Oneness

 Every rose has its thorns  —-  Poison

I try, I really try, to believe in the oneness of all. That every single thing, every single person, has been thought into being by the Universal Mind. That’s my thinking and I claim it as my own. There are as many belief systems as there are people; this is mine.

How, then, do I reconcile the reality of Oneness with those with whom I vehemently disagree? Ugh. It ain’t easy, but I try. It’s a practice.

The best analogy I can come up with is to envision a rose. Better yet, a beautiful bouquet of roses, which you lovingly present to someone special. Unless the thorns have all been trimmed, your recipient will be wounded. In the giving of thorny roses, you yourself are bleeding.

There are many people who are the thorns of my bouquet. If they haven’t already been trimmed, then I must try to do it myself. Maybe all the thorns decide to stay sharp, despite my efforts to dull them - what then? How do I protect myself while recognizing that I don’t have the ability or the patience or the right tools to get the job done?

If we are all One, I have to reconcile the reality of all that wounds, all that I dislike, those thoughts which are either foreign to me or have been rejected as part of my life’s journey, all of it is a part of the All. When I see harm being done to others, I don’t think that it’s just the way things are; they are part of that which is thought into being and I must simply accept it. No! I must hold fast to the principles I wish to embody, and be a light in the darkness. 

These days are challenging. There are thorns on so many roses, and they are ripping into the skin of others. It is my duty as a “spiritual being having a human experience” to do whatever I can to connect with my Higher Self, to listen to those whose words and actions feel right and just and fair. With them, I can take whatever action feels right in the moment.

There are thorns, but there are beautiful, fragrant flowers as well. I choose to stop and smell them.