How to Reconcile With World Events in the Face of Injustice and Cruelty
At this time, the world is reeling from the horrors of violence, from public assassinations to the mass killings in Palestine. A collective sense of indignation is roused. Emotions are raw and heightened. For many, it is not only from witnessing what is displaying on our screens; we already have our own local transgression-riddled state of affairs to contend with. The cumulative sense of helplessness can be paralysing.
This helplessness is in fact powerlessness. “Power” is the key to understanding deeper what is happening, so that we can guide ourselves out of its grip.
Amidst the events that unfold before our eyes, the spirit of activism is incited: a desire and drive to create change. Whilst noble, activism is often misguided. The very nature of activism – acting, efforting, intervening at the same level of the problem – results in perpetuating the problem instead of solving it.
It is well-known that those who work in the development sector predictably burn out at some point. This is because part of their job is to reinforce the reality of the thing they are trying to change. The amount of power poured into convincing others that the problem is real – think reports, communication channels, fact-finding, bidding for funds, arguments, discourses… all to prove that this problem really exists. In comparison, the actual work to initiate a shift is miniscule. It’s no wonder development workers and activists are frequently overwhelmed by a sense of powerlessness. Because the more they do, the more powerless they become.
Herein lies the problem: we as a society do not look at placement of power as an influence on how something transpires. Everything boils down to whether we hold our power internally or we give away our power. Call it simplistic but this is the higher truth about reality.
We can see how triggering the current events are to many. This shows how much of our power is stuck in the events – how much we have assigned power to those circumstances. This power, when channeled back to ourselves and held within, can cause the events to transform, often in unexpected ways.
There is a pattern in the collective reactions, whether explicitly-expressed or unspoken. These reactions provide clues to how people are staying stuck in their torment and where the door out is:
[You can also use this as a guide for your own healing in personal circumstances.]
“Are you saying it’s my fault?”
This is a common reaction whenever the concept that we can influence our reality by how we hold our power, is suggested. So it is my fault then, is uttered automatically, without further consideration. Or we’re accused of victim-blaming.
There is no assignment of blame in this context. It is merely a pointing-out of a higher perspective, an offering of an alternative way of relating to the event, an invitation to exercise your power more usefully.
“You’re denying the harsh reality that is going on in this world.”
This reaction comes from an insistence that everyone should demonstrate the same level of fury and brokenness as a result of these events. Those who aren’t displaying equal emotions around it are deemed to be “something wrong”.
What I am talking about is not a denial of what is happening. Rather, it’s about not pouring more power into entrenching that unwanted reality. We acknowledge it, and we feel sad and enraged. But we also hold our power within and not pour it all out to feed the event. It is when power is held internally that good outcomes can evolve out of the situation.
“I’m sick of hearing there’s a higher purpose/soul lesson for the victims.”
Behind this outrage are the assumptions, “You mean the victims deserve to die?” and, “We’re letting the perpetrators off the hook?”
Neither of these is where it’s at. It simply means that from a higher perspective, we can see another layer of data not seen when we’re perceiving it on the same level as the event.
On the level of the event, it is absolutely true that they are victims of violence that shouldn’t have happened to them. Acknowledging the higher perspective does not negate the injustice that befell them on the event-level.
This is true for everything. The higher our level of perspective, the more information we can perceive, as we can take in a progressively larger picture of the whole. When we reach our soul-perspective, everything that has unfolded has a part in the soul’s choice. We simply do not have the capacity to understand these choices at our current level of consciousness. Yet we can lightly hold this perspective concurrently.
So both can be true at the same time. It depends on the level of consciousness you are perceiving it. Knowing this will eradicate the angst of enquiring whether this or that is true. When you work with levels of consciousness, you integrate multiple perspectives at the same time, allowing not only a seamless experience from a more expanded consciousness but peace.
“I can’t stand this BS about coming from love and compassion.”
There is misconception about what “coming from love and compassion” is. It does not mean loving or even showing compassion to those who have done bad things.
What it means is, despite this thing that is so horrific having happened and you feeling the injustice of it, you still preserve your ability to hold a state of love. This is a state of openness within, allowing spaciousness. Thus, indirectly, you bring love into the situation, enabling it to heal beyond what your logical mind can know is possible.
We tend to shut down our hearts across-the-board when seeing an injustice carried out. A closed heart will have you directing harshness towards the event itself, preventing it from being healed and giving power to the perpetrator.
You don’t even have to consciously send good energies to the situation. You only need to maintain a neutral sense towards it. Your consciousness, devoid of judgements and harshness, instantly heals the thing imbued by it. By you observing it with neutrality.
“But I don’t want to feel better (when babies are being killed).”
There is a tendency to think that if we suffer in kind, the world has a better chance of being better (or less terrible). I’m not just talking about having sympathy for others, but when we stay in misery more than is good for anyone.
I know the self-sacrificing characteristic only too well. We can be drawn into a dark hole and feel more comfortable there knowing we’re not leaving behind others who’re suffering. Guilt and shame can add to the darkness. Whilst seemingly honourable, it is dysfunctional and unhealthy to deprive ourselves of goodness this way.
If only we knew the kinds of power we have and what we can influence in our environment by what we do with it. Choosing to stay in that position of misery means staying stuck in the place where the injustice and cruelty are playing out. That is how powerful our consciousness is. If stepping out of misery can have a chance of elevating those we feel sorry for, isn’t it the obvious choice?
All these reactions are defences against a deeper feeling of powerlessness. Anger, rage and indignation can cover up our true vulnerabilities – but those vulnerabilities are still there.
Reacting in anger and being closed-off to higher perspectives keep us stuck in powerlessness. On the level of the events, there is no solution. This is how certain individuals are trapped in toxic grief for years, even decades, as their minds go in circles trying to find a story that might enable them to reconcile with their loss. In all the cases of grief that I’ve seen, only by embracing a higher (spiritual) perspective of the event could they break out of such loops.
You could take very small steps in regaining your hold on power. A few seconds of pausing before coming up with one of these reactionary statements can allow for something higher to take part. What magic could it create, if given a chance?
This is not a weak position. Real victory, commanding supreme vindication to right the wrong, is more powerful when coming from a higher place: one of holding your power. Quiet Power – where your power is consolidated and held within you – is more potent than the loud, chastising kind. A self-correcting force is being softly unleashed under your quiet power, breathing the light of divine justice unto your world.
