When pilots encounter turbulence, they typically respond by flying higher. But how does that relate to us during these times of unrest?
Yesterday, I participated in a meeting with practitioners. We were discussing how to respond appropriately to our current political situation while maintaining our belief in love and unity. Timely topic that I am sure has crossed many of our minds lately.
Although there was no real answer to the questions we were asking, it was reassuring to know that all of us were pondering the issue. Oftentimes, what is legal is not ethical. This dilemma is in full play with society, more so now than I have seen in a long time.
What is mine/ours to do during times like this?
Then, this morning, I read a Substack post by Marianne Williamson, the New Thought leader who has run for president in recent elections. In her article called The Edge of the Cliff, she was comparing the dilemma to when given the green light to cross the street, it turns red before you can cross in time:
But when the (car) drivers are represented by huge corporate interests untamed by ethical or governmental guardrails, they don’t see the pedestrian crossing the street. They only see the data. The metrics. The quarterly reports. That human being becomes a tiny dot on a much larger power point; someone whose desires, and relationships, suffering are too easily deemed inconsequential in the boardroom. …
The situation is more than dysfunctional; it is malfunctional. At this point, from foreign wars to AI to environmental implosion, civilization is already buckling under the weight of our insanity. Make no mistake, the disconnection between head and heart is a form of insanity, leading us – should we not change direction – to species suicide. People sound the alarm about AI, saying “It could destroy us!” Yet the larger conversation – one we’re far more resistant to having – is that we could destroy us! And we already are! …
The problem is, in the words of Gandhi, that “humanity is not in its right mind.” The solution is an evolutionary leap from a consciousness of fear and greed and attack and separation, to a consciousness of love and collaboration and forgiveness and unity. Humanity now stands on the brink of an evolutionary cliff. We cannot keep walking. We must learn to fly. A peaceful, nonviolent revolution is the only alternative to a violent one. …
We will not defeat, we will overcome. Like a pilot flying through turbulence who takes their plane to a higher altitude, we will do the same. That is our mission now. To grow our wings. To fly high. To rise above.
The meek shall inherit the earth because their strength will take the place over. The only question before us now is how much human and other species suffering has to occur before they do. The choice is ours.
Marianne suggests we learn the gift of flying higher. Rise above what we see around us and go back to loving one another, collaborating, and forgiving one another. Are you ready to rise to that level? I know I will do my best to get there!