A Spiritual Perspective
Reconciling The Horror - A Spiritual Perspective
A number of people have written and asked me how we can try to make some sense out of all that has occurred with the horrifying events of Sept 11. Rather than try to carry on so many individual dialogues about it, I have decided to offer some comments here, some of which are stimulated by comments we've heard on the news coverage.
From the perspective of the world, there is not a great deal of sense that can be made of the tragedy. So we must look at it from the higher cosmic perspective. Most who have read the various articles on this website understand that all attack is motivated by fear and that fanaticism is the ultimate expression of fear and thus represents the greatest potential for violent attack.
The Universe is all about evolution (or expansion) of consciousness. All of our souls are involved in a process of expansion. The evolution steadily progresses toward more compassion, more tolerance, greater love. From the spiritual perspective, we are aware that our individual souls are on a mission of healing that will move us toward love. Events that we call tragic, whether in our individual lives or on a larger scale such as this one, provide opportunities for us to recognize our attachment to fear and our resistance to love. Such events are powerful calls for us to take notice and make the choice to become more compassionate, less self-centered and more kind, tolerant and generous. There is nothing more essential in this whole scheme than our total freedom to choose healing or to choose fear. Freedom to choose is the essence of this whole earthly experience.
In the wake of this horrifying event, we witnessed a monumental response of love? We see this in all devastating events such as earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, hurricanes, etc -- Television reports are filled with countless examples of heroic acts--people overlooking their own injuries and exhaustion to help others. Unity with all is the intent of the Universe. It is undeniable that this event too brought about a flood of love expression. There is no greater expression of love from the cosmic perspective than to place others needs above one's own. Compassion! Kindness! Selflessness! Everyone talks of nothing else. The urge to help in any way possible is irresistible. People are surrendering their fear and suspicion of others, putting aside their us vs them attitudes and ignoring their ego's tendency to insist that I'm better than you are. All petty differences are set aside in a momentous flow of cooperation. While the intensity of this love tide will subside, it will settle at a level that will be substantially higher than prior to this event. This demonstrates the intent of the universe.
Meanwhile,
we are witnessing a unity amongst nations never before thought
possible. Granted, it is a unity of nations to eradicate terror,
to push against. And pushing against is not consistent with love.
Alas this is the point we are at along our evolutionary path.
We don't recognize the alternatives yet. We don't yet have faith
that terrorists can be changed by love. But there is hope. When
we look back, we recognize that after WW II, our fierce enemies
(Germany and Japan) became our allies. After this next wave of
bloodshed runs its course, can it result in the same sort of
healing? That remains to be seen. But at this time, on a collective
level, war and revenge seems to be how we go about it.
Of Those Who perished
Now, what of those who perished? From our worldly perspective, it is virtually impossible for us to grasp how the intent of the universe could play out at such a high price in terms of the incomprehensible life toll and the suffering of survivors and loved ones.
Others whom I have read, who write more specifically about the journey of the soul than I do, have talked about the intertwining relationships with other souls and the desire to heal these relationships through incarnations. The point is that though we cannot perceive it from our worldly perspective, from the higher perspective of the soul, it is all part of an agreement to be a participant in all of the things that the being experiences. As we know, from the higher perspective, there are no accidents. The teachings tell us this in a zillion different ways. Viewing it in this way, we might consider whether this event is really any different from the holocaust or any of the other countless savage and inhumane acts that man has perpetrated against his fellow beings throughout history anywhere on the planet. The "victims" were somehow where they needed to be to keep their appointment to play their role in this vibrational dance. And of course that also goes for those who survived the terror including the families and loved ones. How many will have found that this experience has taught them about surrender? How many will be moved toward healing wounds that they were ignoring their whole lives?
Of course all of this does not mean that the individuals on the planes and in the towers had "consciously" chosen to leave their loved ones in this way any more than another family member has consciously chosen to have a terminal disease or the kid down the block who is in a wheel chair due to a car accident, had consciously chosen the event leading to his circumstance. We are taught that the souls of those who perished agreed to be the so-called "victim" of those souls that are still at a level of consciousness where hate and violence seem the best way to deal with their fear. And as the karmic dance continues, the latter will by steps evolve and eventually also come to choose compassion and sacrifice over violence. Just as the heroic souls who perished sacrificing themselves for their fellow beings (as "heroes" and "heroines" have been doing forever), the violent too, as they evolve through their various incarnations on the physical plane, will soften, learn compassion and will prefer love over attack.
But since any event presents an opportunity for choice, many will also choose to become more hateful and angry. On the scale of consciousness at this stage of our evolutionary progress, the average is at a level where fear is still quite prevalent. While there is unity amongst the attacked, there is still the need for retribution. The perpetrators, choosing brutal and bloody attacks, will by the incontrovertible dynamics of the universe, themselves be the recipients of such attacks.
