Today Is the Day

Today is the day for immediate action, but it starts inside me, inside you. Like Gandhi said, we must be the change we wish to see in the world.
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The sun is seen at sunset over heavy fog hanging above Lake Geneva on November 16, 2012 above Riex near Lausanne, western Switzerland. AFP PHOTO / FABRICE COFFRINI (Photo credit should read FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images)
The sun is seen at sunset over heavy fog hanging above Lake Geneva on November 16, 2012 above Riex near Lausanne, western Switzerland. AFP PHOTO / FABRICE COFFRINI (Photo credit should read FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images)

The debate on gun control vs. more guns is heating up. Some blame the removal of God from classrooms; others bemoan easy access to automatic weapons. Calls for "immediate action" resound and, as usual, the most important lessons are being overlooked.

Life is sacred. Until we address how our society systematically denies this truth and find ways to embrace it, we can expect more tragedies.

All life is sacred. Not just white people, Democrats, Muslims, Yankees fans. Not just human beings. Lions, humming birds, maple trees, dirt, oceans, space. All life, in everyone, everything, everywhere. Sacred.

It's all the same life.

As long as we feel separate, denying the sacredness and oneness of life, we can justify and rationalize torture and murder and war. We can churn out films and video games that champion good guys killing anonymous bad guys. And we can expect more reflections like Sandy Hook.

Today is the day to expose the elephant in the room. We've created a culture of separation and conflict based on beliefs and prejudice. It divides us. And it kills our children. Not just now, in tragedies like this latest one, but in a future bound to produce more and worse rampages unless responsible adults say, "Enough!" Today is the day to say it. Enough! Enough with killing as a solution. Enough with prejudice, hate, and rage.

Today is the day for immediate action, but it starts inside me, inside you. Like Gandhi said, we must be the change we wish to see in the world. Perhaps we can start by forgiving the shooter, instead of blaming him alone and ignoring the culture that grew him.

What if 2012 could really be a turning point? A shift from hating to loving, from separation to oneness? We can wait for politicians to get it together, or we can act within ourselves to make this our No. 1 priority. Release separation from those "others," however your prejudice shows up. Embrace our togetherness right now, let your behavior reflect the revolution that's quietly succeeded within you, and help change the culture from fear and separation to love and togetherness.

Here is something that can give us real hope for the future. But it has to start today. And it has to start with me. It has to start with you.

Today is the day.

By the authors of "Forgiving the Unforgivable".

For more on GPS for the Soul, click here.

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