Listen to “FindYourSelf.mp3” while you read. Music by Alexander Bell.
This planet is truly our paradise, a beautiful world full of beautiful sounds, beautiful creatures, trees, fruits, flowers, fragrances, colours… the beauty is endless. But are our eyes and ears open to this beauty? What about our heart? Do we feel it?
The beauty of life on Earth is plain to see if we are willing to look, yet many people are not. Some vehemently deny it, choosing instead to see only the darkness and the troubles that exists in the world. Of course, we cannot deny the human conflict that occurs in many parts of the world, or the poor living conditions that millions of people endure worldwide, the sickness and the suffering, the concrete jungles occupied by people living in stress and unhappiness. It is undeniable that the human situation on earth needs improving vastly. Yet, should this stop us from appreciating the beauty of the earth? Should we allow it to cloud our mind, weigh down our heart and drag us into a state of pessimism? For many people, this does happen.
They come to a point where they believe there to be no possibility of a bright future on Earth, yet this is not true. It is just a perspective, a viewpoint, a belief system encouraged by all the negative information that people absorb from the mainstream (and alternative) media sources. But it is certainly not a fact. The “bad news media” would like to convince you that it is a fact, that we are all doomed to destruction, that everything on Earth is only getting worse and worse for us all, but it certainly is not.
All the negative information that we fixate upon has a significant influence on our state of consciousness. In turn, our collective state of consciousness influences what we experience here on Earth, much like the observer in a very delicate science experiment cannot help but influence the result of the experiment, just by being there and observing. We are all part of the experiment, because we are conscious.
Our consciousness is a powerful force of energy, intelligent and vibrantly alive, and everything responds to it. In fact that which is intangible, like consciousness itself, responds to it even more. Therefore, if 6 billion people were all anxious and fearful about their future here on earth, what do you think would happen? We would all experience a fearful reality, finding it very hard to experience anything else, feeling our mind being pulled into pessimism by the strong gravitation pull created by our collective consciousness. Thank goodness this is not the case. Thank goodness there are many, many people on Earth who are focussed on creating a bright future, remaining strong in their intention to contribute a positive energy to our collective human consciousness.
It is important that we are one of these people also, because by doing this we tip the balance just a little more, making it easier for others to experience a perspective of light and positivity. It is a delicate and fine balance, and the Earth is at a critical stage in this way. Every choice of perspective matters. Every decision to see the potential for growth, learning and healing – to see the beautiful possibilities that lie ahead of us – is a powerful contribution to humanity. We are shaping our future, which is by no means set in stone. But we must choose wisely.
We have to be willing to choose to see things in this way, despite the strong pull to see things negatively. Many people choose to deny the bright possibilities that exist, believing it to be nothing more than wishful thinking, a fanciful dream that cannot be fulfilled. There is no better way to guarantee unhappiness for yourself than this.
It is like when we go out into nature on a warm sunny day and the birds are singing, a cool breeze is blowing and delightful fragrances from the flowers are filling our head. We are influenced in a very delightful and wonderful way. Of course, we could try and prevent ourselves from being influenced in this way, but that would be sheer stupidity!
Yet this is what many people do. They say, “Yes, yes, the world is beautiful etc. etc. but I need to worry about all these other bad things and feel anxious about the possibility of them happening, because if I don’t then I’ll just be deluded, living in a daydream, believing that everything is okay, when it is not.”
This is the insanity of the human mind, which wants to justify and defend its choice to experience a negative reality. But no matter how much justification is given, it is still just a choice and we always have the freedom to choose differently. It is no-ones fault, because we are fed negative information on a daily basis via the “bad news media” which helps construct and strengthen this negative view of reality.
We cannot be blamed for being afraid or worried, because the information that we are absorbing encourages it. But we have a choice whether to absorb this information. We may choose to give our attention to it, but we could just as easily choose to ignore it if we wanted to. The consequences of doing this are very significant on our state if mind, and in the way we feel.
We become much less burdened by anxious and fearful thinking, our attention becomes freer to enjoy the deep beauty that exists all around us on this planet, not only physically but etherically also. A sense of inner harmony – inspired by the harmony of the natural world – is finally given the chance to establish itself within us.
