“I was once asked why I don’t participate in anti-war demonstrations. I said that I will never do that, but as soon as you have a pro-peace rally, I’ll be there.” Mother Teresa
There is a reason why Mother Teresa said this. She understood that the energy of resistance alone will never fully accomplish what we set forth to achieve. She understood the Principle of Focus and lived by the mantra, “What we resist persists, and what we focus on grows.” When we recognize how powerful and creative our collective energy is, we can create a ripple effect of real change.
I am encouraged to see an awakening happen through the current protests. We are no longer giving our power away to ‘leaders,’ expecting them to accomplish good in this world. The good begins with us. The gathering of our community to resist an evil is powerful; but the gathering of our community to focus on what we want – what we choose to create – is where real change happens.
“Be the change you wish to see.” Attributed to Mahatma Gandhi
The good begins with us.
What an inspiration Gandhi was to this world. He courageously embodied “being the change he wished to see,” and through him many began to understand the Principle of Becoming. We, too, can choose to take an honest look at the condition of our hearts: our beliefs, our prejudices, our judgments as well as our love, our light and acceptance toward our fellow human beings. Everything is energy and frequency. The great news is we are equipped to transmute hate into love and darkness into light. Becoming who we wish others would be starts with and within ourselves.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
One of the most famous and inspiring speeches of all time is Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. The reason that speech continues to resonate with us is because what he shared extended far beyond the societal and political problems of the Sixties. While he did protest in his speech; he also painted a beautiful picture of what all people long for: equality, prosperity, unity, peace and harmony. He understood the Principle of Good Dreaming.
While there remains much to do to fully realize Dr. King’s Dreams, progress has been made. It had to start somewhere, just as it does for us: with a thought, with inspiration and in combining our intentions and energies to create, while executing practical steps to manifest heaven on earth. We get to decide what kind of world we want to live in – and no power, government or person can stop what is our birthright and destiny. I’d like to encourage those who feel moved to protest to do so, but to not stop there. We can move from ‘resistance energy’ to ‘creation energy’ by utilizing the Three Principles of Real Change: Focus, Becoming and Good Dreaming.
