In a world of negativity bias where knee-jerk reactions to the unexpected get us all in trouble, it is vital to remember that there is an entirely different way available, a better way to live our lives. If you want to have this kind of life, one of greater joy, aliveness, inspiration, abundance and well-being, the following is for you. Around the world, we are witnessing a new chapter, a new way of relating to the unfathomable.
Last week I wrote an article entitled "How Are You Keeping Fear Alive? 3 Steps You Can Take to Build Self-Confidence," which spawned a great deal of deeply moving conversation. Shortly thereafter, colleague Rick Hanson offered material that emphasized the physiological roots of our tendency to stoke the flames of fear as our ancestors did. That we have a tendency towards negativity is an understatement.
We see this every day. With endless rounds of political nonsense spewing from folks like Carl Paladino, who states, "Homosexuality is not a successful option" (as if it were a career choice), and men like Rich Lott, who participates in Nazi reenactments wearing an SS costume, and with the American elections drawing closer, what a marvel it is to turn toward something that not only soothes the soul but lifts the human spirit.
Let's hear it for more marvel moments. In fact, let's study them for lessons learned. For one, laying aside political boundaries, an international love project has been underway for months. Most of those who've rolled up their sleeves for the cause of liberating 33 miners trapped since August 5 in a Copiapó mine have never met those imprisoned below. They are love in action, laboring in their cause. Their devotion is compelling. Here, there is no "your family" or "my family," but only "our family." Never before have human beings survived being buried alive for such a long time. Because these awakened human beings have continued to pour their skill sets, hearts and souls into the work, the news is that freedom is imminent. It's an big story of the heroic. But there's a bigger story going on here than meets the eye.
As each capsule returns to Mother Earth's surface with another miner, let us greet each man as a hero. A Greek word, "hero" means "protector." A hero is the one who says the Jain, seeks truth, controls his senses, and sacrifices impulses. Around the world, throughout time, we've been told heroic stories, regardless of our roots. The archetypal hero, as the legend of Kwai-Yin points out, is the one who brings boundless compassion to the earth. In Sanskrit, we are shown the Bodhisattva, a person who devotes his or her life to helping others reach enlightenment. Although the aspirant may have earned a high station, he or she refuses it. The reason is explained in the Avatamsaka Sutra: "For as much as there is the will that all sentient beings should be altogether made free, I will not forsake my fellow creatures." In other regions, this is referred to in the Golden Rule.
Let's bring this down to Planet Earth. Imagine the tendency for the mine's imprisoned to focus on possible negative outcomes, homesickness and despair over loved ones. Imagine the temptation to give into hopelessness, anger, defeat, aggression. Now imagine something quite different: the refusal to let hopelessness or fear's chaos upset their enduring bond with creation, and learning to be stewards to one another by the way they've rallied day after day.
After nearly 10 weeks in captivity, it seems that the mine is housing Chilean heroes everywhere you look. Unlike so many politicians, Wall Street giants and others these days, the men are vying for neither applause nor their share first. They are wishing to be retrieved last, so that their brothers may go first. What's that old line, "And it is written that the last shall go first..."? From the first sketchy reports of "business down below," the captives refused to accept negativity, realigning with the power of brotherly love, moving from the "get my share first" into a profound level of collaboration.
Although it has been many moons since musicians sang "The Age of Aquarius," these men, through their devotion to connection and transcending the horrific, have given us all a front-row seat to what is possible. Despite endless research projects that show what laboratory rats will do in conditions of confinement (and it is not pretty), and despite historical documentation of scenes of mass hysteria and psychosis that can break out easily when people are mired in fearful situations, something else prevailed since the San José copper-gold mine's collapse, something that must not be forgotten: the gift of choice, the one essential gift.
The gift of choice is the one thing that we must remember if we are to rekindle hope in our own tight situations, be they abuse, unemployment, poverty, poor health, failing relationships and even loss. When we find ourselves in the tightest quarters, may we recall, as they have illustrated, that we are not laboratory rats, condemned to react as our reptilian brains might indicate. We have choice. We can ruminate about the future or waste our energy, time and oxygen fighting paper tigers. We can operate at a lower level of the brain stem. Or we can remember that we are more than that, that we can employ our limbic system and our neocortex in a much more appealing way. We can turn within, to a deeper wisdom, and respond accordingly, in harmony with a higher order. We can stop what we are doing, muck around in fear and sing a gospel of despair, or we can press on, grow and evolve. We can open to the possibility that fear is just foreplay to hope, peace, unity and that creative restoration that supports advancing in the direction of our dreams.
Even in the darkest places it is possible to find freedom: freedom from fear, freedom from negativity, freedom from aggression and brutality. Even in the darkest places it is possible to rekindle the light of hope, as long as we remember that we are not alone, that it's never over until it's over, that even though we may not have concrete evidence (yet), help is on the way. Even in the darkest places, it is possible to awaken to a better way of behaving than is the norm. Even in the darkest places, it is possible to find gratitude for what is rather than regret for what isn't.
