Hatred
and Fear
“Remember,
if you love life, nothing is worth closing over. Nothing, ever, is
worth closing your heart over.”
Michael
J. Singer (The Untethered Heart)
Walking
around with an open heart is not easy. In fact, we're well trained in
how to open and close our hearts depending upon the situation. Since
we were tribal people, we've known how to identify the enemy and
close our hearts and minds to anything of value in him/her. At one
time in our evolution, that ability was adaptive. We survived as a
species by being the strongest and overcoming our enemies. Today,
that behavior, that capacity to close, is no longer adaptive. In
fact, it is creating chaos in our world.
Keeping
an open heart (I know; sounds like a jewelry commercial, doesn't it?)
is a matter of consciousness and intention. When you see someone or
something you dislike, something that goes against your grain,
instead of closing your heart and taking a defensive posture, give
yourself a “no” message. Say to yourself, “I am going to keep
my heart open.” We all have tapes—automatic attitudes learned in
childhood—that turn on when we are confronted with “otherness,”
but we don't have to let them play. We can say “no” to those
thought messages and replace them with, “I am determined to keep an
open heart.” It feels awkward at first, but with practice it
becomes easier.
If
you hate your enemies, they have power over you. They have the power
to turn your heart toward fear and vindictiveness. If you fear your
enemies, they have power over you; they can turn your actions toward
violence and destruction. They have the power to make you think and
behave as they do. To paraphrase the words of Martin Luther King,
Jr., hatred and fear do not conquer hatred and fear—love conquers
them. Love heals. There is nothing on earth that is worth handing
your heart over to hatred. Strive today to keep it open—no matter
what.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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