I have written much about the thinking patterns of "certainists" and their determination to be "right" at all costs. Fanaticism is the result of unyielding certainty, the ultimate expression of fear of others and other opinions. Fanaticism is all too often a perversion of established principled beliefs. As pointed out by many, this particular act is a result, not of principled Islamic beliefs, but rather of a distorted fanatical perversion of them.
Calling Upon God
During the various sermons at the remembrance ceremonies at the National Cathedral as well as the many other services across the nation, we heard many calls upon God and comments about God's presence and support. I am always still quite amazed at the posture that is assumed during such occasions. As much diversity as exists within such congregations of people, the attitude that predominates is still one of submission to a God that is separate from us. This perspective is just presumed as though the picture of God presented by mainstream religious dogma were the absolute reality. We hear pleas for God's compassion and mercy, asking for things or conditions in a humble, almost subservient manner. The manner suggests that we are asking favors and recognition from a powerful source outside of and above us. This also demonstrates our average position along the scale of consciousness, a position that sees us as powerless. We still maintain a perception of separation rather than an awareness of oneness with All That Is.
The Two Reverends
And then I saw an interview with one of our most well known "spiritual leaders" on the national scene, Rev. Pat Robertson. He was asked about comments that had been made by one of his equally well-known peers, Rev. Jerry Falwell. According to the interviewer, Falwell had made comments about the event, stating that these attacks were the fault of pagans, abortionists, feminists, homosexuals, the ACLU and People For The American Way. "All of them who have tried to secularize America", he said, I point the finger in their face and say, 'You helped this happen.'" Asked if he agreed with Falwell's comments, Robertson, apparently reluctant to disagree with the statements, danced around the question and said that he certainly would not have made them on his program but that Falwell's comments were probably taken out of context. He essentially ended up in the same place as Falwell's comments. He said the attacks occurred, "because God Almighty is lifting his protection from us". The gist of it was that we would not be the subject of God's mercy so long as we ignore his word and continue to live immoral and sinful lives.
For many of us who don't hold a perspective of Infinite Spirit (that referred to as God) as being one "who" would withhold love in any of its forms, under any circumstances, the statements of these two reverends are unfathomable. They preach of God's incomprehensible capacity for love, but we wonder, where is it to be found as they present it? Is God really obsessed with attacking and condemning homosexuals, pro-choicers, non-fundamentalists and liberals as these two great uniters do? We know this is preposerous--the very idea could not be further from the truth.
Anyway, having not seen the original comments (though I have since found them), I wanted to see if I could find Falwell's exact statement. I thought I would see if he had a website. Possibly I could find his comments there. What I found instead of the statement was this message on the opening page:
"September 14, 2001
"Despite the impression some may have from news reports today, I hold no one other than the terrorists and the people and nations who have enabled and harbored them responsible for Tuesday's attacks on this nation.
I sincerely regret that comments I made during a long theological discussion on a Christian television program yesterday were taken out of their context and reported, and that my thoughts--reduced to sound bites--have detracted from the spirit of this day of mourning.
Today, I join millions of people throughout this nation and around the world in remembering all those who died, and praying for our nation, the victims of this travesty, and their loved ones."
Elsewhere Falwell apologized, saying, "In the midst of the shock and mourning of a dark week for America, I made a statement that I should not have made and which I sincerely regret. I want to apologize to every American, including those I named".
I have to say, I was having feelings of déjà vu. Over the years I have seen this play many times. These reverends repeatedly make such immoderate attack statements on national news and opinion shows. Then, when there is an outcry from the public, they often back down and issue these types of "taken out of context" statements. These men indeed are the penultimate Certainists. They preach absolute standards of morality and are quite zealous in their attacks upon what they refer to as relativism and secular (non-fundamentalist) society. They constantly talk about conviction and standing on principle. But, we are left to wonder, conviction to what sort of principle--that of attack and separation?
And we also have to wonder why, if they are so certain when they speak for God as they do, why do they then later try to retract their statements? Does this not render their conviction meaningless? If they speak for God, is God then retracting His statements? One wonders why these two reverends (who continue to make and retract such heartless and critical statements) are the dominant spokesmen for this perspective of God? Or is it simply that such heartless sentiments follow naturally from that perspective of that called God?
I spoke earlier of the soul's desire that we surrender. Both of these leaders mean something else when they call upon us to surrender to the will of God. We mean surrender our resistance to love. They mean surrender and prostrate yourself before an almighty, authoritative and punishing master. Alas, this master they hold up before us, can be known only through an absolute literal interpretation of Scripture (The Word).
Despite such perspectives of a God who holds himself separate from us, the tide of love still rises, slowly but steadily.
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© March, 2001-2006, William Gunderson,
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