I like the term Earthlings.
It's inclusive. I also like the term sentient beings, but that's two words.
Earthlings connotes a web of life. There is no better or lesser. No racism, sexism, speciesism. Just beings that inhabit this planet. Together.
My journey has thus far been long and twisting. We say that we are on a path, yet I think we tend to visualize those paths as being straight lines from point A to point B. Yes, it might be a long path, but we don't like to realize that this journey is full of winding, switch backing and going out of the way.
A trail in nature leads one along. It winds, climbs, falls, and sometimes leaves you wondering where it is leading. But if you follow it, you will reach point B. (Barring any unforeseen natural disasters or hungry bears, of course :)
The important thing to realize is that we are all moving along our way. We are all at different stages, and under the discretion of Karma. Though we've all started from various points, all the paths reach the same point. Every being is striving to fulfill its purpose. As I look at the human condition, we have a single purpose, compassion. We have the mental faculties to create whatever kind of world we want. No one would consciously want to create a world of suffering.
Though we have.
We also have been given the great abilities to 1) not need to kill another life to sustain our own and 2) adapt amazingly well to different environments.
Compassion is a big word. A really big word. Its consequences dance into all aspects of life in very deep ways. It is a lifelong journey to reach compassion, full of daily obstacles.
Yet, nothing is more fulfilling than embracing compassion and working to spread it around.
But it's not easy.
People say hurtful things, act in harsh unkind behaviors, and are not always open to understanding. It's helpful to acknowledge that when we act in this manner, we are acting out of an inner pain and suffering, and usually some sort of cultural or societal programming. And at some level, we know that we're not behaving in a manner fitting out purpose, which can be a source of frustration, which can lead to further lashing out.
It's easy to dismiss an opposing viewpoint as wrong (or worse - inherently wrong and evil). Yet, this does not solve any problems. This does not enlighten the other side to our point of view. It deepens the trenches between us.
Even when a side is on the side of compassion, to use vengeful and dangerous language crumbles the moral force that that opinion started with.
Most of us are not good debaters, to begin with.
The art of debate has been taken out of our childhood education decades ago. Many of us have turned rabidly anti-conflict, to a point, where we cannot speak our opinion, face an opposing viewpoint in a civil manner, or stand up for what we feel is right. It is easier to just try to fit in.
But debate is crucial to our survival.
To living our purpose.
It is through a good debate that we can question our own viewpoint. We realize there are other ideas besides ours, truths beyond ours, and it gives us a chance for knowledge. And from knowledge we can find understanding.
We benefit greatly from honestly questioning our views. All of our views. I think we'll be surprised at how many of them aren't actually ours.
So I might not be good at it yet, but I will not back down.
I will try very hard to always be open-minded.
It's inclusive. I also like the term sentient beings, but that's two words.
Earthlings connotes a web of life. There is no better or lesser. No racism, sexism, speciesism. Just beings that inhabit this planet. Together.
My journey has thus far been long and twisting. We say that we are on a path, yet I think we tend to visualize those paths as being straight lines from point A to point B. Yes, it might be a long path, but we don't like to realize that this journey is full of winding, switch backing and going out of the way.
A trail in nature leads one along. It winds, climbs, falls, and sometimes leaves you wondering where it is leading. But if you follow it, you will reach point B. (Barring any unforeseen natural disasters or hungry bears, of course :)
The important thing to realize is that we are all moving along our way. We are all at different stages, and under the discretion of Karma. Though we've all started from various points, all the paths reach the same point. Every being is striving to fulfill its purpose. As I look at the human condition, we have a single purpose, compassion. We have the mental faculties to create whatever kind of world we want. No one would consciously want to create a world of suffering.
Though we have.
We also have been given the great abilities to 1) not need to kill another life to sustain our own and 2) adapt amazingly well to different environments.
Compassion is a big word. A really big word. Its consequences dance into all aspects of life in very deep ways. It is a lifelong journey to reach compassion, full of daily obstacles.
Yet, nothing is more fulfilling than embracing compassion and working to spread it around.
But it's not easy.
People say hurtful things, act in harsh unkind behaviors, and are not always open to understanding. It's helpful to acknowledge that when we act in this manner, we are acting out of an inner pain and suffering, and usually some sort of cultural or societal programming. And at some level, we know that we're not behaving in a manner fitting out purpose, which can be a source of frustration, which can lead to further lashing out.
It's easy to dismiss an opposing viewpoint as wrong (or worse - inherently wrong and evil). Yet, this does not solve any problems. This does not enlighten the other side to our point of view. It deepens the trenches between us.
Even when a side is on the side of compassion, to use vengeful and dangerous language crumbles the moral force that that opinion started with.
Most of us are not good debaters, to begin with.
The art of debate has been taken out of our childhood education decades ago. Many of us have turned rabidly anti-conflict, to a point, where we cannot speak our opinion, face an opposing viewpoint in a civil manner, or stand up for what we feel is right. It is easier to just try to fit in.
But debate is crucial to our survival.
To living our purpose.
It is through a good debate that we can question our own viewpoint. We realize there are other ideas besides ours, truths beyond ours, and it gives us a chance for knowledge. And from knowledge we can find understanding.
We benefit greatly from honestly questioning our views. All of our views. I think we'll be surprised at how many of them aren't actually ours.
So I might not be good at it yet, but I will not back down.
I will try very hard to always be open-minded.
