"Positive thoughts and prayer have been the best means available, since the beginning of time, to transform darkness to light."
“Mankind have such a deep stake in inward illumination, that there is much to be said by the hermit or monk in defense of his life of thought and prayer.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson~
If you've followed me for any length of time at all, you can probably guess what I'm about to say about Mass Shootings and Thoughts and Prayers. And you'd probably be wrong. I'll be the very first to admit, every time I hear of a mass shooting (which seems to be almost daily) and hear of your thoughts and prayers regarding said shooting, I'm tempted to tell you where to stick your thoughts and prayers. But, I've changed. Or, at least, I'm changing. All you hard-core followers need to hang in there.
It would seem what we need is policy change. Seemingly, we need common sense gun control and legislation that make it more difficult for "bad" people to have guns. And I'm not suggesting that isn't still a direction in which we can go. But gun control doesn't work, does it? Even the hard core gun control people like me are beginning to understand that legislation, regardless of how sweeping, won't necessarily keep guns out of the hands of people who want to use them for purposes of mass destruction......or singular destruction for that matter. Sure, other countries have had some "success" with strict gun laws. But let's forget about borders and gun control for the moment. You and I both know the issue is bigger than that. Much bigger.
It's no longer about just gun control. It's about world hunger, economic collapse, homelessness, healthcare, climate change, immigration, and so much more! It's about eliminating the gap between the Haves and Have-Nots. It's about the meeting of basic human needs to which we are ALL entitled. It's about coming to the realization we're all one. We. Are. One. Every American and Russian are one. Every plant, animal, human, and (if they're out there) alien, are one. One! We're all made of the same ancient star dust. We aren't OF earth. We were put here. Either on purpose or by some cosmic accident, no one knows. But we are all the same. Until we change that basic understanding, nothing really changes and we're all doomed. We've been here as a species before.
So, what will it take to make these sweeping changes? It will take a change in the collective consciousness. It will take arriving at a place where we realize our Oneness and begin to take care of each other on a global scale. On a cosmic scale. And how precisely do we make such a sweeping change? You guessed it.....Thoughts and Prayers.
Many years ago, I was having a conversation with a Catholic gentleman who was telling me about how fascinated he was to know that, during mass, people all over the world were praying the same prayer. He could feel the power of that "group awareness." And if you're still with me, and have followed me here, or Facebook, or have read my book, or anywhere else, you know I'm not a Christian. I'm a spiritual person constantly searching for an answer to the big questions. It's likely I'll never find them in total, but the search gives me purpose. It stretches my mind and nurtures my soul. I love science. And you would think that would put me in direct conflict with things like "prayer." (Call it whatever you want, actually). But, as it turns out, prayer and science are friends.
We've touched on this topic before, but science has blown the lid off this thing. Thoughts (prayers, meditation, whatever) produce energy in the brain. Energy has mass. And if energy has mass, then mass is influenced by gravity, which, in short, means thoughts can change things. Yeah. Yeah. I know. We're talking about things on a subatomic scale. But what if.....what. if. we could multiply that subatomic movement times 8 billion? Kinda makes you wonder if we could change some things doesn't it? Or, at the very least, influence them?
Group Think is a thing. It works. If you don't believe me, consider something we've all witnessed, Mob Mentality, as a negative example. How many of us who don't "pray" have witnessed the influence of a prayer group? It's difficult to deny results. Collectively, we can make a change. One at a time, we can begin to use the power of our thoughts to influence the outside world. We can come from a place of love until someone else uses THEIR thoughts to influence the outside world, and so on, and so on, and so on.
Sure, it's a really tall order. It's an order of Everest scale, but it's really the only way we're going to change things and save our species. Basic needs must be met. If we're to consider ourselves an advanced species, then no one should be without food, shelter, or medical care. No one should be afraid of being gunned down in their school, office, or place of worship. We HAVE to start taking care of each other. It's not easy. And I hate to admit it, but it all starts with Thoughts and Prayers.
I'll take all I can get.
Namaste
