Heal Our World by teZa Lord

Here it is. We’ve witnessed the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ administration. We’re in the midst of the long-awaited dissemination of the Covid-19 vaccination (I got mine recently, hooray!). And yes, for many of us, instead of celebrating beyond measure, we’re forced to keep our feelings of hope and positivity closer to the heart-chamber.

Many of us have chosen to not, or barely, socialize at all. Some of us dare to venture out when we’ve received assurances that everyone else attending a smaller-than-usual event has agreed to mask, socially distance, or stay outdoors, even in a frigid winter.

We are being forced to find new ways of measuring who our friends really are. The differences that used to keep us separate are melting. Even President Biden, in his first speech at the inauguration, reminds us it’s time to put behind us our differences and find new ways of understanding each other. I call this the “Blendedness of our Family of Humankind.” It’s something we are now called upon to give some thought to, if we haven’t before this time of healing our differences.

In our home, we’ve had some shocking revelations which you might also be experiencing. Surprising and uncomfortable-to-some social changes are here. So let’s openly discuss remedies for our culture’s new challenges. These are new circumstances. We are focusing on healing, and we are no longer arguing and demanding and threatening. Our language is the way we will make these changes happen most easily. Our concern with healing our blended family of humankind have arisen not just by a spiky, deadly coronavirus, but by the “Uncivil War” that was mentioned in our new president’s first speech. In this speech, Unity was mentioned more than any other word.

Three Common Challenges to Unity

Here are three common challenges we all grapple with and have to face in order to help Unify our differences:

• People, whether close friends or casual acquaintances, who use hateful or blame-oriented language
• Who and what is important in order to maintain a healthy balance of self-care and the need to be social
• How much (…fill in blank…) is enough

We’ll give each of these a few reflections in hopes of offering insights of reconciliation.

When we hear name-calling, blaming, or shaming anyone or group, whether it involves a political, racial, or moral issue, a moment of quiet reflection is needed. Many of us tend to use words without thinking. We forget that words have energy. Some say that the power of words is as great as the power of prayer, or faith itself. The way a person uses words mirrors how they think. But this is true: We must have a thought, however instantaneous, before a word can even get uttered. So when we hear nasty, incriminating words, we, the receiver (or innocent listeners) must remind ourselves about some basic truths.

1. No one who truly believes that love is a greater force than fear would speak words promoting fear, anger, revenge, blame, shame, or judgment.
2. Any person who believes in the joy of being alive wants to promote healing, by thought, word, and deed. Therefore…
3. Every person is responsible for watching their own words, which of course begins with having awareness of the thoughts they hold in their minds.

If this is your understanding, as it is mine, it stands to reason that you will not participate in furthering the plethora of bad-mouthing of the past, even if it comes from someone you love (or are friends or associated with) without offering the offender a gentle and kind reminder.

The Power of Words

Here’s a good way of reminding the ugly word-talker: “You may not realize the power of your words, but as I am a believer of healing the rip in the fabric of our world, I have to tell you that I don’t agree with what you just said. I’m focusing on unity, not more judgmental divisiveness.”

The challenge of “Who and what” each of us needs to balance self-care and socializing will naturally fall into place once the first issue is in your awareness. After all, if you are a believer of “unity” and want to help our current administration to heal the polarity of our beautifully blended family of these United States of America (and the rest of the world, for that matter)—it begins with each and every one of us watching our thoughts. When we’re aware of our thoughts, we’ll be more careful of our words. The likelihood of us uttering ugly, nasty, hate-promulgating words will end. And, naturally, we won’t want to associate with others who have not yet risen to the call of being more aware that words are as powerful as sharp swords.

The last challenge of “How much?” is a biggie of our Covid era. The days of “There’s never enough” are far in the past. Before Covid, there were never enough “Likes” on social media, never enough Rock or Film Stars or Influencers, or crazy new video games, or … even ways of practicing yoga (beer yoga? goat yoga? c’mon people!).

If anything, this era of being more cautious (and, yes, that implies being more “aware”) brought upon us by the pandemic, by #BlackLivesMatter, by #MeToo as well as #AllLivesMatter and #UsToo, has taught us that civilization, as it was known in pre-Covid times, needed a re-set. There was entirely too much of too much. Our current times, with its newly arisen restrictions (no concerts, movies, or Mardi Gras even) are giving all of us the opportunity to get a little quieter than we were used to. Before, the busier we were (fashion, music, parties, events, and a full calendar meant a full life!), the more important we felt. But now, because our busy lives, our busy minds, have been handed a reality check, it’s time we tried answering this one, all-important yet simple question:

“How much do you need to be happy?”

A Call for Self-Reflection

Each of us is finding different answers for this much-needed call for self-reflection. You might find it easier if you considered some basic criteria in formulating your answer (and please know that if you put off, or avoid altogether, answering this pivotal question, you will never be truly happy in this new ”inward” era the pandemic has ushered in for us). Try thinking about these five things before you reply to the above question:

1. How many friends do you need in order to feel needed, understood, or loved?
2. How can you spend your time so that you feel the most productive and happy?
3. What would you do to pass the time if you found yourself alone on a desert island?
4. Do you believe in the “magic” of Life? And if not, why not?
5. Another way of saying #4 is: Have you discovered a “Higher Power” yet?

… And if not … Why not?

Now is the perfect time to spend some time asking yourself these questions. Trust me, you’ll feel a lot better once you do. Send this message to someone you know who’s having a hard time. It’ll help them.

I invite you to listen to my “MindStillers” on SoundCloud. Start with Mindstiller #1 and listen consecutively to all 14. This is a good beginning introduction to this powerful guide within.