The beauty of humanity.
Is that what you see when you leave your door in the morning? Are you focusing on the connection made between short glances? Or are you focusing on the division between strangers in an unforeseen dispute?
We all have a choice of where we put our attention. In fact, where that focus goes is indicative of what is going on in our thoughts.
It is easy to focus on the pain and turmoil in our everyday experience when the information we are consuming has the same emotional tone.
Our world has been in disharmony. And we can choose to find the harmonious connections within the storm, or continue along the path of dark, cobwebbed corners and gray fallen skies.
When we choose to turn our face towards the light, that is not an invitation for the dark to swallow our hope. Just like, it is not a call for shadows to tower over our communities and for us to surrender our power.
In fact, an allowance of the light is the courage to embody our strength. It is a brave action to choose softness in the face of pain. You might be thinking softness is weakness, but really, to be soft is to allow the present moment to be exactly what it is. Softness is the courage to see the love behind the pain.
It should be noted, this darkness I speak of is fear, guilt, shame, hatred, and every emotion that leaves you with a residue of disconnection. On the other hand, this light I am encouraging is patience, love, joy, understanding, compassion, and any other emotion that evokes a sense of connection.
Inspiring Change
With this in mind, there can be change without hyper-focusing on the dark. Similarly, there can be activism on both sides while concentrating on the light and having an overall understanding that most people are trying to do their best with the knowledge they have been given. It is important to realize we all have been fed information about what we should believe from the day we were born. This includes the fear and anxiety of our peers and loved ones that got passed down onto us. Most people receive the same information their whole lives, so how could you expect them to make another choice?
In fact, is the correct response to people who are trying to protect themselves, hatred and name-calling? Or will that just continue to further the divide that is already thriving?
Now I understand the anger, especially from people who the system has worked against for years. I am not in any way trying to discount your experience or tell you to not be angry. Moreover, this is an overall message that we are being torn apart. And the way to stitch ourselves back together is to focus more on the beauty of humanity while still showing up and encouraging an inclusive, cohesive world.
Where Focus Goes Energy Flows
To reclaim our power and see this beauty, we must shift our focus.
So how does one shift their focus?
Consume more information that vibrates with acceptance, love, and connection.
Reach out to more people and listen to their stories, their fears, and have an open heart and open mind. Instead of instantly finding ways to disagree, how can we validate another with a different opinion? This may be hard at first, but if we want to see true change, we need to open up our minds and connect deeper.
Remember, we are quick to acknowledge where another lacks, but so often behind that judgment, is the failure to see where we are lacking. If we choose to soften to our own hard edges, we begin to acknowledge our limitations and heal the darkness that exists within us.
In light of shifting focus, I am going to tell you a story that beautifully orchestrates the beauty in humanity.
Story Time:
First, we can observe the beauty every day if we chose to. Smiles shared, a curious gaze exchanged, and hearts with a wish to connect and see.
The Story:
Today I was at a coffee shop when I saw a woman start to sob. I immediately wanted to rush over there and support her. However, I caught eyes with another and we telepathically assessed how to comfort this individual. They sat down because they were closer in distance and I began to walk home with light tears in my eyes. This experience was a beautiful reminder of how connected we all are. What the other did for a living and their political beliefs did not matter. We were willing to reach out a hand and connect with a “stranger” because we know that the pain this person was experiencing, also exists within us.
First of all, We All Have Trauma.
We all have stories where we were negated, put-down, hurt, and abandoned. Because of this, we all have times in our lives where we act out of the darkness. We all have tender spots within our memories that keep us in the pain from time to time. These parts of us deserve love, they deserve validation, compassion, and understanding. WE ALL DESERVE THIS.
In summary, responding to these places of pain with hatred will not make them go away. When we allow the light to penetrate all those tender spots, we are changing our focus and feeding our bodies with love instead of feeding the war that goes on within us. Moreover, by recognizing our own darkness, we begin to better understand how pain can dictate our actions and hijack our belief systems. When we acknowledge this in ourselves, we start to see it in others, and we can c o n n e c t deeper with people we think are so different than us.
This commonality that brings us together is the beauty of humanity. It is the divine connection we all share as a species, the desire to connect, to love, to be seen, heard, and validated by one another. It is in all of us.
Will you choose to focus on the harmonious connections we all share?
If so, there may be a gift of peace waiting for you.
If you want to read more on the connections we can make with one another, click here.
Some of my inspiration comes from Sarah Blondin, a writer, and podcaster who speaks from the yummiest of heart spaces. She is truly a joy to listen to. Learn more about her here.
