Our willingness to
learn, and exercise gentle ways of existing is one of the most fundamental keys
to the sustainability of life on planet earth.
On individual and
personal levels, we can distribute gentleness when we are able to offer
ourselves kindness, compassion and forgiveness, in the face of any negative
choices we may have made, regardless of
the extent of any harmful consequences which may have arisen as a result of any
such choices. This can be very hard to do for a variety of reasons, one of
the most significant being that many of us are socialized to have expectations
of ourselves (and others) that are unrealistic when it comes to human and
spiritual development. In other words, we are taught by our parents, our
schools, our religious institutions, our criminal justice systems and our media
(to name but a few) to engage in certain types of judgmental, and dualistic
thinking when we reflect upon our (or others’) subjective behavior. As a matter
of course, we deem ourselves wise or foolish, good or bad, right or wrong,
guilty or innocent, and so on, and so forth.
A spiritual perspective
does not recognize either/or categories when it comes to contemplating life choices ~ categorical labels are not
conducive to personal growth or freedom ~ but understands that we are all in a process of some type of
evolutional change, and have the capacity to learn greatly from our mistakes
(and successes!). Once we have held ourselves accountable, and taken
responsibility for our own actions (in whatever form that may take for us), the
next greatest thing we can do for ourselves (and others) is to offer ourselves
(our own) forgiveness.
While gentleness can be
the key to helping us to relearn self-love and self-forgiveness, guilt, by
contrast, is an emotion that can be energetically heavy, and often
inconspicuously deleterious, when it comes to our health. Additionally,
carrying guilty sentiment around, consciously or unconsciously, can greatly
reduce our ability to connect with, and contribute to, the healing evolution of
the universe. When the preceding principles are adjusted, and applied on
interpersonal, societal and global levels, we can begin to explore these
interrelated areas by asking ourselves the following questions:
What does the concept of gentleness
mean to us? What kinds of images are evoked for us when we imagine ourselves in
operation as gentle beings? How can we employ gentleness during our communicative
exchanges with others? How might gentleness be utilized within our community
systems and, what would it look like? What kinds of gentle acts could have a
global impact, and how can we engage in such acts?
Remember: When we
forgive ourselves, we give others permission to do the same, thus helping to
facilitate the spiritual flow of life!