Join me in surrounding each returnee, and each rescue worker, with our love, appreciation and warmest wishes for an enriched life. Let us express our gratitude for what we have learned by their example.
Eight tips we've been given for coming through on our own during times of collapse:
Sometimes we see most clearly after we've been blind.
What can you add to the list? When you were in your own form of cave-in (literally or figuratively), what brought back your hope and your faith in an optimistic outcome? How have you witnessed others convert the horrible into amazing grace? I'm listening.
For updates, contact me at carabarker.net or dr.carabarker@gmail.com. To save time, click on Become A Fan at the top of this page. Stay tuned for upcoming developments with the Love Project, including "Practicing Love." Follow Dr. Cara Barker on Twitter. Many thanks for passing this along to those who care about creating a better world.
Follow Dr. Cara Barker on Twitter: www.twitter.com/DrCaraBarker
19 miners free; Chile rescue past halfway mark - Yahoo! News
Chilean Miners Could Be Rescued Within Days - ABC News
As Chile celebrates, mine's future in question - Yahoo! News
Chile Miners Rescue: LIVE Updates (VIDEO)
Chile mine rescue: Chile rejoices as all 33 miners are rescued ...
All 33 Chile miners freed in flawless rescue - World news ...
Chile miners - Special Coverage on CNN.com
BBC News - Chile miners: Family joy as rescue capsule arrives
I've been following the Chileans on and off from the beginning wondering if we were going to end up with more dead miners. And it truly amazed me, in a good way, when they kept on trying after 15 days, that's when I knew that they had to succeed no matter what, and they did.
Hurrah! to them and for us too in this global village. Now they have set the standard and all others must follow or bear the consequences!
These 2 items struck me and I can really relate to them:
# Awakening is preceded by time in the darkness.
# Help is on the way, even when it may be invisible.
and no. 3 is a reminder for me.
I would add STOP FIGHTING what Is. That has always worked for me after I work myself into a frothing lather trying to control the uncontrollable and rejecting the present circumstances as unacceptable.
I do it every bloody time I get to a certain point in my evolution even though I fully recognise what's happening. When I finally decide "I can't fight anymore" in exactly those words and I put down my duffs it is just amazing the changes that occur and so swiftly.
Hope your foot's healing well.
cheers
Catherine
My hat is of to those who can maintain grace under the most adverse situations. I know that I develop strong aggression when I feel threats or imminent danger. I control my breath and focus on thinking through the situation to find the best way to thwart the threat, but my panic mind is trying to jump to the fastest reaction regardless of my intentions.
At least I've learned the value of breathing and can settle my mind somewhat. That's a hell of an improvement as far as I'm concerned.
With love,
little brother
Your very first line reminds me of the very first word my Finnish mother taught me as a little girl in her native language, Finn. The word is 'sisu,' which means 'grace under pressure.' I do believe that a large part of the importance of this word for Finland, is that they not only endured foreign occupation for over 500 years, but they learned, psychospiritually, to take a breath in that darkness.
Whenver any of us find ourselves in the darkness, unless a fully evolved Master Teacher, ala Jesus, Buddha and that ilk, how natural it is to go to what you call 'panic mind.' The trick, as you know so well, is not to stay there, to wake up.
My friend, you are so far along the road. I know because you are demonstrating compassion, not the least of which is towards yourself. You are giving credit, where credit is do. You are settling your mind.
No wonder I admire you so, appreciate you so much, and always, always send you love!
How are you being good to you this weekend?
I was so surprised and delighted to see the airwaves and TV screens and blogosphere filled to the brim with this story! Here in CT we have been saturated with negative political jabs, as well as following the horrible murder trial of the Chester murder. Watching those men come up in the tiny capsule looked like something out of Star Trek, and the full throttle love and energy of the Chilean people seemed to awaken something dormant in all of us. The huge hugs and kisses from the President- now that was heart warming! Thank you for bringing this story down into the soul, as you do so well, week after week. Love your work so!
Kari
As for the Chester case, it is deeply disturbing. I cannot imagine the remaining family/friends trauma...........how deeply love is needed for healing.
Love to you and your guys,
Cara
That, my friend, is our Buddha nature.
Great quote on Avalokitesravaya.
Peace, blessings and Gratitude to you, khanti. What is new at your end?????
Oh,dear. I wrote you earlier, but just noticed, for some reason, it didn't show up. So, let me thank you, once more, for not only 'showing up,' and taking the time to read about some good news, but devoting the energy to respond. That takes an awareness of mutuality. Clearly, you are 'love in action.'
I'd love to hear more about your question raised. I heartily agree. Unfortunately, news networks tend toward the belief that 'bad news sells, period.' What they want is readership. One of the things I love about the HP Living Page is that it makes space for something better than that, something invitational about collaboration. Believe me, if it weren't this way, I never would have agreed to write weekly as a featured contributor here over two years ago.
