The Goal:

 

Be Light

“The more you walk away from things that poison your soul, the healthier you will be.”

Anonymous (Of Life website)

          I’ve been watching and listening to a lot less news lately. I’ve found that when I absorb too much of it, I become someone I don’t want to be. I find myself cursing the commentators, the interviewees, and life in general. I have even entertained dark wishes for bad things to happen to certain of our leaders. Who do you think those dark wishes are hurting? No one but me.

          I could blame others for my hateful mood. That would certainly be consistent with popular ethics the day, but I know that my feelings belong to me. I am responsible for the energy I send out into the world, and I can choose to either add to the negativity or not. Right now, I’m choosing not to, but what I know is that if I watch and listen to too much news, I will jump right in there and spew with the worst of them.

          Some of the emotions that poison our souls are hatred, envy, spitefulness, jealousy, resentment, contempt, egocentricity, greed, and lack of empathy. Once our souls have been coopted by one of these negative mindsets, the taint stays with us and racks up karmic debt. And, that debt will need to be atoned for in this lifetime or it will be carried forward into the next. And, honestly, I don’t want to have to account for the negative wishes I’ve been harboring.

          If all this sounds a little too un-Christian to you, a little too Buddhist or Hindu, that is because we don’t read the scriptures and apply them to ourselves and our time. Here are a few from John: “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” (1John 1:6) “Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother, is still in darkness.” (1John 2:19) “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” I don’t know about you, but I don’t want any of that to apply to me. And if I watch too much news—it does.

          We can stay informed and active, and still not allow our souls to be poisoned. I do it by getting involved in things I care about, by contributing to organizations and individuals who are serving the greater good. It grieves me greatly to know that one such as Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died and will be replaced for purposes of political gain. In my world view, that should not happen, but if it does, I cannot allow it to poison my world view for years to come. We must choose our response to things we do not like, not by cursing the darkness, but by striving to be the brightest light we can be. The world needs our souls to be healthy, and anger and hatred will not provide the climate for that. Here is a good question to ask yourself: What would RBG do in these circumstances? Then go and do that.

                                                  In the Spirit,

                                                  Jane