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The Ripple Effect
When we look at the world today, the problems can seem overwhelming. The hatred, the suffering, the poverty, the endless reports of man's inhumanity to man. Every second someone in the world is dying of hunger, every day there is another terrorist attack in Israel, every few minutes a woman somewhere is being physically abused by her husband. There are the more and more reports of sexual abuse in the Church and child abuse in the home.
Each night on the news we are inundated with accounts of crimes in our own streets and in the world. So much senseless pain. And in the face of it all, we can feel so powerless to do anything about it.
But the truth is, we are all much more powerful than we know, and no matter how dark the world seems, we are only seeing part of the story. The other part of the story is that in spite of the darkness, there is a larger body of light, and it grows stronger every day. This body of light is made up of people just like you and me; people who live their lives with love and compassion and respect for all life on this planet.
Every thought we have sends out ripples throughout the entire universe. We choose whether these thoughts hurt or heal; whether we contribute to the darkness or radiate our light. It is here, in our own hearts, that we have the power to effect change in the world. Robert Kennedy once said,
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"Each time a person stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, these ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."
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Yes, there is darkness in the world, and while it seems to be intensifying, I think perhaps this is the Universe's way of bringing our shadows to the surface so that we can heal them. The way that our bodies will undergo what is called a "healing crisis", when we appear to be getting worse for a short time before we begin to heal, the collective body of humanity and the earth itself appear to be going through a healing crisis. The toxins that have been festering under the surface are being brought to a head so that they can be healed and the body made whole again.
The cure is what I call the "Namaste Cure". Namaste is one of the most beautiful words I have ever heard. It is Sanskrit and means "I Honor the place in you in which the entire universe dwells. I honor the place in you which is Love,Truth and Peace. When you are in that place in you and I am in that place in me, we are One."(or the shortened westernized version, "The Divinity in me, honors the Divinity in you.").
Imagine if everyone had this word and this thought in their heart when they related to everyone else. Try it. If there is someone in your life who is "difficult", approach them with this word in your mind and heart and see if the whole relationship doesn't change. If there is someone in your life who has hurt you, and you're finding it difficult to forgive them, see through to their Divine Self from your Divine Self and see how easy it becomes to forgive. In fact, you may just begin to realize that forgiveness isn't even necessary.
Gandhi once said, "The pure, unadulterated love of one person can nullify the hatred of millions". You are that person, my friend.
On the following pages you'll find teachings and ideas that I have been moved by. They are the ideas and thoughts I choose to fill my heart with. They are the ripples I want to radiate out to the world. Perhaps they are yours, too. Perhaps not. Whatever words you choose, may they be filled with the love that you are. May we all be the light to dispell the darkness forever.
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The thought manifests as the word;
The word manifests as the deed;
The deed manifests into habit;
And habit hardens into character.
So watch the thought and its way with care
And let it spring from love
Born out of concern for all beings.
~Buddha
Who can tell what miracles
Love has in store for us
If only we have the courage
To become one with it?
Everything we think we know now
Is only the beginning
Of another knowing that itself has no end
And everything we now can accomplish
Will seem derisory to us
When the powers of our divine nature
Flower in glory and act through us.
~Iqbal, Sufi mystic
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