It's Family Time

It's Family Time
By Andreas Mamet
©2006

The reality of life on this planet is one of fierce polarization. Generally, life takes place on the platform of the I-Thou experience. It is I (and my tribe) against “the other” (and his tribe).

Even though many thousands of years have passed since the days of cave dwelling and we live in a technologically sophisticated society, the degree of psychological and emotional evolution is just minimal. Technologically, we have evolved 20 notches since then, but our emotional and psychological development has barely moved one notch. This is because we have chosen to work on our technological development. Yet very few people elect to work upon themselves.

This being so, it should be of concern to all of us to recognize that the continuing collective immaturity now has been linked with a large-scale weaponry so advanced and multi-dimensional as to be capable of widespread global destruction.

However, bringing suffering through aggression is only one form of suffering that is inflicted by the immature cave dweller mentality still pervading this planet.

The other form of suffering inflicted is through the practice of indifference. It is when good people do nothing that evil receives its biggest boost. The crime of omission, the refusal to act in the direct face of human suffering, that is the biggest crime on this planet.

This cannot be remedied by shaking a person on the outside and shouting: “You should do something to alleviate suffering if you are in a position to do so. This is a planetary family.”

To recognize that everybody on this planet is family requires a direct, tangible expansion of an individual’s consciousness. The individual’s consciousness must expand until it experiences every living being to be inside, rather than outside, of itself.

This is what happens when a human being becomes a Buddha. All living beings, because of the enormous expansion of consciousness, now are inside. Now it is as if every human being is merely a limb, or an organ, belonging to one’s own body. Now one’s body has become the body of Universal Consciousness. And whatever happens to “the other” has become a personal experience that triggers concern for the well-being of “the other.” Because “the other” has ceased to exist. Only one’s Self exists. And every sentient being is experienced within the Self, an expression of the Self.

To recognize that we live in a planetary family, in my opinion, it is not necessary for every human being to activate this kind of Universal Consciousness (even though I think it is advisable to cultivate a practice to that end). Let us start in small ways.

Let us start by establishing a daily mindfulness that causes us to treat others in a way we would prefer others to treat us. Once we activate this mindfulness of the heart and put it into daily action, we have truly completed a giant leap for mankind.