Wake Up!

Every time I drive to my forest cabin in the mountains, I pass a hand painted wooden sign nailed to a tree that says “Wake up, America!” While I don’t necessarily agree with the sentiments of the person who posted this sign, I do support the idea of inviting people to wake up.

Spiritual teacher Adyashanti says, “My speaking is meant to shake you awake, not to tell you how to dream better.” The Bible urges us to “Awake, O sleeper!” Buddhist teacher Pema Chodron says that if we really understood what suffering we cause ourselves and each other, we would practice like our hair was on fire! Practice what? I would suggest practicing whatever would wake us up from our entrenched positions and beliefs that continue to separate us, causing us to divide ourselves into “us” and “them,” judging “them” to be the problem, and forcing the self-interest of “us” into rules for “them.”

When has this approach ever succeeded in producing a society that is harmonious, thriving, fair, and just for all? We can’t point to the “good ol’ days” that some people remember and long for with fond nostalgia. Those days certainly were not good for everyone. So if insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting to get a different result, then we can only conclude that the divisions we create and recreate, thinking we will somehow achieve true and lasting peace, are insane.

The same holds true in our individual lives. A Course in Miracles teaches that whenever we separate ourselves from anyone else through fear, judgment, or anger, we separate ourselves from God. It states unequivocally that we cannot be in relationship with the divine (by whatever name or description you prefer) if we are not in relationship with all of creation. God cannot be weaponized or used as justification for any kind of separation. God, the Bible teaches, is love, and our only job, according to Jesus, is to love God, love ourselves, and love our neighbors. It’s that simple.

So really, it comes down to a choice about what we really want. I’m not here to tell you what you should want. Nor am I here to judge your choice. I’m only here to suggest that we are dreaming if we think that anything will change unless we wake up and remember who we are. We are all destined to awaken. It is as inevitable as waking in the morning after a night’s sleep. How long we suffer in illusion before we wake up is up to us.

Knowing others is wisdom
Knowing the self is enlightenment
Conquering others requires force
Conquering the self requires inner strength
Living in contentment is true abundance
Living in alignment is true mastery
One who stays centered endures
What is immortal never dies
~Dao De Jing