So many words, so many points of view, so much conflict and disagreement—Liberal or Conservative, Christian or Muslim, the young or the old, guns or no guns, on and on. Every generation throughout history seems to have experienced some sort of dissension, rebellion, even anger against the status quo. And every generation experiences resentment, sadness, even anger at what the “younger generation” is doing. Cat Stevens’ song, “Father and Son” portrays this beautifully:
The Son:
All the times that I cried, keeping all the things I knew inside,
It’s hard, but it’s harder to ignore it
If they were right, I’d agree, but it’s them you know not me
Now there’s a way and I know that I have to go away
I know I have to go
The Father:
I was once like you are now, and I know that it’s not easy,
To be calm when you’ve found something going on
But take your time, think a lot,
Why, think of everything you’ve got
For you will still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not
Each is sharing his own wisdom, his own (opposing) point of view in an effort to convince the other of the rightness of that point of view. Cat Stevens uses his musical genius to convey, through the melody, that both these points of view work together and are part of the whole, perfect design.
Maybe every moment in history NEEDS these seemingly opposing forces. Maybe we need the young to forge a path forward and break out of old ruts. Maybe we need the balance and understanding that can be gained from a lifelong pursuit of consciousness. Maybe we need opposing forces in politics, religion, business, education, finance, and at home in order to finally see that we are all part of one gorgeous, infuriating, ridiculous, amazing thing, and we all have parts to play at different stages and from different points of view. After all, dissension provides diversity, and a diversity of amateur inputs has been shown to solve problems more quickly and with better results than expert agreement. Maybe dissension is the grease on the wheels and the fire in the belly that facilitates and even empowers the All, moving from conflict toward cohesion, from confusion toward creation.
Could one of the missing elements in all this be the realization, or maybe the acceptance, of the reality that we are all part of one design, one system, one consciousness? We need each part, we need each other to create balance, even friction to move forward and evolve, while also ensuring survival. Could staying conscious and fully present in each moment help us recognize seemingly opposing forces as a crucial and beautiful part of us? This perfect design of all creation, holographically contained within each cell of creation is conveniently included in human consciousness to be discovered by each one of us—the ultimate treasure hunt!
Our consciousness is OUR consciousness to be explored and discovered individually, and, potentially, to be exercised and applied collectively. We are uniquely, separately born with widely disparate gifts and challenges, and then set loose in the “fields of the lord” to find our treasure and to recognize that treasure in each other. Then it’s our birthright, our privilege, our responsibility to dissent, to accept, to object, to concur our way to the ultimate evolution of that whole perfect design.
Heather Ryan has 30 years of experience as a technical writer and editor, most recently in the health care industry. She currently lives and works at Sunrise Ranch, and loves the opportunity to practice communion and unconditional love in all aspects of her living. Heather is passionate about learning, exploring/traveling, and spending time outdoors, and is extremely grateful for the opportunity to do all of that at Sunrise Ranch in her almost-home state of Colorado.
consciousness—our reality. Empathy emphasizes the true oneness of all being and goes far to erase the lines that keep us divided. The most effective leaders seem to be those who have empathy for the people they lead. And watching small children who haven’t yet individuated and are more in sync seems to show that empathy makes play a lot more creative and generative.
er, we design, we build. And, in the process, we also tend to inflict significant damage on our planet, our home, our tribe, and ourselves. It all begs the question—why? Why would such magical creatures as we make such seemingly bone-headed moves? With all our capacities, all our gifts, all our being, what is it that drives us and forms us? What is our rhythm and the pattern of our creation? Could it be the never-ending, sometimes desperate search for unconditional love?
been written, masterpieces created, and cultures created and destroyed around the answers to these questions. It seems likely that it’s neither simple nor absolute, but maybe a first step is recognizing that unconditional love isn’t for getting, it’s for giving. And it already IS. We can’t find it, build it, or get it, but we can give it. And, as a wise man once said, “Give, and it shall be given unto you.” Maybe the trick to feeling unconditionally loved is to give ourselves unconditional love. And maybe if we can learn to drop all our conditions to loving someone else, we will breathe that pure sweet breath of fresh air and recognize that feeling of home and connection that is unconditional love. Welcome to the dance.
Heather Ryan has 30 years of experience as a technical writer and editor, most recently in the health care industry. She currently lives and works at Sunrise Ranch, and loves the opportunity to practice communion and unconditional love in all aspects of her living. Heather is passionate about learning, exploring/traveling, and spending time outdoors, and is extremely grateful for the opportunity to do all of that at Sunrise Ranch in her almost-home state of Colorado.