The world is on fire and this truth is really hard to hold.
We search for answers and meaning and sides to take,
But there are no sides to take.
The side to take is the side of humanity,
The side of peace,
The side of finally laying down the tensions and the conflicts that have been going on for way too long.
All human beings,
All of us are intrinsically connected to life,
To this life here on earth.
We have shared values to grow,
To achieve,
To love,
To care for and to be cared for,
To be free and to belong.
And we also have shared emotions,
Shadowy emotions and old baggage,
Anger,
Resentment,
Criticism,
Judgment,
Hatred,
Greed and fear.
There's not much we can do to affect change out there around things that we really cannot control.
And through the lens of compassion,
We can find greater awareness and greater understanding around how to be more human,
Not just with others,
But with ourselves.
The word human means that we are of the earth and that we will return to the earth,
That we are distinguished from the animal kingdom.
We have speech,
We are civilized,
But human also refers to being a God consciousness being,
A God consciousness being,
A being that is aware of the presence of God or the presence that is beyond ourselves.
There are so many names and so many religions.
It really doesn't matter what you call this divine connection and it may not even matter whether you believe in this divine connection or not,
Because this talk is not about religion.
This talk is about finding your own inner humanity and how to find more peace,
Self-acceptance,
Belonging within you.
We all have inner struggles,
Feelings that are unresolved,
That create tension,
Self-judgment,
Self-criticism,
And self-hatred.
These feelings are very human and we may find it hard to create space for the truth of how we may be feeling and let go of the struggle,
Let go of the fight.
When we can look at life through our hearts and we can look at ourselves through our own heart,
We can look to create more peace within us.
What parts of us are in conflict?
What parts of us have we not been able to resolve?
To feel a sense of inner freedom and self-love,
To grow and evolve past the stories,
Past the right and wrong.
One of my favorite poets,
Rumi,
Says,
Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right doing,
There is a field,
I'll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass,
The world is too full to talk about ideas.
Language,
Even the phrase each other,
Doesn't make any sense.
How can we have compassion for others when we may not have compassion for ourselves?
It's time to dissolve the barriers between right and wrong and move towards a greater sense of oneness,
A greater sense of wholeness,
A greater sense of freedom,
To achieve peace within,
To let go of the past and to reimagine what peace can really be,
What peace can finally look like,
What peace can finally feel like,
And to allow our imaginations to embrace this new reality.
And it all starts right here within you.
Take a moment and breathe in and out of your heart center.
Finding a natural,
Easy rhythm and tuning in to the energy of your heart and reflect on what inner peace means to you and what inner peace feels like within you.
In this moment,
Dissolving any other feelings or sensations inside of you.
That is not peaceful.
That is not coming from a place of love.
Dissolving with each inhale and each exhale.
And notice if you can feel your heart expand,
Expanding more and more with each breath.
As you feel this,
Imagine all the other heart centers in the world who also want peace inside and in the world.
As your heart continues to expand and grow,
Imagine connecting to all of those other hearts and breathe as one and breathe for peace.
Sending comfort to all those in need and may all beings be free from suffering and learn how to free each other from suffering.
Thank you for being here.
