We are all one. We hear it often
from Eastern religions or philosophies. We hear it, as well, in New Thought
congregations or groups. We hear it from students in the Course in Miracles. We
hear it in explanations of the intertwined fabric of Native American tribal
life, thoughts, and spiritual concepts. We hear it in various 12-Step groups –
each group united by the great leveler of its common addiction. We are all one.
In a recent issue of Miller-McCune magazine
(September/October 2011 – MILLER-MCCUNE.com) there is an article entitled
"Moral Injury" by Diane Silver. She writes:
Since Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder was added to the
diagnosis manual in 1980 by the American Psychiatric Association "… the
diagnosis has most often focused on trauma associated with threats to
a soldier's life…. [Since then respected therapists have argued that the definition
is too limited.] What sometimes happens in war may be more accurately called a
moral injury – a deep soul wound that pierces a person's identity, sense of
morality, and relationship to society. In short, a threat in a soldier's
life." (p. 26, bold/italics are mine) The author goes on to quote Vietnam
veteran John Fisher who vividly remembered the first time he shot an enemy
soldier. "'I realized I had taken his soul away from him,’ Fisher says.
'In the process, my soul was gone.'" (p.28)
Fisher eventually went to Greece with Edward Tick, Director
of Soldier's Heart, to visit the Kerameikos cemetery. "Fisher sat on a knoll as Tick read an
oration for the war dead that had been delivered on the same spot 2,500 years
before. Fisher says he felt like he was floating, and he realized that his
soul, his sense of self, had fled his body while he was in Vietnam. 'My heart
felt like it was dark inside before. Now, it felt like someone had turned on
the light.'" (p. 29).
Humankind is, in essence, one
Spirit of which we are all little "parts" similar to the concept of a
hologram. Each piece or "part" of a hologram contains the whole. We
will truly understand that our spirits are all conjoined, when we develop the
faculties to see with vision, rather than with anatomical eyes. It is the
difference between defining ourselves as a spirit having a human experience,
rather than a human being who – somewhere inside – has a spirit or soul.
Fisher’s is a description of the
very visceral and experiential transformation that also happened to me, to
others, and to those who had known Jesus 2,000 years ago. Although my personal
experiences were entirely different from Fisher's and those earliest Christians,
the reality of that experiential transformation
is overwhelming. All of us had our lives changed. How can I explain that? How
can I describe that kind of experience? The Course in Miracles simply says that
kind of "Holy Instant" is beyond words and will transform your
perception of life.
As an example, the cut and dried
formulae for success in AA consists of working the Steps, getting a sponsor,
honestly sharing in meetings, and praying. Some seem to “get it” pretty quickly
and some don’t. Why? There is no definitive answer, but there are some pretty compelling
observations. One is the difference between “comparing in” and “comparing out.”
When members of the fellowship are comparing in, regardless of the specific
details of someone’s story, they identify. They spot all the similarities
between the speaker and themselves. When comparing out, listeners maintain
their separateness and spot all the dissimilarities
between the speaker and themselves. Sounds trivial. But it is a HUGE
distinction. It is the difference between a developing abstinance with
serenity, compassion, a sense of oneness, and understanding – called sobriety –
and an abstinance without the development of an honest sense of oneness or
spirituality – called being dry.
Why do some “get it” and some
don’t? There is no answer to that. It simply occurs. I believe that those that
seem to “get it” have had some form of spiritual transformation in the form of
the removal of their sense of uniqueness. This allows them to truly be Honest, Open, and Willing – HOW.
No one can really explain why person A readily compares in and person B does not.
It is a miracle, itself, to be blessed with the ability to see yourself in
virtually all stories. True sobriety does not happen without this kind of spiritual
experience, which, when pressed for an explanation, will be met with a shrug,
or a story, or an anecdote. In short, it is a sense of oneness beyond words. AA’s
Big Book simply states, in Chapter 6, that if you are diligent in working the
Steps, by the time you get to Steps Eight and Nine you will discover you have
had a spiritual experience.
The authors of much of the New
Testament were folks just like me and you who were trying their damnedest to
explain the reality of this “oneness beyond words.” In Chapter Nine of my book
– reiterated in my audio CD, The Gospel
of Transformation – I tell the story of how a young man in an AA Eleventh
Step meeting stormed out because we didn’t refer to our Higher Power as Jesus
Christ. We had each told our stories of the reality of God, as we understood
God, being the key to our sobriety. The spirit of the Almighty was looking the
young man right in the face through the stories each of us told. He simpy
refused to see because we were defining God as HP, Divine Love, or Ultimate
Reality. The young man desperately wanted us to define our Higher Power as
Jesus Christ as he had. The young man’s words, which made perfect sense to his
Ego, absolutley blocked his ability to sense the presence of the Almighty.
So I try not to get too hung up
on words. When I hear or read someone’s description of being transformed, I remember
they are desperately trying to find a voice – albeit beyond words – to explain
a reality that has transformed them.
I try not to get get too hung up
on words. My words are of my Ego, which is warped, self-serving, and holds on
to its perception of reality as Ultimate Truth. It disallows me to recognize
someone else’s Truth. It keeps me believing I am separate or unique.
This whole discussion also reminds
me of the adage: “I don’t have to believe everything I think.”
Thanks for listening and, as always, it's okay to
forward or share this, if you choose.
Don
#3 – December 2011
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