HUMANITY IS A WORK IN PROGRESS…
It’s fascinating to listen to all the diverse views out there about reality, Covid-19, the vaccine, social distancing, masks, the economy, politics and travel. What I have come to realize this last year is the importance of listening and asking questions so we collectively dig deeper for a truth that is meaningful.
I keep asking myself, when I speak about sensitive topics, the following questions:
Am I accurate and using scientifically-researched facts?
Am I speaking in the spirit of kindness and non-reactive friendliness?
Am I aligned with the mystery of life and surrendering to not knowing anything really?
Am I being defensive, tyrannical or polarized?
I am Greek so I was born to debate, argue, discuss, dialogue and to speak “my” loud truth. The problem is that after 20 years of studying Dharma, I have come to realize that anything I believe in a fixed way comes from an unconsciously conditioned life based on interpretations from other conditioned beings. It begs the question: Where are the most unconditioned beings and what do they have to say? Where did these beliefs come from anyway? Why do we even need belief? If there is belief there has to be non-belief. Perhaps all we need is the power of presence and heart wisdom to move forward?
Sharing an inflexible version of truth and reality is sketchy and harms communities. My own understanding of this modern polarized climate of madness keeps evolving. My own views are impermanent, painful and illusory. Today’s truth can easily become tomorrow’s lie in the blink of an eye. Please do not misunderstand me, sometimes you need to take a stand and pick a side but never believe for a moment that if you could tap into your most mystical transcendent self for a mere second, that you would ever be satisfied with any chosen side.
No one is 100% right or 100% wrong, they merely vary in their degree of incompleteness, dysfunction, ignorance and disconnection. Like my Sensei used to say: “If you think you are 100% right then you are definitely on the side of wrong.”
All knowledge is a work in progress.
Can you see that humanity is a huge work in progress? We are constantly striving to be more awake, more aware, more evolved and more unconditionally loving. I am a work in progress and if ever this ego is to be transcended (no need to kill the ego because it is useful and powerful but should definitely not be the master), it is important to learn to listen, to include new perspectives and ideas and to give people what they most need—the time to be understood.
My favourite mantra this week:
ACKNOWLEDGE—ACCEPT—UNDERSTAND—LET GO
Say it 100 times and see what happens. Keep Practicing.
Sending Love
xoxo
Nishta & Evangelos