Wow.
A few observations. (It’s good for me to get it out of my head and in front of my eyes to come back and read).
Firstly, I’m kinda surprised by Eckhart, I don’t know why I am, because what he is saying is totally on brand (no pun intended!) for him. I guess I have become used to being disappointed with most of my spiritual teachers for not speaking more wisdom, more loudly, more directly to the insanity and murderous cruelty around the pandemic and lockdowns, and lack of informed consent, actual science, the concept of Sovereignty and the witnessing of dark and evil histories being. played out and repeated again in these times.
And, in fact, experiencing deep sadness, betrayal and maybe even sometimes, a momentary loss of hope when some of those spiritual teachers have actually spoken loudly and acted to censor people, discriminate against them, and add fuel to the flame of divide, to say the very least.
Betrayal because my own ego mind had to take the blow of their fake wisdom, or perhaps their failure to be responsible to the Wisdom of deep listening, Truth, equity, and non-violence and compassion, which I had projected onto these teachers. (It’s been quite expansive to have the realization emerge of just how much we project onto everyone and everything around us, and how ‘not real’ most of the world is! But, I digress ).
Secondly, that same ego mind of mine feels somewhat soothed and comforted, because in my more compassionate moments, not moments that always came naturally, no – I had to WORK on cultivating that compassion, I said many times out loud and on comments online to try to ease the suffering, “forgive them Father for they know not what they do”. Thank you Jesus.
That phrase came so many times to my heart during the last two and a half years, which is kinda odd cus I don’t know the Bible very well and I’m not a church person these days, but it swarmed around my head and percolated in my consciousness often.
It’s what I really believe to be valuable. It’s a truth worth remembering, to aspire towards. But like I was saying to my family earlier today, I can make a lot of noise, venting and swearing and purging all my frustration of what I too consider to be stupidity, UNwisdom, imprudence, but it’s not what I really think or believe deep down to be helpful, and it doesn’t offer any kind of solution. (I save it for special people!!) Ultimately I have the intention to have no desire or need to vent like that at all, because of what Eckhart says here – we can so easily become the monster we are fighting. I really don’t want that for me, or the world. It is no solution.
While I have found my calling to be different in approach to Eckhart’s in the last few years, I resonate with the essence of what he is saying.
And the edge is so bloody sharp it can be easily missed!
To speak up and protect, and still not become the violence I speak up against!
I really believe the Jesus statement to be worthy of time and practice, because it moves us in the direction of love, not aggression, and it contains layers that can be considered, as opposed to just letting people who do harm off the hook. It opens things up rather than closing them down. It makes space for what we don’t know. And there is so much of that!! And it points us back to ourselves, to do our own work and stop projecting onto others, and telling them how to be and what to do in the world. If we were each accountable and responsible to ourselves. what a different more evolved world it would be! More peaceful, more loving, more wise. More work for us all to do!
This video has given me some hope.
“Controlled opposition” and all those things taken into account, I think what is said here is really worth contemplation.