What if you knew…
What if you knew… Would you still like me anyways?
What if you knew all the thoughts I had? What if you knew all the things I have done in my past? What if you knew the beliefs and values I admire? Would you still like me anyways?
Svīkāra or angikara means acceptance. It tends to be one of the biggest desires that we have in life. We want to be accepted for exactly who we are. Nothing less.
There is a poem that was written by a great Sufi master, Hafiz. Translated by Daniel Ladinsky it is labeled “With that sweet moon language”. It goes, “Admit something: Everyone you see, you say to them, ‘Love me.’ Of course you do not do this out loud; Otherwise, Someone would call the cops. Still though, think about this, This great pull in us To connect. Why not become the one Who lives with a full moon in each eye That is always saying, With that sweet moon language, What every other eye in this world Is dying to Hear.” In this poem, he points to the simplicity of how we all want to be loved. We want to be accepted.
When I turn on the news, I see this grand desire to divide. This intricate narrative that builds us up into believing that we are SO different from the other people that don’t watch the same news as us. This also happens in some churches, communities, groups of all kinds. Why? Why is there a push to divide?
Did you know that action is most immediate and great at a point of greatest hardship or frustration? You see, most people will take the step of action only when they are pushed to believe that there is no other alternative because so many people are resistant to change. Some people will make a change when they are at their lowest low, or they can’t take the circumstances of the experience any longer. Therefore when someone doesn’t want to change, what is the best way to make them believe there is no other alternative? News, high community figures, religious authorities are known throughout time to be a place where people seek truth, but what if that source is tainted without anyone knowing?
The news, if watched or read daily, will often share what is going on but also very brilliantly building up your desire for action against what “evil” is occurring in the world. This happens on both sides. When you are only listening to one point of view, what do you expect? The “evil” could be your neighbor and you wouldn’t even necessarily know it. The media knows how the mind works and knows how they can work people up to “fight” for their cause/motivation. Plus, if you realize that what you surround yourself with makes your world, then you will understand that by subjecting yourself to a particular narrative is like having a best friend telling you the worldly gossip of the day. I remember when a yoga student said “I see everyone at the yoga studio more than I see my own family, which makes the yoga studio family.”. That opened my eyes to seeing the impact of what we surround ourselves with.
News, although originally meant to share truth and facts, is not exactly layered in truth. There also can be many truths and a manipulation of facts. What is true to one person, may not be true to another. There is also the beauty of deception and we don’t always know the full story until we get the bigger picture, which can sometimes come later down the line. With how fast information, pictures, videos travel then there is no wonder that we can easily get caught up in the wrong thing. Let’s be honest, we’ve all misinterpreted a situation that we saw or misunderstood what was being said to us at some point in our lives. We are all privy to fault, some of us more than others. The question then remains, are we able to see those moments that we are wrong or do we get so wrapped up in the need to be right that we can’t see clearly?
What if they knew? If you really broke down the details of all your beliefs, all your desires, all your moral, values and ethics, then you would find that every single one of us is different that are walking this planet. There is something that we disagree on and something that we agree on. So why are we listening to these channels that have turned sharing facts into a narrative/opinion while also giving it so much weight on our identity?
“In order to reach the highest fulfillment of life it is necessary that our Consciousness should be pure and one-pointed. Only when it is one-pointed can it merge into Reality. While approaching Reality there should not be anything other to attract the attention of our Consciousness. Therefore, one should leave aisde the newspapers and all the other spectacle about the world’s affairs. The aspirant should always be churning over and over the teaching of the guru, and meditation on the Supreme Self, Paramatman.” -Siddharameshwar Maharaj
Don’t concern yourself with the words that are written in that quote, but look at its intention. If you get wrapped up in the word “guru” then replace it with something that has significance to you. There is nothing right or wrong here. Whatever you believe we will end up all in the same place anyways. You have now to focus on being wise, kind, focused, respectful; use this precious time. No need to waist it on he said this or she said that. Live fully with a Full Moon in each eye! 😉