Humanity is more comfortable today, than it ever has been. We have predictable sources of food, the technology to protect ourselves from the elements, and once unimaginable modes of transport that have shrunk the world into a global village. And yet, as we mark the 79th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing next week, we find ourselves in perhaps one of the most unsettled times in human history. The convenient availability of resources seems to amplify the want for more, and unfortunately human greed is a thirst that precious little can quench.
In a species which bears the same 23 pairs of chromosomes, it’s incredible to think of the number of myriad ways we have managed to invent to separate us from each other, whether it’s religion or race, or the haves and the have-nots. We owe our existence to the conducive atmosphere on this beautiful planet we all share, and yet are exploiting our way through to oblivion. The apex predators of the past were wiped out through an asteroid impact, but we seem quite happy to be self-sufficient, spinning up new conflicts and wars with alarming regularity.
Conflict generally finds its root in deep identification with an ideology, whether religious, national, imagined or otherwise. An ideology may seem like an innocuous green shoot in your garden, but if you’re not careful, it can turn into ivy, gradually taking over everything in its path, leaving no room for rationality or restraint. The modern world is full of trap doors that are waiting for you to step on them to draw you into a vicious circle of false identification, being offended and eliciting a violent overreaction.
Spirituality provides the perspective which can help us keep radical ideologies and exclusivist separative tendencies at bay. It's only when we can realise that all living beings are the interplay of the same cosmic divine with illusory clay of creation, that we can stop finding excuses to form cabals or cliques, which lead to yet more fragmentation.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Ancient traditions approach spirituality in different ways, but meditation or mindfulness seems to be the lowest common denominator. Of course, this doesn’t come easy to our minds, which seem to have become trapped in a circle of stimulus and reaction. Yoga prepares us for a state of mental and bodily calmness, which can hold the sacred space required for meditation. Our breath is inextricably linked to how we feel, so starting there is perhaps one of the simplest ways to commence your journey.
We seem to be approaching our problems from the same mindset that created them, and as Einstein famously said, that just doesn’t work. It’s only when we can shift our mindset and step into a solution mindset that we can hope to grapple with humanity’s biggest problems. Any sustainable change starts with the individual, so as sceptical as the word may make it seem, let’s start with ourselves and become a part of the solution rather than marinating in the problem.
.jpg)
