When
I first heard these words from Professor David R. Hawkins, I thought “What an
uncaring attitude for such an enlightened man!”
It wasn’t until after I gave it some serious thought that I began to
understand how refreshingly ‘releasing’ that statement was.
Think
about it yourself. When situations have
gotten particularly bad and you’re feeling sad and down about it, try to catch
yourself during the midst of your worrying and ruminating and say it: “So what!” It can be quite liberating. It kind of stops the anxiety in its tracks.
Strangely,
I’m reminded of one of Aesop’s fables ‘The Fox Without a Tail’. Aesop’s fox didn’t have a tail, felt odd and
set out to slyly convince every other fox in the neighbourhood to get rid of
their tails too. After reading this
piece you may make out the metaphor in that story.
I
got to thinking of all the many scary events that seem to be raising their ugly
heads all over the world just lately, and how we were all slowly being
convinced to take up arms and begin what seems to be another big war. As a result, there seemed to be something
swirling around my gut and I began to start to believe there was some truth in
the following:
So,
for my own sanity, I had to begin to think of a way out of that way of thinking. The only thing that passed through these neurons in this head of mine was
to throw the question up to God, the Universe or the heavenly angels (whoever/whatever
might want to hear my tiny voice):
“Help?”
I pleaded at four in the morning. A cat had squealed outside and woke me. It was a fitful sleep anyway, so she wasn’t
disturbing anything good.
The
way David Hawkins explains it is so simple.
‘So What’ offers a ‘tidy’ way around all these emotional fears that take
a grip. It merely shows you a way of
learning how to cope with these huge events without feeling overwhelmed by something
I feel powerless to do anything about .
Each
of the big scary events, on their own, could make you feel as though you’re on
the edge of a precipice you’re about to slip into and that there is just no way
to deal with them to make the world a better place. But when they are all put together?
Uh
oh!
They
have the ability of presenting a picture of the world where you might feel as
though it’s just not worth going on anymore.
What chance do we stand?
(Please
note, this is not a political stab at anyone, it’s just a light-hearted
overview of what is a horrendously scary situation - and just a small offering
of assisting those who feel nothing but despair and weariness at the state of
the world as it may be perceived today).
We
are often led to believe the saying “an eye for an eye”. But, didn’t some wise man (Ghandi, I believe)
say that sentiment would leave the whole world blind?
Regardless
of what people say about Putin, Obama, Cameron and the other big figureheads
leading the way, I do believe they are intelligent, switched on, individuals. They must be to have reached such a high
level and command the respect of the people who elected them. I don’t believe they would do anything rash
that would lead the world to total annihilation. When you weigh up what would be gained and
lost, it just doesn’t seem like the thing anyone with any sense would do.
I
feel pain in my heart for the people (on all sides) whose lives have been torn
apart by a never-ending conflict that was not of their making. And there seem to be many of them all over the
world today. Israel and Palestine,
Russia and Ukraine, Scotland and England, not to mention a group terrorising
people of their own religious outlook.
It does seem such a shame that people just can't get along. Love thy neighbour seems such a far off sentiment that you wonder if we have not learned anything from the title of the scandalous erotic novel currently doing the cinema rounds at the mo (that the way of the world is not all simply black and white/yes and no)? If not now, then when?
These
events can not be described as small, insignificant worries.
They could change the world as we know it if they got
out of hand and the wrong decisions are made at the wrong time by the wrong
people, in haste. The one thing these
scenarios have in common is that the vast majority of people standing just
outside of them, looking in, are frightened of what might happen.
And herein lies the rub.
We
are becoming so frightened of the next possible catastrophe, that we’re
basically becoming frightened of fear itself.
“The only thing we
have to fear is fear itself.”
Franklin D Roosevelt.
The
Answer?
When I read through David R Hawkins’ books I get the feeling that
the answer to getting over this fear state seems to be in stopping seeing
ourselves as individuals and starting to see ourselves as one big family. Well, aren't we all supposed to be descended from
Adam and Eve?
There are so many of us residing on this planet (just over 6 million
at last count, I believe). We all have different abilities, skills, interests,
intelligences, emotions and personalities that it seems a crying shame that we
can’t see this for what it is and value each quality that each individual can
bring to this big family residing upon this tiny speck of a planet in the vast
heavens surrounding us.
