What If You Were Persecuted?

I'm a metaphysician and as such I believe that there is one universal source energy (call it what you will), that each of us is made up of that source energy, and that my thoughts affect my life experience. It is a philosophy that embraces the core of all the world's great religions. It can sometimes be seen by some as a little "wu wu" and is occasionally subject to expressions of uncertainty by those who do not know what it means. Which leads me to my point. I mean this as a philosophical statement, not a political one, but when the results of the last election came in, for the first time in my 73 years, it occurred to me that I might be the subject of religious persecution. And in this country of freedom, that gave me deep pause. There seemed to be people saying, "Our way is the only way." And they were in "power." What if they came knocking on my door and said, "You can't believe what you believe or we'll throw you in jail, or beat you, or make you leave your home and country." What would I do? I derive such great comfort from my spiritual philosophy. It is a source of positive action through which I can change my life experience. It is a source of inner wisdom when I have a question. It is a philosophy that tells me every one of us is made up of the same source energy so why would we ever be thoughtless or mean to another? It asks me to be accepting of everyone because it is "me" in that other person, that what I see in them is a reflection of my inner consciousness. My spiritual philosophy is core to my existence. I could never give it up. My response to my initial apprehension of the possibility of spiritual persecution was to think of leaving the country, something I had never before considered. And I do know there were lots of meetings in the area at the time explaining what it would mean to migrate to Canada. Fear is what lies behind persecution and intolerance. Fear of something different, fear from not understanding, fear of lack of control, fear of change. A few years ago I learned Falun Gong (www.falundafa.org) It is a lovely moving meditation in the genre of Tai Chi. Every morning, after a few hours of work in my home office, I go to my front porch, stand in the sunshine, and do Falun Gong. Within seconds of beginning my mind starts to calm from its busy pattern, I can feel my energy balance and my whole body align. It is incredibly soothing. I have not read the books about its philosophy but I do know it is said to have encouraged self-healing in others. I simply like how balanced it makes me feel. In China people are persecuted and killed for doing Falun Gong! It's meditation! It's moving into a peaceful inner space--and it is feared and persecuted by a government. My oldest grandson has let us know that he is gay. That has easily been accepted by our family, but he happens to live in a part of the country where homosexuals have been beaten and killed for simply being who they are. So here I am, aware that a beloved member of my family, who is smart and creative, an eagle scout, a college student who is already a contributing member of our society, could be persecuted for what is probably a genetic based expression. We are afraid when others seem to make different choices than we do. We don't even stop to think that we are all expressions of the same source energy. And we may say and do things that do not express our innate oneness with every living thing. Have I touched on all the hot spots yet? For centuries conquering nations have told the people they invaded that they must give up their culture, their ways, their very religion and embrace that of the conquer. Take a moment to think of a core value you hold. What if a core value were integrity and someone told you that you had to lie and cheat and steal? Would you do it? Even when it went against everything you have built your life on? A major core value for me is freedom. What spiritual belief do you hold that is core to your spiritual expression? How would you feel if someone demanded that you give it up! What would you do? If you took that moment to find a quality of value and to understand how it would feel to be denied it, I have accomplished my task. Knowing how it feels to be criticized or mistreated for a belief that is an integral part of you, will you now be more aware of your own thoughts of intolerance toward others, your careless words that wound, your actions that exclude those who are different? All change starts within each one of us. If you move forward into this day expressing love and compassion for all and I move forward into this day expressing love and compassion and inclusion of all, we have started a trend that by its very energy will move out into the world and be felt and embraced by others. Will you join me? Cara Lumen, 2006 WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this blurb with it: Cara Lumen is a metaphysical philosopher, author and creator of The Winds of Change Collection, a personal journey of vision and possibility and High Intention Coaching, helping others answer their call. To learn more about this compelling series, to browse in her library of insightful articles and to sign up for her three FREE e-magazines visit http://www.caralumen.com