Only Us

Today is inauguration day. Today some of us feel discouraged while others feel elated. Those of us who ‘won’ are cheering and hopeful. Those of us who ‘lost’ are angry and fearful. There are even some of us who have simply switched off and backed away…feeling disgusted by it all. Many of us are feeling the opposite of what we felt four or eight years ago…we find ourselves on the opposite side of the fence.

As we navigate these next years, it is important to remember that there is no Us and Them…there is only Us. Many great spiritual traditions teach this model…they teach our sameness, our oneness and  our connection. Just because we disagree with someone’s thinking or ideas does not mean that we are separate. It means that we disagree. And these disagreements are a call to engage with each other in meaningful ways. Disagreement is a call to listen. It is a call to act. It is a call to stand up. It is a call to engage. It is a call to do all of these from a platform within our own selves of respect, understanding and compassion.

It seems apparent that there is a great divide in our nation and indeed in our world. Are you interested in bridging the gap? Can you imagine how our nation and our world might be different if we acted as One…as Us…instead of as Us and Them?

I have adopted three words…words to live by…to help me stay focused on Us. My words are equality, dignity and compassion. I choose equality because that is what I want to see…and so it calls me to check my thoughts and my actions. Am I treating all people with kindness and respect? I choose dignity because that is how I want to see the world operate, with dignity for all of humanity. This is a big one…it calls me to treat every living being with dignity…no matter their beliefs, words or actions. I choose compassion because without it there is no heart…and we need heart, we need tenderness, we need love. Living from compassion allows me to see to the heart of the matter, the deep place within each of us that is the same.

What words would you choose to live by?

In service to Us
Paula