French Attacks, Respect and Intention

By now, most of you have heard about the terrorist attacks in France, beginning with 12 being shot at the satirical newspaper company. It is so frightening and devastating to be in a time of such hate and unrest. But does this differ from other times in history? As I listened to NPR this morning with my college daughter, Ashley, we began one of our usual and engaging conversations while driving for over an hour. Our family has been committed to transformational work and Ashley started younger than her sister, Lindsay and myself. Given the circumstances of being a single mom, I chose to not remain a victim and set out to allow my girls opportunities for enlightenment. As a result, we have engaging conversations about psychology, philosophy, spirituality, ethics etc. When I hear of these horrendous events, I begin to think about both sides and look deep for the intention of action on both sides - What motivates people's behavior without taking a position. I began to talk about how different cultures interpret actions as either acceptable or disrespectful. Each culture has its norms and yet most of us do not know what those norms are. How did they come to be? What creates separation? While killing people for poking fun is unacceptable, does poking fun instigate anger and resentment? What is the intention or true motivation for one's behavior and is it harmful to another? These questions brought me back to an exercise while I was involved with the Landmark Forum - a transformational weekend intensive. A group of 200 people all stood and faced one another, being asked to look into the person's eyes that we were facing for 60 seconds. We then moved to the next person and repeated this for about 45 minutes. What an experience! Not only were barriers removed, but each person became a reflection of oneself - a human to human. I felt softened, humbled, grateful and connected to each person that I faced. I then began to think of the documentaries that I have watched this week with Ashley - the last week before she returns to college. We watched Bruce Lipton's quantum physics videos and the summary is that all life is connected. The premise is that when we reject one being or harm a living entity, we reject and injure the whole of life. This makes so much sense to me as we address science, medicine, psychology. The more separate we view other living beings, the more fear, competition and conflict we face. As you ponder these "big" questions and events, take the time to meditate, seeing yourself as connected to all that is - nature, animals, other people. See your body as a mini world in which all systems depend upon one another. You may begin to find a sense of peace, wholeness and satisfaction. In peace, Julie