Making a Difference that Matters
After our Wisdom Writers gatherings in Foley, I usually share (via email) a reflection that emerges over the days following our reflective dialogue. After receiving our recent writings, those relating to the oil spill, a friend and coastal resident, who participates in Wisdom Writers from afar by reading and reflecting on our shared reflections, asked for help with organizing her thoughts on the Gulf crisis and the part we can play in it. Her request reflects the realness of the Wisdom Writers dialogue reaching well beyond our regular face-to-face gatherings, and another process (written correspondence) through which we can help one another “wisely change the conversation.”
And so, it is with appreciation that I share here my reflective response to her request. To begin, a “wisdom” from “Taking the Path of Intent” (p. 10, or www.pathofpotential.org) serves to focus our thoughts.
If we are serious, truly serious about shifting the ground – the platform upon which we live and work – we must begin with the wisdom of intent, the wisdom required to guide reason such that the intents of reason – our intents – can move towards being more and more congruent with the intent of the Source.
Developing serious intent in regard to the Gulf oil spill crisis calls for a particular intentional philosophy… a philosophy born of faith, hope and love… a philosophy in harmony with the intended ongoing upward unfolding of the life processes of the Gulf… a philosophy whole enough and complete enough to enable people of all walks of life – people who believe in one common Source of creation and who have at heart the upward advancement of humanity – to come together to address the critical issue before us in ways that lead to the planetary ethics so desperately needed at this time. Developing serious intent calls for a philosophy born of faith, hope and love…
…Faith that we will be shown the way, if our prayer becomes one of asking a question and then silent receptivity… asking a question such as “What is thy will in regard to the working – the intended way of working – of the whole of life within the living energy field of the Gulf?”… and silent receptivity – remaining openly receptive to that which comes from the Spirit through the intuition of wholeness. When we begin from issue, and our prayer takes the form of petition for help with our “solutions’’ (for example, “How can I play a part in making sure this never happens again?”), we are entering the path of reason, a path that tells us wisdom can wait; this is a crisis that calls for action… a path ultimately leading to making ourselves, our favored leaders, or even our “solutions,” the source. Yes, faith is essential… faith we will be given, if we are open and receptive, the wisdom needed to guide reason, the wisdom essential for guiding our problem solving… the wisdom we need to live in harmony with the intended ongoing upward unfolding of the life processes of earth.
…And hope… hope which comes through “seeing” essence. For through reflection on life experiences, for example the raising of children, we see that dwelling on the existence aspects of the child and the child’s life can and often does diminish our accessing hope. We may see poverty, incurable diseases, violent environments, etc. … or we may see the presenting behaviors of the child that are going down a path disconnected from spirit. Hope comes not through our dwelling on existence, but through “seeing,” through seeing essence – the pattern of intent – within the child… seeing the essential virtue enfolded within them, essence intended to be nourished and enriched, enabling their manifesting spirit on this earth. This is an example that we each, in one way or another, have seen and experienced.
Having been, through the ages, human-centered rather than life of the whole-centered in our perspective, we find ourselves largely unfamiliar with the processes of “seeing” the essence – the essential virtue – of the life energy field within which we live and of which we ourselves are living members. With a bit of reflection, we recognize that earth is organized – intentionally organized – in planetary life energy fields, each of which works to organize the life processes within that field. Deserts, prairies, great lakes, oceans, forests, mountains… each work on all of life within – including ourselves – in unique intentional ways. They too have an essence virtue – a pattern of intent – enfolded and yet to be manifested in the world through the unfolding. We show some recognition of such working when we reflect, “We go to the mountains to build our minds; we go to the ocean to soothe our souls.” It is in the seeing of the essence virtue imbedded within the energy field, and in participating in its unfolding – intentionally taking up work and roles in manifesting that essence – that we experience hope entering. We access hope. Just as the seeing of the essence of the child enables intentional parenting, the seeing of the essence of an energy field enables our intentionally living and working in harmony with life energy fields, particularly when we take on the essential virtue as our common intentional philosophy.
We have come to see the essence virtue of the Gulf Coast as being rhythmic soothing, life replenishing, intentional reminding. Taking this as our common working philosophy, our practical and practice-able philosophy of life, we are becoming able to live in harmony with and develop ethics from the intended. Rhythmic soothing, life replenishing, intentional reminding is becoming our living guidance, our way of life and living here on the Gulf. We are becoming full and intentional members in the intended life processes of this energy field.
Helpful to remember is that not only is it possible, but it is quite common that through our actions and structures, we can and do enable, obstruct, or disenable intended ways of working of an energy field. Thus, if we step back from the issue or the desired action and see wholistically what is at work – before we take action or create resolving structures –, we can better ensure that our approaches and efforts will be in the direction of harmonizing with intended ways of working… and, through conscientious attention, add to our understanding of intent. Remembering a useful truth in regards to living systems, “If you touch one, you touch them all,” helps us develop a wholistic – life of the whole – approach. Misunderstanding this truth leads us to efforts to “save” particular energy fields to which we are endeared, or extract from fields of which do not see ourselves a part. As soon as we set out to save or to extract, we hazard making ourselves separate from, perhaps even hierarchical to the energy field. We hazard moving away from two essential truths: There is but one Source; we are not the source; all, the whole of life and its members, are intended instruments… and we, humankind are living creatures, intentionally a part of life, a living part of life of the whole; we are not separate from life.
Hope comes when we are “seeing” essence, and taking up work and roles in the unfolding of essence… when the essential virtue is becoming the wisdom guiding the working of reason. In the absence of seeing and harmonizing with essence, we are merely problem solving, no matter how noble our cause. In the absence of seeing and harmonizing with essence, we have no hope of making a difference that really matters.
…And love. When we take in, experience within our hearts, minds and souls, an issue of significance (hunger, oppression, ecological degradation, for example), anger and hate soon show themselves. The world of existence is a cause-effect world. In the world of existence, if there is an issue of significance, there is a cause. Fueled by anger and hate, we turn our attention to the finding the cause, attacking the cause, and if necessary, “killing” the cause… excusing our actions with notions such as justified anger, right to our anger, or need to “get our anger out.” Yet anger leads to hate, and hate leads to instilling fear in others – fear that (we hope) causes them to do what we want. Anger and hate never bring out imbedded essence, essential virtues; in truth they actually obstruct such “seeing.” Anger and hate never lead us to peace among people and harmony with the life processes of earth. Anger and hate work to divide. Only love moves us towards wholeness and away from that which divides. We humankind are intended to become instruments of love, instruments into and through which love enters earth, and returns to the Source. If love is not present in our processes, love will not be present in the outcomes…
… and with love, all things are possible.
