"An experience of collective pain does not deliver us from grief or sadness; it is a ministry of presence. These moments remind us that we are not alone in our darkness and that our broken heart is connected to every heart that has known pain since the beginning of time." -Brene Brown
As Brown continues to write, "Death, loss and grief are the great equalizers."
We are all feeling the pain of the world. We feel the destruction of the fires in California. And, because of technology, we are given first hand accounts of the individuals fleeing for their lives, fighting to survive, asking God for pardon. The lines are blurred between reality tv and sensationalized news and entertainment. Our nervous systems are triggered more often than not.
When I taught the book, "The Hunger Games", in my high school English classes in Guatemala, we often talked about the desensitization of humanity because violence was so prevalent in video games and in movies. It has become normalized. We slip into the states of panic and often do not know how to exit.
Yet, this isn't new. History shows that to be a human, to lives past the age of 25 was a feat. Living was hard. Circumstances were bleak. We lived from ego and only from our root chakra.
So now, more than ever, we must begin the journey from head to heart. From root to heart. We must expand our consciousness and learn to love ourselves maybe for the first time.
I do have hope. I do believe. And I do know that it will take a lot to shake humanity awake.
I begin a new job tomorrow. I will be working with youth in crisis.
I believe I was made for this job.
I believe that I have done the heavy lifting of the last decade or so to heal myself so that I can be there to learn from the experiences of this new generation.
While I enter with much personal experience, I ask Spirit to guide me with an open heart and open mind; a beginner's mind.
I pray for radical humility.
I ask to be led, to be of service and champion the youth into a new way of living on this blessed Planet Earth.
This evening marks a threshold for me.
I am willing and ready.
May you take notice of the ripples in our common thread, and, rather than hide away in fear, may you open to your highest self and ask: How may I serve?
That is what we are here for.
Love,
Maura
Photo: Mario Purisic Unsplash