I’m always amazed at the things that adults decide are useful for children to learn and that these choices then become policy and curriculum. I am even more astonished, despite all the scholarship that has been done by so many academics, writers, parents, that the school system hasn’t really evolved in the last 100 years.
Yes, we produce knowledgeable adults who can do all sorts of skilled jobs but… also have a hard time handling stress, are depressed, have poor interpersonal relationships, are afraid of their emotions, and largely disconnected from the world they live in and their bodies (and this is all in a ‘normally’ functioning adult). Not that I think anyone is to blame but rather, this is the result of not being taught the ‘education’ of real life.
In today’s modern world, where do you learn peace?
Not “about” peace… but peace as a verb, as a practice, as a skill, as a way of life… as something you offer to the world?
If we offered degrees in Peace at university, what would be the core subjects?
What would be the methodology?
Who would teach this?
How would you assess if a student was grasping the skills?
The child analyst Winnicott reflected that democracy can only occur when there is sufficient emotional maturity in cultures. How can we be surprised at the state of the world at the moment when a lot of people (and I am making a big generalization but given that I still have a job as a psychotherapist I feel like I can comment) do not have a clue about how to work with their emotional worlds.
You can live in a place where there is political peace around you, but be at war with yourself, or your family or your community, or the land itself.
Of no surprise, one of the most difficult things for many people to contend with is conflict. What do you do when there are two conflicting points of view? If you went to school in North America, I remember having to debates in class and really wanting to win, but mostly wanting to be right. But that doesn’t work in the real world and in real relationships, especially if you want to sustain through time.
Where do we learn what do we do when we don’t agree?
There are so many opportunities to polarize and take sides on so many issues. I witnessed how the vaccine literally tore families apart and severed many relationships.
And so… what is peace when two people just don’t agree?
I think the work is accessing that space in between the differences. There are many ways to do this, and one that I have found that is super effectivel is called Sat Nam Rasayan, literally deep relaxation in the true identity.
What does this mean?
When we can make some space in between the polarities, there is emptiness.
Emptiness with consciousness births silence.
Before creation there was silence.
Silence is the most fertile ground from which everything can manifest.
From the 0 there is all.
This is called Shunniya in yogic philosophy. The function of meditation is to calm the mind so that the ego is brought to complete stillness. We then connect to the Infinite, to everything that is not “us” as we identify ourselves to be. There are no more stories or dramas or traumas, the true essence of the world and our infinite self is revealed. It sounds perhaps very esoteric but I can tell you that once you experience it you know what it is. It is pure experience felt in the very moment.
From this place of nothing is everything.
It’s where the healing energy can flow.
We can heal ourselves, others, and the world.
We have the ability to create the world anew.
We can literally vibrate peace.
This is attainable for anyone, and does not require millions of lifetimes sitting in a yoga posture in a cave.
When we can quiet our mind enough, put aside our ego, it’s easy to remember peace. We all know this state somewhere in our being, even if it has been a long time since we’ve experienced it.
As you may have guessed it, I write these things today because this is all related to breathing. Breathing is your gateway to calm your mind and the emotions so that you can experience the silence. Breathing is your gateway to emotional development and maturity. It reminds you that you are in control of what you say and do and that this impacts the world.
We’ll be exploring all these qu
estions, coming up with more questions and practicing all of this stuff on November 8-10 at the SEED Lodge. Hargopal Khalsa, a senior practitioner of the Sat Nam Rasayan technique, come to teach us how to work with conflict and how to access this healing space of silence. She’s been a practitioner for over 50 years and has a wealth of experience she is graciously willing to share.
If you are able to, please do make the effort to come out. It is with a truly sorrowful heart that I say that right now, these skills are imperative to learn.
With love and peace to you all,
