“Be still and know that I AM God,” counsels the Bible.
Whether we are religious or not, this is wise counsel most needed in our age of ADD and multi-tasking.
Many people do not cause their minds to be still until they experience some shocking event that arrests their attention. This is why sometimes it requires a crisis to bring to the forefront of our consciousness what is truly essential. We have all experienced it during times of catastrophe – September 11, 2001, Hurricane Katrina, or the recent collapse of financial security in the United States. People begin to question their values. People who have been isolated from one another pull together to aid one another and find that they have more in common than they realized. They discover the divinity within themselves and their fellow human beings. Some people are moved to give in ways they never imagined they could, going far beyond their comfort zone to discover they have greater inner resources than they realized.
Why does it take crisis to bring out the best? When we are engrossed in material pursuits, when we worship “time” like a false god, it seems that we admit what we have only when we have lost it. Is there another way? Can we live our lives more positively, giving and being connected with our neighbors every day?
Yes. There is a better solution. Be still and listen to the inner voice. It can aid us to discern what choices will bring us greater wholeness, what choices provide real security. Meditation can be more than a spiritual practice. It can be a lifeline that connects each of us with an eternal source that provides an inner compass.
The election of Barack Obama as President of the United States teaches a great lesson: The power to cause change is within each one of us. One by one, individual citizens put forth a grass roots effort to educate and to gather support. Whether or not one agrees with the political views of our President, it is clear that the power of the individual worked to bring about a mass movement.
We all need to claim our individual right and duty to “be the change you want to see in the world,” as Mahatma Gandhi said. Blaming outside forces or waiting for institutions to change keeps people in victim consciousness. Asking, “what can I do?” and “what WILL I do?” and then doing it, is the key for us to bring about transformation.
Is this choice one that will support the goodness for all concerned? Will it benefit the whole? Will it provide lasting security or temporary satisfaction? How can I serve the whole? We each have the duty to listen to our own inner voice to bring out the best within ourselves in response. Yes, we can.
Dr. Laurel Clark is the President of the School of Metaphysics, a not-for-profit educational organization headquartered in Windyville, Missouri, USA. She is a teacher, author, and ordained minister in the Interfaith Church of Metaphysics. The School of Metaphysics coursework includes meditation, interpreting dreams, and causing stillness through concentration. Dr. Clark is also a mentor at Spiritual Focus Sessions offered at the College of Metaphysics in Windyville, MO. One of her books is Dharma: Finding Your Soul's Purpose. She can be reached at som@som.org or www.som.org.