Show Me the Way

So. Much. Suffering.

Any human spirit could be feeling lost right about now. Uvalde was the 27th mass shooting at a U.S. school this year.

Violence amplifying violence. Loss of life, pain, and grief. Powerlessness. And more grief.

As much as I and others may want to distance ourselves from these events, we must take it in.

I am as guilty of avoiding the news as anyone. Spending time reading about violence, hate, divisiveness, and systemic injustice makes it challenging to follow good. It's darn challenging to be a light being. But it’s also too easy to float above it all—as if it’s not happening—to focus on the insignificant events of our lives as if nothing odd is happening around us.

Hurt people hurt people. This is a reinforcing loop that needs to be broken. More people suffering means even more people suffering. And more. And more.

How do we stop the cycle? A pastor I know, Chuck Mingo, points out that we all live in echo chambers. And yet to create the kind of world we want, we must get proximate. We must get closer to what we do not want to see—so we can understand it. And influence it. And create the kind of systems we want.

What does this mean to you? What have you been avoiding seeing? What do you need to get proximate to?

For me, it’s entering that political world that I generally prefer to avoid because of its ridiculous inauthenticity and injustice. I am becoming better informed. Sending letters to my senators. Donating to organizations that are doing research and policy work around gun reform.

Chuck Mingo goes on a ride-along with police once a year—just to stay proximate to what that life is like.

What does getting proximate look like for you?

For me, it’s also about investing my spiritual energy in the right places.

Not long after the 1999 Columbine shooting in Colorado, I had a dream.

In this dream, I was in a high school where a hundred people were being held hostage. We were clustered together in the gym. It was hot, and frantic, and chaotic.

I remember the walls were mint green and there were coat hooks lined with backpacks and coats.

The police were outside—and ready to intervene. But it was clear to the group that the assailant was going to take one more victim, and then the police would could step in.

I was that victim.

In that dream, I was happy to be the lynchpin that would make it stop. As I moved forward, the assailant went to grab me in his arms.

But just as he moved toward me, I suddenly felt a powerful, burning light radiate outward from my heart. The light expanded in all directions and both of us. It embraced all of us. And I was no longer afraid.

I knew in that moment that as much as he was a monster, I wanted to love him anyway.

This was the first time that I ever felt God’s presence. In a dream! And yet, because of that dream, I knew that God—or the world of spirit, whatever your higher power is—is very real.

This dream was so powerful, and vivid. I still remember it today, over 20 years later.

I’m still seeking that white light. I’m meditating on it to bring it forward. Showing up seeking forgiveness for those who hurt others. Looking for grace in all of this—for all of us.

There have been scientifically validated studies showing that when large groups in a city or community meditate, it reduces societal stress, and actually decreases crime, violence, accidents, and illness. Eighteen peer-reviewed articles have been published validating Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of the Transcendental Meditation program’s recommendations around this.

Imagine that: We can reduce violence by focusing on reducing our own stress—which reduces the collective, societal stress.

So I’m making time on my meditation cushion and yoga mat. Staying open to whatever new dreams might come to help show me the way.

What can you do?