Re: A Ramble on Spiritual Activism

[Guest guest]

-Dear

If that is rambling, WOW! hehe I am taken aback by the

many messages, truthtellings of religion and spirituality and I agree

the shift of each individual is happening. Whether it be stronger in

their chosen path (their religion), or the major shift that is

happening with many people to find as you said, to paraphrase, the

uniqueness of one's own spiritual path. This message is just so

amazing, I am literally sitting here saying Wow...Thank you for

sharing this, it really resonates with me. Healing humanity

is an amazing goal and I am happy to be part of this family, my

brother! Namaste, LUNA

-- In , " " <cbaldwinbuck@...>

wrote:

>

>

> Dear Humanity Healing Family,

>

> It has been some time since I wrote one of my Rambles. Before I

post it

> elsewhere, I would like to share it with you here. As grow both as

> individuals and as a community, it is important to remember that

one of

> the reasons for our growth is to help others do the same. There are

> many Paths to help Heal the Heart of Humanity. I am proud to share

this

> Path, here, with you.

>

> Much Metta,

>

> Chris

>

>

>

> A Ramble on Spiritual Activism

>

>

>

> " The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.

> The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference.

> The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference.

> And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference. "

>

> - Elie Wiesel

>

>

>

> Throughout history, there has been an ebb and flow between organized

> Religions and Spirituality. For the most part, at least in the

West,

> organized Religions have held the upper hand. During the latter

part of

> the last century, there began a shift in perceptions and a

questioning

> of the Tenants of Faith. People in search of Truth and of the

purpose

> to our existence on this planet have been stepping off the Paths of

> traditional Religions and moving towards ones of self-discovery.

This

> is not to say that these Paths lead in different directions – they

> do not – only that there is an increasing desire for a more personal

> relationship with Creation and the Creator than just following the

basic

> forms allowed in the religions we have been raised in. For some,

these

> Paths lead full circle to a stronger Faith in their original

religious

> teachings. For others, the Path leads to Eastern practices such as

> Buddhism, Mysticism such as Kabbalah, or esoteric teachings such as

the

> Divine Feminine.

>

>

>

> Since the advent of the new millennia, there has been a surge in the

> rising tide of Spirituality. This is due, in large part, to the

> wide-spread use and personalization of the internet, and the growth

of

> such on-line communities as MySpace, Zadaaz, Youtube and others.

It has

> become easy to not only find information, but instant communication

with

> people around the world who want to share discoveries and knowledge.

>

>

>

> A phenomena resulting from the rise of Spirituality and the growth

of

> the internet is Spiritual Activism. Spiritual Activism is an

answer to

> a need to do more to help others than just donate money or time.

Many

> people are no longer satisfied with just the traditional

charities. In

> part, this is because the focus is often so broad that the donor

feels

> completely removed from the end result. While Disaster Relief, or

> Feeding the Hungry, or Sheltering the Homeless are all laudable and

> necessary goals, the scope is so large-scale it is difficult to

feel a

> personal connection with the process.

>

>

>

> As an individual grows spiritually, the desire to give of

themselves and

> not just their resources grows as well. This is because there is a

> fundamental truth that becomes evident at some point - we are all

> connected. Whether you see that connection solely through our

shared

> humanity, or you understand the energetic links between all things,

or

> you believe in the spiritual congress of our collective souls; the

fact

> remains that, whatever your beliefs and however you are comfortable

> expressing it, we ARE all connected. For example, there are a lot

of

> differences between an educated engineer living in the United

States and

> an uneducated plantation worker in Bangladesh; but the similarities

are

> much more important if you open yourself to them. We both need

food and

> shelter. We both have hopes, dreams and a desire to provide a good

home

> and future for our children. We both possess dignity and deserve

> respect and understanding. We share a common humanity. We both

possess

> a soul that resonates with its own unique beauty. Our differences

are

> superficial. Our similarities are manifest. We are the same.

There IS

> a connection.

>

>

>

> It is knowledge and understanding of this connection that allows an

> individual to develop Compassion as part of their daily way of

life. It

> is compassion that compels us to reach out from the heart to help

> others. This, in turn, expands our capacity for Love which

furthers our

> personal spiritual growth. Raising another up raises you up as

well.

> Helping another becomes a form of self-love as well as an

expression of

> outward love. This becomes an upwardly spiraling cycle of

increasing

> awareness, increasing connection, increasing compassion, increasing

> involvement, increasing capacity, and back to increasing

awareness. An

> individual's spiritual advancement and corresponding spiritual

> activism raises not only themselves and the recipient of the

action, but

> produces a ripple outward that advances each and every one of us as

> well.

>

>

>

> Remember the connection between us.

>

>

>

> There will always be a real need for the mega-charities to deal with

> such huge projects as running refugee camps, combating regional

famines,

> or coordinating disaster relief; but in the last decade, many small

> non-profit organizations such as the Humanity Healing Foundation

have

> been created to give spiritually-oriented individuals an

opportunity to

> connect with other individuals around the world to help heal

individual

> needs, whether that is rebuilding a single tsunami-ravaged village

in

> Bangladesh, or teaching spirituality to reduce inner-city gang

violence

> in Los Angeles, or setting up a special hospital in Africa to help

women

> who have been horribly brutalized and mutilated.

>

>

>

> The point of this whole Ramble is to share a vision of a way for

all of

> us to help Heal the Heart of Humanity. Whichever Path you follow,

it is

> through Spiritual Activism that we will make the individual

connections

> needed to engender Compassion and resolve specific problems. It is

> through Spiritual Activism that we will be able to combine those

> individual connections into mighty bridges to span the ethnic,

political

> and economic chasms that divide our world.

>

>

>

> " You must be the change you wish to see in the world. "

>

> - Mahatma Gandhi

>

>

>

> Metta,

>

> Chris

>

> Humanity Healing Foundation

>

> Humanity Healing Network

>

>

>

>

>

> Copyrighted B. Buck 19 October 2007

>