Some days it’s difficult to stay peaceful, to stay calm, centered, fearless, and empowered. All we need to do is read the headlines and it can be so heartbreaking, we feel all of those grieving emotions, the sorrow. We feel small, alone, and powerless, not knowing where to help make it all better somehow.

We all have challenges, aging, illness, unexpected adversity. And we all want everything to get better for us all. Deep down, that’s what the truth is. We have compassion and want to be as helpful as possible.

So we begin where we are. We can start by making sure we’re taking care of ourselves so we can contribute as much as is healthy for us. We can pick causes and volunteer our help. Or we can meditate, pray, send loving-kindness energy to envelop and heal the planet. We can connect and share lovingly with each other. We can share our knowledge, work together and do small acts of kindness wherever we go.

It can be delicate and difficult to know just how to help. Sometimes just your presence and holding space can be comforting. We all try to say kind, encouraging things, but sometimes it ends up causing unintentional pain. I’ve read so many articles about what not to say or do in certain situations. It’s hard to keep track of it all, so I try to choose my words carefully and mostly listen. Empathy and validation always help.

All of my life I’ve never understood this world where there are so many tragedies and ultimately death. It really makes little sense.

When I learned about Jesus in Bible school, the crucifixion and resurrection, it puzzled me because they made such a big deal about the crucifixion when the resurrection astounded me? To me, at that young age, I knew that the resurrection was the whole point. It made no sense to me we should all feel guilty and sinful because of the crucifixion that Jesus died for our sins. Jesus taught forgiveness, not condemnation? And he didn’t die?

The whole point was we don’t really die and if we don’t, then this whole tragedy-filled world is not real. It’s all temporary, so why are we so scared and fighting with one another? Wouldn’t we do better to get along, and do what feels good? Loving-kindness feels good and natural.

Our energy lives on. We are spirits, not bodies.

And yeah, there’s no proof. But is it better and helpful to believe that this is all there is? That everything lives for but a little while and then dies? We don’t need religion to tell us what to believe. We can believe whatever helps us to be most loving.

I don’t speak of this often, (most glaze over with skepticism and disbelief like I’m from outer space) but I had an experience where I had a sleeping dream and woke up in that dream however briefly to our true reality of oneness and I had all of this knowledge flood through me, gnosis, an awakening I guess you could call it or a revelation.

Ever since then, it’s hard to explain. Words can’t describe adequately the exquisite beauty, truth, pure, blinding love we all are. I feel that if we all knew this truth that there would be less and less tragedy and more peace, wellness, love, and joy. To fully understand, it’s a truth you must experience to believe. It’s actually a knowing.

So I try to point to the truth. I keep doing the best I can. And that’s the most that we can all do, the best we can.

It’s heartbreaking, but we can’t help but love one another as best we can until we all wake up or, as Ram Dass said,

“We’re all just walking each other home.”

― Ram Dass