When people outgrow existing systems, it is time to change or at least upgrade the systems. We have created many systems (educational systems, justice systems, health care systems, economic systems,...) that dictate our daily lives. Yet they don't work for many people. As a consequence, people "opt out", break out, resign, resist, rebel, fail, get sick, depressed, suicidal,... Aggression and anger "against the system" rise because people don't feel seen and heard and supported.
People "don't function" or "go ballistic" because the systems fail them.
I see a lot of people who are "at the edge" in our societies. They are angry, scared, overwhelmed, desperate,... Often an explosive mix that could trigger a (self-) destructive reaction any time. Police, politicians, "first responders", are not trained to see the bigger picture, to include a heart and spirit perspective. Educators, social workers, health care professionals are not schooled to listen, involve their heart and consider spiritual aspects. As a consequence vital energies are suppressed and not seen - bottled up they sometimes blaze a trail into consciousness in devastating and highly violent ways.
In systems where rational and intellectual (mind) and physical (body) aspects are the main focus, the spiritual and emotional aspects take dramatic forms to be seen.
Violence is a reaction to not being seen and heard. And a lot of people have no idea how to deal with it.
I see the roots of violence everywhere in our societies. It starts with how we give birth, how we treat children, the elderly, different ethnic groups, professions, cultures... It starts wherever energies are suppressed.
If you listen to young ones in schools, old people in rest-homes, if you read the voices on social media and in the comment sections of online media, if you listen to the suppressed and oppressed, to the labelled and marginalised groups in our communities, you hear a lot of anger, hate, fear, frustration, helplessness - all of these lead to (self-) destructive behaviour, to violence...
These voices need to be heard!
There are a lot of them!
You will find them in many different groups of the population!
If we don't make it a priority to listen to them ALL, we will continue to be confronted with those voices at seemingly "random" times, in seemingly "random" and increasingly dramatic ways, so that the corresponding underlying issues/voices are brought out into the open...
In a society where only "the norm" is accepted and valued, where standards are more important than realities, where economic and power interests are driving a lot of the decision-making, essential qualities such as compassion, empathy (listening with an open heart and spirit), honest communication are underdeveloped.
To bring back balance we need to change our systems and priorities, open our hearts and listen deeply to each other. Mass murderers, fanatics, dictators, violators in general are a product of society and their ancestral heritage. We are all born as babies in a tiny body, and to a great extent we are physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually at the mercy of what's around us. Our journey through life, our experiences, our hurts and pains shape us. Some break, others don't. We all react differently.
It takes only one person who listens to us with love and compassion to stop us from falling into life-destroying patterns such as racism, sexism, fanaticism, etc...
It takes only one person who truly listens to us to touch our heart and to keep us from life-destroying despair, pain and blindness.
Our challenge today is: can we create a society where ALL people (ideally beyond humans, but let's focus on the human species for now ;)) are seen and respected from the start of their life? Where we don't allow judgement and labelling and righteousness to direct our actions and reactions? Where heart-decisions balance mind-decisions? Where we learn to accept the fact that we are all different, yet share the same basic needs?
Can we listen with an open heart to each other?
Can we read the signs of suppressed energies within ourselves and others?
I hope so...
People "don't function" or "go ballistic" because the systems fail them.
I see a lot of people who are "at the edge" in our societies. They are angry, scared, overwhelmed, desperate,... Often an explosive mix that could trigger a (self-) destructive reaction any time. Police, politicians, "first responders", are not trained to see the bigger picture, to include a heart and spirit perspective. Educators, social workers, health care professionals are not schooled to listen, involve their heart and consider spiritual aspects. As a consequence vital energies are suppressed and not seen - bottled up they sometimes blaze a trail into consciousness in devastating and highly violent ways.
In systems where rational and intellectual (mind) and physical (body) aspects are the main focus, the spiritual and emotional aspects take dramatic forms to be seen.
Violence is a reaction to not being seen and heard. And a lot of people have no idea how to deal with it.
I see the roots of violence everywhere in our societies. It starts with how we give birth, how we treat children, the elderly, different ethnic groups, professions, cultures... It starts wherever energies are suppressed.
If you listen to young ones in schools, old people in rest-homes, if you read the voices on social media and in the comment sections of online media, if you listen to the suppressed and oppressed, to the labelled and marginalised groups in our communities, you hear a lot of anger, hate, fear, frustration, helplessness - all of these lead to (self-) destructive behaviour, to violence...
These voices need to be heard!
There are a lot of them!
You will find them in many different groups of the population!
If we don't make it a priority to listen to them ALL, we will continue to be confronted with those voices at seemingly "random" times, in seemingly "random" and increasingly dramatic ways, so that the corresponding underlying issues/voices are brought out into the open...
In a society where only "the norm" is accepted and valued, where standards are more important than realities, where economic and power interests are driving a lot of the decision-making, essential qualities such as compassion, empathy (listening with an open heart and spirit), honest communication are underdeveloped.
To bring back balance we need to change our systems and priorities, open our hearts and listen deeply to each other. Mass murderers, fanatics, dictators, violators in general are a product of society and their ancestral heritage. We are all born as babies in a tiny body, and to a great extent we are physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually at the mercy of what's around us. Our journey through life, our experiences, our hurts and pains shape us. Some break, others don't. We all react differently.
It takes only one person who listens to us with love and compassion to stop us from falling into life-destroying patterns such as racism, sexism, fanaticism, etc...
It takes only one person who truly listens to us to touch our heart and to keep us from life-destroying despair, pain and blindness.
Our challenge today is: can we create a society where ALL people (ideally beyond humans, but let's focus on the human species for now ;)) are seen and respected from the start of their life? Where we don't allow judgement and labelling and righteousness to direct our actions and reactions? Where heart-decisions balance mind-decisions? Where we learn to accept the fact that we are all different, yet share the same basic needs?
Can we listen with an open heart to each other?
Can we read the signs of suppressed energies within ourselves and others?
I hope so...
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