It is said, in many spiritual traditions, that the material world in which we physically experience our lives, is an illusion.
Belief in the illusion as real causes fear, fear, the root of anger. Investment in the 'reality' of the illusion breeds anger, while attachment to the illusion, resentments.
America is an angry culture. We hate to admit it, in fact, most won't even say it's possibly true. However, America is seething with anger.
It's said, people will tell you exactly who they are if you watch their behavior. If you want to know someone, observe the choices he makes, his treatment of others, the way he interacts with life's circumstances and without a single word, he will tell you everything you need to know.
By this standard, America is fearful, angry and resentful, which we tend to deny, as we don't want to be that, except we are profoundly that.
How can I say this? If the United States cut it's military budget by 75% we would still outspend every other industrialized nation combined, on National Defense. This is an expression of deep seated fear and mistrust. We are the only country to ever use nuclear weapons on the people of another country, and when we see images of it, we excuse ourselves by saying it shortened the war, the Japanese brought it on themselves, the Japanese were a brutal and viscous foe. Whatever, I'm sure all of these things are true, but how we actually feel about it is different than how we justify it.
As a nation, we have an irrational fear about confronting the genocide of Native Americans or the use of institutionalized slavery to build our country. We make excuses for it and justification for it, but don't want to discuss it. Why? White society says, aren't you guys over that yet? While Black society says, is it over yet? Because anyone watching would tell you as an individual, you are no where near over it. In fact, the anger bubbling just below the surface (not so much below the surface lately) is an indicator of embarrassment or shame, coupled with a denial of behavior. We think we're above it, judging the actions of other nations one way, while glossing over the truth and intentions of our own. The explosive rage at the mention of this subject is all you would need to know, if this was an individual, to stay as clear of him as possible because of the instability of the person.
The tremendous violence in our country is based in fear. Intolerance, murder, obsession with firearms, abject disrespect in the form of public rhetoric, rampant racism on both sides of the issue; all signs of being terrified, resentful and defensive.
Things like this don't magically go away in a person without any effort, work or discipline put toward the matter and neither will it go away in the Collective without being consciously addressed. The Collective Consciousness develops and expresses as an individual does and avoiding something, pretending it doesn't affect you, wreaks havoc in your life and is exactly what causes a tear in the fabric of humanity at the slightest offense. Violence erupts, escalates, boom! Chaos! We have reached our boiling point. It's evident in every bit of the news today!
We had better pay attention before we end up loosing everything we've worked so hard to build. We have tremendous potential for being what we've always professed to be, an amiable blending of people, coming from anywhere wanting to breathe free. Where you can be born disadvantaged and yet, re-create your life experience.
However, we have to be equitable with each other, giving to another that which we want to receive, keeping our spiritual beliefs out of the secular world, allowing people to live without the burden of another person's beliefs. We must develop some humility, grace and the ability to say we made a mistake, when we make them. We must collectively own the attitudes and behaviors of our past, before we can honestly address, comprehend or even remotely understand our attitudes presently.
We have some work to do....Happy Labor Day!
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