Are You Willing To Think Bigger and Not Just Different?

Are You Willing To Think Bigger and Not Just Different?

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As I look at the carnage and intolerance of current events, as anger, fear, and helplessness take their toll on all of us, I am forced to look back at our collective history and wonder if we have changed at all. It is hard not to conclude that we are living in dark times.

Some days my heart really hurts and I think, “I don’t want history to repeat, again.“ It would seem that almost everyone else I’ve spoken with, is having  similar thoughts and feelings.

So, what can we do as the anger, fear and helplessness writhe within us?

I say we continue to evolve and learn.

We must learn from the past. We must also learn to do things differently and this time, we must cast a wider net over what we care about. One that includes all life under an affirming maxim such as, primum non nocere- first do no harm- and we must let it guide all of our actions.

If we want to be able to look back to this time and be able to say: “Oh that’s when things began to change. There was a real shift in people’s behavior and consciousness. That’s around the time I started loving more, caring more and including more. I became fearless” then these are only a few of the things which we must do.

What changes in our collective consciousness are we going to need to make in order to birth a kinder humanity? One which doesn’t war in ceaseless, repeating cycles of injury and retribution?  One which doesn’t commit terrible atrocities and crimes against itself, against nature, against our planet?

Maybe it’s as simple as recognizing the equality of all sentient life forms? There is more than enough evidence to suggest that we need to start looking at all life through a different set of eyes.

Here’s some of the evidence:

A donkey lies dead as other donkeys bray and gather around him. They are mourning their friend.

Pigs solve puzzles by differentiating between colors and shapes.

Zebra fish feeling pain.

Plants learning from experience.

When we imagine a better world, I would like to think we could include animals, plants, mountains, skies, oceans and the stars.

Maybe one day we will learn that clouds respond to our thoughts or that oceans transmit deep intelligence to us. Maybe we will learn large bodies: clouds, oceans, mountains or planets and the smallest of the small, can teach us. We can learn from viruses and atoms.

Thus far we have included so few of our fellow travelers as being worthy of our kindness, our listening, our thoughtfulness. Maybe, in these days of turmoil and uncertainty, we could look to the truer qualities within ourselves to include and protect all of life, not just our loved ones, our tribes, our people?

All of life is sacred. Are You Willing To Think Bigger and Not Just Differently?

Who or what would you protect from harm? Do you think you can call the rain? What does a bigger, better world look like for you? Share your thoughts and ideas with us we would love to have a discussion about this with you in the comments below.

Sources Donkies crying https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMU6CrlbfVk   Smart pigs http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3122303/Move-Lassie-IQ-tests-reveal-pigs-outsmart-dogs-chimpanzees.html#v-4123294280001  Zebra fish http://www.appliedanimalbehaviour.com/article/S0168-1591(03)00113-8/abstract?cc=y=  Plants https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/springer-journals/experience-teaches-plants-to-learn-faster-and-forget-slower-in-0ZgFoH4IWe