Peace, Love, Joy, Harmony (Part #4)

"But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads?"

-Albert Camus-

"Harmony is one phase of the law whose spiritual expression is love."

-James Allen-

"Harmony is pure love, for love is a concerto."

-Lope de Vega-

"He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the universe."

-Marcus Aurelius-

What is it about the human spirit that makes us feel the need to prove we're right?  What is it that makes us want to show we're faster, stronger, better, smarter, prettier?  Why do we feel such a strong desire to "look out for number one" or "protect our own"?  How is it that we long to compare ourselves to others and see them as "less than" or more importantly, ourselves as "greater than"?

The State of Arizona recently passed an immigration law that, among other things, requires immigrants to carry proof of their status.  It further allows police officers to ask for proof of immigration status to those they suspect are "illegal".  Additionally, there are stiff penalties for companies that employ illegal immigrants.  I'm sure there is much, much more to the law, but frankly, I'm not interested.  This law has Democrats and Republicans alike in an uproar about the constitutionality of the law and government officials from both sides of the isle are concerned about its far-reaching ramifications. 

This is the fourth entry in a series entitled Peace, Love, Joy, Harmony.  By now I hope you've realized, this one is about Harmony.  I searched for an appropriate definition of Harmony on my handy online dictionary and most were about music.  And although there may be some parallels, none seemed to define what I'm about to try and say. 

Since the beginning of time, humans have been at war with each other over things as simple as food stores or territory and as complicated as religion and politics.  Even the beloved Native American Indian, who I have generally admired as living in Harmony with Mother Earth, were at war with each other over things like hunting territory and food supplies. It has taken me 49 years to get to where I am today, but here it is.  I just don't get it.  No matter how you slice it, every single thing that keeps us OUT of Harmony revolves around MY turf, MY food, MY religion, MY political party, MY need to protect my freedom, ad infinitum.

Recently, I have been enthralled by the many new and intelligent friends I've met on Facebook.  It really is a fascinating tool for learning new things and I've been known to try and add my two-cents-worth on a variety of topics.  The mental exercise is stimulating and I truly am enamored at the depth of people's knowledge.  In fact, many times I feel like a mental midget (ok, little person) and cower from conversations because I feel intimidated.  But at the same time, I've felt a strong urge to explain things from my perspective; to show people what I know.

Today, while in the Walmart parking lot, I was struck by a spiritual baseball bat.  I was thinking about dozens of things from recent conversations and how I might rebut, when I realized with total clarity, "It just doesn't matter."  If I'm going to live harmoniously with my fellow man, then my opinion about things really doesn't matter.  Neither does yours.  Ouch!  Here's the thing, and I'm amazed that it really goes back to the second post in this series.  You'll even see it in some of the quotes.  What's important isn't who's right or wrong or who does the most research or believes this way or that.  What matters is love.  (I will NOT relinquish my Man Card!) 

So let's reexamine the legislation from Arizona.  The reason we're concerned about immigration in America is because people from other countries, here by "illegal means", compete for our finite resources.  To care for them, our government needs to be bigger.  Our taxes soar higher.  They use up our oil, water, medical care, etc. etc.  I get it.  I do.  But as you may have noticed from previous posts, I think for us to survive as a species, we have to stop thinking about resources in terms of "theirs" or "ours".  They aren't America's resources.  They are GLOBAL resources and our survival as a species will require that we all share.  I have NO idea how that will all materialize, but I do know this.  It WILL materialize in a way we can't yet see and everything WILL unfold as it should.  This isn't a problem for the United States or Great Britain or Mexico.  It's an opportunity for the universe to unfold precisely as it should, precisely as it will.

A friend of mine recently told me my writing style and perspective on things had changed.  She's right.  It has.  And I'm happy about that.  From a Midwestern staunch conservative has emerged a humanist that thinks the answer isn't about walls or sides, or right and wrong.  It's about love and living in Harmony with each other.  It's about accepting each and every person exactly the way they are, WHERE they are.

Share what you have today.  Accept someone's perspective on things and don't argue your point.  Don't steadfastly hold your ground or insist you're right.  Just try it.  Just for today.  In the overall scheme of things it just won't matter.  The universe is unfolding exactly as it should.  Thanks for reading.

I feel much better.