Spiritual Activism

Are you looking for a way to participate in ending terrorism?  Have you considered how you could act on your desires to contribute?  Have you considered that the inner topography of your thoughts, words, emotions, beliefs, and intentions all contribute to shaping events?  Do you want to make a difference?

Collectively, we make a difference with the commitment to maintain a consistency of effort.  Once a day is a consistency of effort.  Practicing more often is desirable, but this is a personal choice.  All actions have personal and global implications.  Each moment, each event, every thought, holds the potential to make a difference if utilized differently.

We can do this as we live our daily lives, and participate in ending terrorism.  This participation is dual natured, simultaneously containing individual and global applications.

It is possible to stop terrorism and move beyond desires for revenge.  One approach is through understanding opposites.  Harmlessness is the antithesis of terrorism.   Harmlessness is not soft, weak, nor ineffective. Harmlessness does not allow harm, under any circumstance.  It is strength; dedication; a steadfastness of intention that contributes to the creation of safety; ethical behavior; and healthy boundaries, with each successive application. It potentially moves into a state of being without reference to motives, anger, revenge, or justification.  This goal is equally as strong, rigorous, and challenging in its desire to be, as terrorists are in their desire to torture, instill fear, inflict revenge, and hide.

We begin with personal responsibility and attempting consistent application.  We cannot control events or another's choice.  We are responsible for our choices and their consequences.  We are choosing to take personal responsibility in our daily life, to lessen the effects of personal and global terrorism by monitoring our thoughts, words, emotions, actions and choices and aligning them with the opposite of terrorism: harmlessness.

We can stop terrorizing ourselves with fears over what we cannot control; feelings of powerlessness; fear; inevitability; torture or revenge, and take personal responsibility for putting to an end the subtle ways we unconsciously discount ourselves.  Subtle everyday terrorism does far more damage in people's lives than any terrorist.  Spoken or unspoken; thought or imagined; wished for, or deserved; conscious or otherwise; a desire to harm, or fear of harm are unconscious forms of terrorism we innocently subject our self's and others to, daily.  

For those who are willing to consider this approach, we begin to lessen terrorism by becoming aware of the acts of self-terrorism in which we unconsciously, unwittingly, participate.   With a few moments of practice each day, we gradually become more aware of our inner landscape. We unwillingly participate in terrorism whenever thoughts are intended to harm us, or another; whenever words are used to harm us, or another; whenever actions harm another or us.  It is not compassionate to harm or to threaten harm with thoughts, words or actions.  It is not harmless to discount yourself.


Before explaining what this looks like, and the how-to of application, it helps to keep in mind the image of a child learning to walk.  Once a child begins to stand, momentary lapses do not discourage future efforts.  The efforts continue until the desired goal is achieved.  This type of innocent persistence supports success.

Individually

Consider the concept of the highest good.  One way to define the highest good is as a quality, in this instant case, the quality of harmlessness. The highest good could additionally be defined as compassion, but a foundational understanding is no harm.  This intention carries great strength.  What you intend, happens.  Practiced consistent intention produces results.

Begin with whatever your concept of the highest good is, defined as a quality, not an event, and begin the gradual process of aligning individual thoughts, emotions, choices, and actions with the highest good. At first, this may feel mechanical.  It becomes second nature over time, with applied diligence and practice.  When you forget, just begin again without self-recrimination.  Judgment is neither harmless, nor is it compassion. In a way, terrorists live within areas where we hide from ourselves.  Individually, choose to not hide from awareness the reasons you have when choosing not to align a thought, word, emotion, choice or action with the highest good. Examine the motivation and intent of your choices.  Remember, you have to be as committed to your goals as the terrorists are to theirs.  Practice, practice, practice, is integral to this anti-terrorist training.

Individually, allow yourself to recognize the communication you offer yourself about the beliefs you hold, via the emotions you associate with a thought, word, choice, or event. You begin where you are and continue to move into better and more through application and intention.

The simple practice of saying good-bye with the thought, energy, or words, "Be Safe" creates a space of safety.  This is extremely powerful with children, adults, loved ones, and as an attitude held towards the warriors on the front line of saying no to terrorism. For example, try the phrase "be careful". Notice the differences in energy between them. 
 "Be Safe" is also a starting point, able to stand on its own.

Globally

Globally, taking personal responsibility transfers into the practice of aligning your thoughts, emotions, and words with the intention of the highest good. As you consider the threat of terrorism, or the likelihood of war, remembering this intention and aligning individual emotional, mental and verbal responses with this concept, even when thoughts or emotions do not want to go there, softens conflict. It does not remove it.  This is not about imposing anyone's will on a situation or person, nor is it about control or anticipation of an outcome. We are contributing a quality, harmlessness, which softens; and allows for the least harm for the most people on the planet, and the planet itself.  This last intention is powerful enough to use alone.

Globally, terrorists hide, do not passively allow them to hide because you do not feel you can do anything.  We can do something.  When we think of terrorism, or terrorists, see them being seen.  See their intentions being recognized.  See them being discovered.  See them being prevented from harming anyone.  Shine a brilliant spotlight on them.  This approach is beyond linear thinking.  It is actually the intent of harm, that attracts to would be terrorists this revealing light.  Holding the intention of harmlessness, as a quality, empowers this exercise.  Intention, linked with harmlessness empowers all these exercises.

Globally, the ways terrorists communicate with each other are hidden. Intend that their communications be cut.  See them within an impenetrable sphere that renders them simultaneously isolated and easily seen. Intend that their means of communication be discovered.  It does not matter what image or images you use. See them alone, unable to communicate, vulnerable, and seen. What you intend happens.  The intention of harmlessness allows no harm.

Recognize and acknowledge that there is no less harm being done when a Filipino, Israeli, Palestinian, or Arab, is killed, than when an American is killed. We are all in this together.  All life is sacred, no matter the ethnic background of an individual.  Soul is eternal, not ethnic.

Harmlessness is a quality of soul.  Those who make a sustained effort contribute to their own soul growth while supporting the soul growth of all concerned.  This effort can take many forms, it need only be maintained.  Once a day, a few times a day, a few minutes a dayŠmake the effort, each effort makes a difference.  It is better than sitting on the sidelines feeling like a victim.

By no means is this to suggest that bad things will not happen. We cannot control outcomes; anticipate, or predict future events. Taking personal responsibility is a choice. We can take responsibility for today, in the moment, or not.  We can direct the strength of the combined energies of each of us towards a common goal, ending terrorism. Your participation helps.  We rise or fall together.  It is a collaborative effort.


Neal Ryder is Founder and Director of The School of Radiant Healing.

Neal Ryder is the founder of The School of Radiant Healing. Modular programs are currently being offered near Boston, on Cape Cod, in San Francisco, and in New York City.  His website is a comprehensive composite of truth, beauty and Love in all it's practical applications. He is also available for personal sessions and workshops. Please visit www.radianthealing.com. For more information call 508-457-0792 or email: nryder@capecod.net