Let me ask you: what do you think about the preference of readers: bad news/good news? I'd love to hear more, if you have the energy.
All good things,
Cara
Cara
YOU my dear Cara, are a light, a hope a freedom rigner! Youi always inspire me and lift me up.
Big hugs - big gratitude and big love.
Peace on ya,
BB
More later!
Cara
Love,
Cara
Of course you'd write about this topic. It was tailor made for you and your wisdom and as always, you did not disappoint.
My own post (if it ever gets published) also touches on those "paper tigers" we fight in the dark. Can you just imagine how these men had to manage theirs during those long, dark 69 days in the cave? Especially the first 17 when they didn't know if anyone even knew of their plight.
These men and how they transcended their horrific circumstances are just what the "doctor" ordered for humanity at this time. We desperately need even a tiny glimpse of what's possible when we rise to our best, given the nature of what we hear about in 99% of the news. From tragedy comes triumph and a remembrance that we truly are all one.
Should my post emerge from it's dark cave sometime soon, please stop by and pay a visit. I'm very curious as to what mine it's been trapped in. Meanwhile, keep shining the light. We're all counting on you.......
Much love,
Judith
This Chilean situation speaks to me on so, so many levels as my grandpa, from Finland, was a miner. He went down into those mines 6 out of 7 days to support his family of ten. I did not fully appreciate the sacrifice, until decades later when I journied into a mine, myself. And so, I breathe a special deep one, knowing our Chilean brothers are better.
I do hope they unearth your post, while the rescue effort is fresh.
Love your way, as always,
Cara
Exactly. In our bottom drawer, that is.
Nothing is more relieving than to relive the origins and the source of psychosis and to therewith find out that 'The age of Aquarius' is indeed a sharp prediction of those latter day sons and daughters of Orpheus.
All it takes is to see through the fact that social Darwinism has at all times be a shell game, designed to keep us from seeing those situations where cooperation is better than the reptilian use of the brain.
That's all it takes.
It is, however, no small thing. Surprise, surprise! We couldn't even hope to get there before we knew the difference between genes and nerves, and we had to go through all those agonizing nature vs nurture trials.
Which is why not even Darwin could figure it out. Nor Plato in his 'Cave-In'.
Because here's the trap: it's not a shell game played by the powerful. It's a shell game we play among each other, whether we're powerful or not, and for as long as we play it, there will be room for excessive power and hence power abuse.
Leave it to you, to weave the thing together!
As always, I am so appreciative to meet you here. I do hope you are doing well, and the Reptilian Brain is as happy as the neocortex!
Love and chuckles,
Cara
It's interesting that you were worried about my reptilian brain. You have a point. I'll feed it today, by taking tiny little steps on the landscape mapped out by the bird's eye perspective.
Processing notes in my herbarium. But that's the whole point of a herbarium, isn't it? That you can still see the structure, even as the water has left?
What a great story this is. I think we can agree that few end this way. Perseverance is front and center and it’s the essence of the last lines in William Ernest Henley’s poem, Invictus. It reads, “I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.â€
What is helping me through my own tight space is:
Taking time each day to appreciate me and all that is good about me.
I have embraced what feels tight and uncomfortable to understand why it feels so. It has has helped to dismiss fear and find the teaching.
I recognize this uncomfortable place in time is part of the journey. And the light will come.
It surely is an everyday project of love, isn't it?
My love and warmest appreciation is with you,
Cara
I love how you have framed the situation. The cave-in, surely is a perfect analogy for what's before us. All we need do is look at what passes for political debate to see how suffocated is the collective psyche.
You, my dear, are a breath of fresh air. My grandfather,Mattius, who died at 41 from complications (lung) of being a miner, would be smiling your way. I know that I am.
Much love your way,
Cara
Love,
Cara
I could not agree with you more. We need a break from the manipulation job of fear. We, too, need liberation. It is so amazing how the entertainment/news-entertainment leans on fear to promote readership, no doubt linked to that 'negativity bias' of Reptilian brain thinking (read that kneejerk response, not consciousness).
You are a rich reminder, ruchild, that love is not only all around us, but through us.
How, on earth, have you come to such wisdom so well lived??????????????
Love and joy your way. Let us liberate ourselves from fear and step out,
Cara
(I can't resist: do you play the violin??????)
The brilliant thing is that we do have choice. You are right: fear does motivate. The question is, what is the outcome when fear has been the motivator??????
My grandfather, an immigrant, was a miner. Many lessons learned in that mine. Basing life on fear was not one of them.
All good things your way, Violinhunter. Thanks for taking the time to read this article. I apprecicate your reaction, that you didn't understand. The fact that you took time to read on, is a beginning. Who knows? We might just find common ground in the ore, with enough patient digging, if you are so inclined.
Joy your way,
Cara