Of course, we are all different. We
all have different opinions, outlooks, and views on the way life should be
lived. But at the heart of it, there is
a connection that cannot be severed.
Trust?
Instead of screaming in anger and throwing bombs or bullets at others, if
we are able to press the 'pause' button and be quiet for just a minute or two. And in that moment, we can begin to respect someone
else’s view by giving that time to them. In those
moments of observation, trust can be given a chance.
Trust opens the door for dialogue to begin. If a person believes that you have ‘heard’
their message, regardless of the outcome, then they feel respected and listened
to. Trust only comes from honouring
through listening.
Variety?
The nature of human beings as we are is that we are driven by
passions that are fragmented, disjointed, unconnected. We are
eager to get things done in the name of ‘something’. We are courageous for a ‘cause’ and hell-bent
on making the world a better place for our own ‘tribe’, ‘family’, or ‘nation’.
Let me help you get into your ‘observing self’ for a moment. Cast your mind back to when you were at
school. In your mind, watch the person
who got held up for cheating. If he was caught, he was
reprimanded and failed whatever exam he was taking.
However, step back from that scene again and think of it a different
way. Instead of casting blame and
dislike upon a person you believed was dishonest, try to understand the value
in that deed. See it as a deed of generosity.
The generosity is in the sharing of knowledge.
This a type of co-operation. If we can learn to share, we learn to respect
opinions and perspectives and then learn to respect different viewpoints.
When
we respect different viewpoints, it gets easier to understand the nature of
forgiveness.
Forgiving?
But
how are we to forgive those who we think have done us wrong? What was it that Ghandi said? Something about blinding the whole world while ‘getting
even’?
When
emotions run high because of an injustice done to our loved ones and we are
left to grieve, forgiveness can seem an impossible gesture. But many people have done it, and continue to
do so.
I
cannot forget the brave, bloodied face of a man, in Northern Ireland after a
bomb had blown his beloved daughter (a nurse) to pieces. He was wracked with pain and the deep sorrow
etched into his face as he cried to the cameras “I forgive them.” He said, if I don’t then this will never end. Then, recently, there was a woman in Iran whose son had
been killed by a man who was about to be executed. On the scaffold
ready to be dealt the death penalty, she was benevolent enough to forgive her son’s killer,
whereupon he was freed. Then the parents of the
latest American journalist who was beheaded asked for only one thing: “Mercy”. Not for themselves, but for those who were still held hostage. While they didn't technically 'forgive', they didn't express hatred from their hearts. All very brave, noble, people who understand the core message of love.
Confidence
I read a piece on the web by Meryl
Streep. She is such a beacon of a
guiding light that it’s hard to miss her halo.
She was reported to have said the following:
“I no longer
have patience for certain things, not because I’ve become arrogant, but simply
because I reached a point in my life where I do not want to waste more time
with what displeases me or hurts me. I have no patience for cynicism, excessive
criticism and demands of any nature. I lost the will to please those who do not
like me, to love those who do not love me and to smile at those who do not want
to smile at me. I no longer spend a single minute on those who lie or want to
manipulate. I decided not to coexist anymore with pretence, hypocrisy,
dishonesty and cheap praise. I do not tolerate selective erudition nor academic
arrogance. I do not adjust either to popular gossiping. I hate conflict and
comparisons. I believe in a world of opposites and that’s why I avoid people
with rigid and inflexible personalities. In friendship I dislike the lack of
loyalty and betrayal. I do not get along with those who do not know how to give
a compliment or a word of encouragement. Exaggerations bore me and I have difficulty
accepting those who do not like animals. And on top of everything I have no
patience for anyone who does not deserve my patience.”
In
saying this, she has released the stressful burden of pausing to care about
attending to those who don’t deserve her attention. Her sentiment enhances the very title of this
piece.
Our problems can seem so very big. But, when you look at the planet from afar (as in the planetary picture above), they can seem to be a simple silent noise in a far away place. Though much of humanity is capable of horrific acts of brutality and cruelty, this planet is also filled to the brim of people who are able to offer the hand of kindness, be so very generous and even bring humour to a dire situation. There are even those who can
teach us to offer that most benevolent of deeds and, as we’ve learned, to
forgive.
