When I was young I identified as a writer, and went to study at one of the best journalism schools in the country. If I had continued in that profession, I would have been drawn to reporting in a war zone. Something about immersing myself in a great battle, where everything is more intense, including suffering, called me. More than the "normal" suffering inherent in the human condition - something more abrupt, more acute.
In Buddhism suffering is viewed as having a cause which can be addressed. That remedy is an embrace and acceptance of life as it is, not as we wish it to be. For the person living a relatively comfortable life, that means addressing the suffering that comes with old age, sickness and the certainty of death. Ultimately that search for peace is an individual journey. As a chaplain sitting with a dying person, that reality is what struck me the most. How we meet death – and beforehand, the looming inevitability of it – is determined by our spiritual maturity.
Since starting my work as an energy healer I came to understand that those who choose to incarnate in a time and place of great upheaval, violence and distress have done so because it’s a fast track to soul evolution. We have opportunities to grow from any experience, but also the free will to go down that road - or not.
I was born in the USA. Why would I subject myself arbitrarily to the depths of human pain suffering? Apart from making peace with suffering, another way to work with this challenge is by HELPING OTHERS. It can make us feel better about ourselves, which is a self-serving motivation (but at least it moves us to action). The greater benefit is that it puts us in touch with our shared humanity; a universal experience that gives us perspective, and hopefully some distance, on our own problems. Doing something to lessen another’s pain is a way to peace with our own. In the Buddhist Mahayana tradition, their pain is our pain and we can only be liberated together, as one. I equate this liberation to growth of the energy field of human consciousness that we are all a part of.
What we are seeing in response to Ukraine, Gaza, and other conflicts is a world-wide outrage at the worst of human impulses. Violence, greed, ego and with no consideration for the value of life, humanity must rise above and reclaim our connectedness with all that is.
I went from journalism to filmmaking to healing, always with the intention to explore these struggles and maybe redeem myself in the process. To become intimate with another’s suffering, being with them and helping however I can - still drives me. I hadn’t connected these dots of my past choices until just recently; maybe because at this point in humanity’s evolution, we are all called to do more.
How are you responding to the current world crisis, or to any suffering you witness? It can be overwhelming, and is mostly out of our control. What we can do is our bit; a contribution suited to our situation and abilities. The outcome is not up to any one of us, but we can act from a deeper place of solidarity with others.
Peace, love and healing -
Are you called to do healing work? It’s not for everyone, but if that is your true desire and purpose, consider getting specific training to power that intention. I’ll be teaching a new "Jumpstart Foundations" class in July. Learn more about that here: https://www.bearmckay.com/join
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