What Else Is There?

Long ago, a teacher of mine was at a spiritual event, not religious. While he was standing in the back of the room an attorney who was married to one of the presenters and had brought her to the meeting quietly asked him “are you into this spiritual stuff?” To which my teacher replied without pause, “what else is there?”

Albert Einstein said, “no problem can be solved at the level of consciousness at which it was created.” Einstein  was  interested in the confluence of science and spirituality. He said that “a spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe, a spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which we with our modest powers must feel humble.” Modern spirituality is, in large part, the exploration of consciousness with the focus on the expansion thereof, moving to “a higher level” in Einstein’s words. When we take up awareness,  personal responsibility for our lives and actions; when we relentlessly explore our inner world and paths for positive change and then take compassionate and loving action in the world based on our conscious exploration, we are living a “spiritual” life. These strategies become our core lifestyle and result in compassion, higher love, and reverence for unity and wholeness.  Spirituality, or the practice of expanding consciousness, is the only game in town. Spirituality gives our life purpose and meaning while daily improving the world we encounter. It liberates us from fear and anger and allows us to live in the energy of love and freedom.

As we begin to envision or yearn for a changed world, as a result of the pandemic that we are all going through in various ways, we begin to long for our old life, what is being called the “return to normal.” But, chances are we can never get back there, and perhaps this is a good thing. Perhaps it is time to expand our consciousness and create a new world. However, in most of our visions of the future, we are still trying to solve our problems at the level of consciousness at which they were created. Sadly, this is a guarantee that nothing significant and lasting will change. The ongoing stupidity of war will be an accepted method of conflict resolution and other issues such as environmental degradation and serious economic inequality, will simply be cleverly altered and rechanneled or hidden.

The only way to create the kind of powerful change we need is to change our level of consciousness. It is far beyond the time that this should happen. The good news is that we do not have to wait for anyone else. This is work that we can do, in fact, must do, on our own.  Our comprehension and understanding of spirituality is found in our own unique history. Viewed through the lens of consciousness, our lives are an amazing tapestry of personal, spiritual opportunities.  And, even though we all eventually arrive at the same spiritual truths, we arrive from our own unique paths. How wonderful! In a spiritual paradox, we are all different and yet the same.

Understand that the micro, you and me, informs the macro, the world. When we change personally the world around us changes and the greater world changes too. This is an inescapable truth; a truism. The more of us that change, the more the world changes.

If you want to be a part of a more conscious world try this: every day imagine yourself as more of a lover than a divider; cease being seduced by separation and fear. Imagine that your highest quest is to keep your heart open when it wants to close. No more blame or judgment. Now dedicate yourself to this vision. I guarantee you that your world will change dramatically and so will everything and everyone you encounter. This work is not easy at first; it takes courage, silent courage.  Because it is not work that seeks approbation or recognition I call it love as a subversive activity. When you enter this path you will soon discover it is its own enormous reward.

We need to stop waiting for a government, a political party or a church or any other group to create change before we engage our hearts. As the Native American people say, we need to stop “giving away our power.” There are many people happy to take your personal power away and persuade you that that is a good thing! As spiritual practitioners, we cannot be lazy and hand over our precious lives to others.

Spiritual teachers have always taught that the belief that the outer world or its manifestations can bring you inner happiness is the root of all sorrow and grief. In the East, this illusion and the power to create it is called Maya.  It is the operating principle of our current unconscious world. It is what is used to manipulate us. At its core, it is a hollow and empty promise. Right now the world is trying to return to the past by leaning toward a future of more Maya which is being called the “return to normal”.  Yet, the current dissolution and chaos present us with an excellent opportunity to break with the past. Not as a mob, but individually. Which road will we take? “The road less traveled” as Robert Frost said, or the same old path because it is what we know and because we all fear change?  As Frost famously said in his poem, our choice will definitely “make all the difference.” I can guarantee one thing. Once you take the road less traveled you too will be able to say with authority and confidence, “what else is there?”