There is nothing more valid, more deeply essential to us than the beauty of the Earth, of nature, of Life itself and the harmony it creates within our being. It reflects to us and reminds us of the beauty that exists within us all – the light which burns brightly at the centre of our being – the light which sees and creates a bright future for us all. This light is inextinguishable and eternal.
All that our worries, fears and anxieties do is temporarily dim this light, creating a seemingly bleak outlook similar to when dark clouds come across the sky and obscure the sun. Yet it is only ever temporary, and the sun is still there, shining as brightly as ever.
Many, many people are very optimistic and positive about the evolution of humankind on Earth. They choose to see the positive changes that are very clearly occurring in humanity – in our global consciousness – as we move towards healthier ways of living and more harmonious and compassionate modes of being. This is why meditation and yoga are now mainstream practices, whereas 50 years ago they were not. We are all evolving and becoming more conscious, slowly but surely.
Becoming more conscious does not mean that all the darkness – the corruption, the selfishness, the greed, the hostility and cruelty that exist on the planet – ceases to exist. It may even get worse, but what greater incentive do we need to become more conscious? Because becoming more conscious means that we disentangle our awareness from the dramas and the darkness of the world, simultaneously lifting our consciousness from this place of darkness and drama within ourselves – away from the ego, the realm of conflict, hostility and selfishness – to a place which transcends all of this. A place of peace, a place of light.
Being in this brighter, more expansive and harmonious inner space releases our mind from compulsive thoughts of self-gain, self-preservation and self-righteousness. Our awareness gravitates back to where it belongs – in our heart; a place of humility, of gentleness and warmth. In this space we humbly recognise that living on Earth is a precious gift that has been given to us, therefore we must use this gift in the way which it was intended.
There is a common saying: “You are either part of the problem, or part of the solution.” There is clearly a great deal of unconsciousness on the planet and this is the problem. Many people are unconscious of their heart, of the love, peace and compassion that are to be felt there. Instead they are lost in their mind, ignorant of peace, conscious only of their ego and its perpetual low-level restlessness, agitation, anxiety and insecurity. As a result, disharmony of varying degrees is experienced within vast numbers of people worldwide and projected outwards, creating conflict, disharmony, and emotional turbulence in the lives of those around them.
This is the problem and the solution is obvious. We need to make it our priority to nurture a sense of harmony within ourselves. This is done in many ways, especially nutritionally, by choosing foods which do not agitate our system and make us moody, intolerant or impatient (e.g. sugar, coffee, wheat, meat) and by choosing foods which encourage a sense of calm, balance and greater tolerance (e.g. green foods, vegetables, plant-based proteins etc.) When healthier eating is supported by daily periods of relaxation, meditation or simply being in nature, we enable ourselves to experience a far more grounded and calm energy within our body, and an increased sense of harmony throughout our entire being.
Even if you are a busy person, you can easily incorporate a relaxed and meditative attitude while you go about your daily life, by doing everything in a more calm manner, by slowing down and taking greater care over what you do. This is very basic, yet many people get caught up in rushing along, doing things hurriedly, without any great care and consideration. The most obvious consequence of this is felt within ourselves, in the form of stress, disharmony and exhaustion.
In this fast-paced world that we live in, we can easily find ourselves caught up in the fast lane, rushing along, becoming more and more stressed as we watch the minutes tick away, never seeming to have enough time for all the things we must do. This creates an energy of tension and contraction within our body that is more damaging to us than we can imagine.
Yet all we need to do is slow down, to bring in a sense of calmness. Breathe more deeply and completely, relax the muscles of our body – especially our shoulders and facial muscles – and allow the stressful energy that has been driving us forward to dissipate and dissolve.
What is left? A pleasant sense of ease in the body, a comforting and very real sense of everything being okay in this moment, a sense of trust and peace which is independent of our external circumstances, including that of time.
You see, the solution is very simple, very basic. We must simply prioritise our state of inner harmony, When we do this, our thoughts, our words and our actions will naturally come from this positive state within ourselves and project it outwards, spreading harmony and positivity all around us, like the sun spreads its light and warmth to all, without exception.
Alexander Bell
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The brightest light conquers the deepest darkness 