However,
if you see things happening in the world that make you fearful because you feel
too small to make a difference, then there is a little ray of hope on the
horizon.
"Everybody is a
genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live
its whole life believing that it is stupid."
Albert Einstein.
Educate Yourself
One thing that bosses of old have counted on is their employees ignorance.
So, how can you become more ‘enlightened’ or 'aware' of what is really going on in the world?
It’s a proven fact that the internet is two-thirds filled with lies. Only one third of it has any ring of truth. If you want to find the truth, sift
through what interests you – or scares you - and compare the differences of
opinion. Talk with others about what you’ve
read. Listen to what they have to say. If these stories don’t ring true, think: ‘So
What?’ and let it go.
But if there is some element (or evidence) of truth in it, then muster
the courage inside you to do one of the following.
Get Involved!
What you must remember is that all politics is local and to make
a big impact, you need to start small.
There
are town and county council meetings that you can attend and groups that set
themselves up (have you seen ‘The Vicar of Dibley’ and their weekly Parish meetings?).
It’s all well and good going online and creating a community there,
but you need to get involved with REAL LIVE people at the local level. I’m afraid that means you need to get off
your butt. And if you get off your butt
to go to a rally in the town, please don’t get angry and fight those that
oppose your views (we’re all different remember), because then your real
message will be forever lost!
Vote!
Even if you feel it won’t count, if you don’t know WHO to vote
for, or if you just feel so hopelessly despondent by the voting system - just
get off your butt, get outside and put an X in the box.
Even better, if you really don’t have any confidence in the system
that has been set-up and you’d like it to change, you are perfectly within your
rights to simply scrawl across the voting form:
‘NO CONFIDENCE’.
If you did that one small thing, big things would begin to change.
Write!
If you don’t want to get involved in that sort of thing then write to your MP and get them to act on your behalf. The idea is to let them all know you are paying attention to what they are doing and ask them how they are spending the money locally, nationally and internationally. Let them know how you would like that money to be spent.
Yes, write to your Member of Parliament. It’s easy enough to do nowadays.
If you don’t like pen and paper and post, then they are all
online. They all have web sites with
email addresses where you can bombard them with your views about how they are
dealing (or not) with the situation in the local community, county, country,
world.
You don’t have to write legibly.
Just get the words out of your mind, down your shoulder, through your
arm, to your fingers into the pen and let them emerge onto the paper in front
of you.
Set
Yourself Up!
As a political party. Get
like-minded people together, and even do the most unheard of thing ever – get
together with ‘oppositional’ groups and discuss meaningful items on a structured agenda. Allow the adult-like behaviour in here, not the child-like playground scruffian’ behaviour we see in Parliamentary ‘debates’ - honestly, can you imagine Richard Branson holding a business meeting that was conducted in that manner?
If you do think things might get out of hand, then draw up an Agreement beforehand, have a cup of tea, and say out loud if need be, to each other that you know there will be differences of opinion and that you will respect that. Regardless.
It might be a good idea to have people present who know how to cool heated
emotions in a diplomatic way.
Build
A Web Site!
What is needed is one place (a web site perhaps) that can collect
all the different abilities, skills, interests, intelligences, emotions and
personalities and gather all the fantastic ideas these people have in order to help
the planet back to a better state of ‘being’.
For instance, topics that could be included are: that teenage girl
who knows how to make plastic out of banana skins, and the project by the
Chinese that shows how you can build self-sustaining Oasis (groups of plants that
create their own water holes). Other
people know how to grow edible veggies in patio pots and others know how to
desalinate water (take salt from sea water to make it drinkable) and, still others
know how to make cars go without petrol (!).
Ideally,
monetary gain (and therefore this ‘patenting’ system , should be taken out of
the situation, in preference of perfecting our planet – this tiny dot of a
place we call home - being healed.
At the end of it all, you are perfectly within your rights to
simply sit in your armchair, moaning at the tv about the way of the fearful world
that’s frightening all and sundry. But,
if you don’t take up any of these ideas, or worse, begin to be convinced to get
rid of your own tail by the ‘fox with no tail’, then the planet WILL NOT CHANGE
for your betterment – merely for someone else’s.
What would you have to say for yourself then?
So
What?
© Kaye Bewley 2014
