For this Sunday, July 1st, the focus for our
meditation will be on Civility. Our society seems increasingly inundated with
anger that lashes out at others in astounding displays of lack of respect and Civility
for our fellow citizens. Bakers refuse
to make wedding cakes for those whose sexual orientation doesn’t meet with
their approval. Federal employees are refused
service at a restaurant or are harassed by staff and other patrons as they eat
because of who they work for or what they represent. Our growing anger and lack of Civility
reached another pinnacle last week when a man with a longstanding dispute with
a local newspaper discharged his anger through the barrel of a shotgun. One of the flaws in the thinking that leads
up to even less extreme acts of Incivility is that we assume we know what
the other person is thinking or why they are the way they are. We leap to assumptions based on superficial
knowledge of the other person and too readily lump them into binary categories of
“good” or “bad.” None of us is totally
good or bad; we all are blends of both and hopefully most of us work toward
developing the good aspects and reducing the bad ones. But when we want to be consumed by hate it is
so much easier to do so if we don’t allow ourselves to try and really get to know
the other person. Let me stand at a
distance and make broad brush conclusions about who you are so I can feel less
dissonant with my disapproval of you.
Our society and nation simply cannot progress and evolve if we continue
on this path of blatant disrespect for those with whom we disagree. Such lack of Civility is a cancer that
will erode what we have tried to become as a nation and will keep us from
moving forward. This week in our prayer
and meditation time let us ask that a deep and abiding yearning for greater Civility
spring from each of us and spread across this country. May we truly seek to conduct ourselves with
more Civility even in minor encounters we find disagreeable and learn
how to engage with others with more respect, kindness and a desire for
understanding rather than judgment.
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 treat
others with respect and Civility regardless
of any differences between us? How does it feel in my body when I am able
to engage with others I may not like while still maintaining Civility? 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
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