIFESTYLE”!
In order to change any habit, it must be replaced with a different behavior for at least 2 months on average. This is great news! A lifetime of non-beneficial behavior and habits can be changed within months! However, this takes effort and a willingness to want change. Once this decision is made and self-love becomes the focus, loving others and seeing the good in the world is SIMPLE. Remember, this can only happen when our mind is clear, body is healthy, and soul is nourished. My daily routine includes a 10 minute meditation, a 30 minute P90X3 workout or yoga, positive affirmations, lots of good quality water (Fiji), and eating fresh food that includes lots of raw veggies and fruit versus processed chemically enhanced genetically modified food. Ultimately, creating a better world for the collective, starts by changing ourself first!
the domino effect
Once we decide to truly change ourself for the better, we will start to see the shift in others around us. The domino effect describes this best. It is the cumulative effect produced when one event sets off a chain of similar events. Many of our current “habits” and “beliefs” have been formed through hand-me-down information NOT experiences of our own. Therefore, our current reality reflects this. For example, war, division, disease, addiction, depression, fear, negativity, etc. To change this reality, we must try something different! Doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results is the definition of INSANITY. This momentum CAN be stopped and redirected! Seriously, who wars anymore?
Since our collective thought creates our collective reality, we should ALL focus on being the change we want to see in the world. Really, it’s that easy. Acceptance, love, hope, and positivity must become our new program! This starts by discovering you!