For this Sunday, June 19th, the focus for our
meditation will be on Similarity. Last week saw an unspeakable horror unfold
with the mass shooting of 49 people at a club in Orlando, Florida simply
because of what they apparently represented to the killer. This weekend marks the anniversary of a
similar tragedy, this one in a small church in Charleston, South Carolina. A year ago a deranged shooter who was welcomed
into a prayer gathering subsequently turned on the participants because of a
difference in race. In one circumstance
people’s lives are erased in an instant because of what was perceived as a different
sexual orientation. In the other
circumstance nine lives were snuffed out by a killer who saw his victims only
as beings with skin of a different color.
The fundamental problem is people would rather focus on differences than
take the time to find Similarity. If you are perceived as being different and
can be labeled in a way that conceals your humanity, then it will make it
easier to reject you without bothering to get to know you. For some people, encountering someone who is
different from them irrationally prompts feelings of fear and hatred. They don’t want to recognize the other person
as someone who may be a struggling single parent, a young person worried about
finding a job or being able to afford college, or a brother or sister concerned
about an ill family member. If they took
the time to learn who the person was it might make it harder to hate them. Instead, they would rather focus only on the
perceived differences to endorse the judgment they have rushed to form about
the other person. We encounter these
false snap judgments all the time, and it is easy to succumb to their powerful
influence. What if instead of first
noticing how someone is different people were more willing to see how there is Similarity? That frazzled woman behind the checkout
counter who has skin of a different color from yours may also have a teenaged
son or daughter with whom they just had an argument. That well-attired man seated in the coffee
shop looking fondly into the eyes of another man across the table may also have
an elderly parent who is beginning to show signs of dementia. We are more alike than we may initially
realize, and if we as a nation are able to overcome our tendency to focus only
on the differences perhaps there would be less prejudice and hatred in our
society. This week in our prayer and
meditation time let us ask to be gently reminded to notice the Similarity that exists among
strangers. May we be shown how to
recognize that those who may superficially appear to be different actually
share more Similarity with us than
we may know.
In our efforts this week let us also continue to use the
energy of our prayers and meditation to amplify the light that covers and fills
this nation. As we perform our meditation
this week let us begin by re-energizing the brilliance and power of the light
we create. Just as before, begin by
forming a concentrated ball of light that is so bright it is almost impossible
to look directly at it. Raise this
sphere of light up high over the nation and then let its rays cascade down to
create a solid, impenetrable dome of light that completely covers every inch of
our country. From shore to shore and
border to border let the entire continent be filled with this brilliant, dense
light that will serve to magnify the best and highest qualities of our country
and the people who live across its vast lands.
Please follow the same practice as before: Get centered in
your body, ask to bring in your guides and others who are there to assist us,
and connect to the circle of others participating in this project.
Ask yourself what do I feel in my body when I am able to see
the Similarity between myself and
someone who appears to be different from me?
How does it feel in my body when I am more willing to pause before
labeling someone and take the time to see how they are actually Similar to me? Then send the energy and intention of those
feelings to the nation.
Be sure to disconnect from the circle at the end and express
thanks for those who have helped us in this effort.
If you have feedback or experiences you would like to share
please let me know via e-mail to kmiritello@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment