In response to the Charleston shooting and the nationwide legalization of equal marriage rights, in correlation to the Fourth of July:

“Three great forces rule the world: stupidity, fear, and greed.” ~ Albert Einstein

Recent events, in the days leading up to the firework displays and celebrations of the July 4th holiday, highlight the tumultuousness of American culture. It shines a light into the dark crevasse of our past and pulls the shades apart on the morning sun of a brighter day ahead.

There is always an opportunity for transformation and change, when we are positive and accept what is real.

America is not yet truly the “land of the free and the home of the brave.” Deeply ingrained, subconscious and subtle beliefs perpetuate division, separation, inequality, mistrust and racism. The root of the problem—the disease—is ignorance.

The symptoms of ignorance—stupidity, fear and greed—fuel crime, wars, violence, anger, poverty, misuse of power, manipulation and inequality, to name a few.

Consider taking a moment and meditating on the victims…

When we look into their eyes, we can feel that they were good people. They were humans that had a strong and intimate relationship with their God and their community. We need more people in the world like those we lost. The word tragedy does not do it justice. The ego can be the fastest on the scene—not to heal or to help—but to perpetuate, justify and defend biases and social, cultural, parental conditioning.

Love wins when the ego dies. Love wins when we accept reality. Love wins when we transform the three “great forces” that rule the world—stupidity, fear and greed—into wisdom, love and compassion. The solution is always in the problem.

Knowledge of our True Self: Enlightenment.

“Enlightenment, for a wave in the ocean, is the moment the wave realizes that it is the water.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

A great education is not based on the schools we went to or the degrees we earned. A great education is one that teaches us how to be a human—how to relate, how to have compassion, how to promote peace and how to know what true love is. Great education is that which provides knowledge about our “inner software” and encourages us to explore and understand the most important fundamental question, “Who am I?”

A true education is one which focuses on enlightenment, self-awareness, mindfulness, meditation, civility, love, gratefulness, human divinity and constant communion with all that is. A profoundly transformative education is one which leads us to greater confluence, between our conscious and subconscious mind, and frees us from all of our conditioning. It makes us aware that our ego, under the guise of helping and protecting us, is actually the reason why—when love, life or opportunity knocks on the door—we are not smart enough, or brave enough or have too much pride to answer.

The greatest education is knowledge of thy true self. As Rumi says, “You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean, in a drop.”

Meditation.

“Only one thing can unite the whole of humanity, and that is meditation.” ~ Osho

Through meditation we experience our true selves, increase awareness, gain life skills, and tap in to our intuition. We learn acceptance, self-love, patience and how to let go.

We discover how to respond gracefully and joyfully to life’s challenges. To unite humanity, we need to be individually responsible for our own personal happiness and inner peace.

Collectively, we need to become more conscious, awake, aware, meditative, peaceful, accepting and compassionate.

A Spiritual Path of: Tantra, Traditional Yoga, Taoism and Buddhism.

“All the world’s major religions, with their emphasis on love, compassion, patience, tolerance, and forgiveness can and do promote inner values. But the reality of the world today is that grounding ethics in religion is no longer adequate. This is why I am increasingly convinced that the time has come to find a new way of thinking about spirituality and ethics beyond religion altogether.” ~ Dalai Lama

Tantra, traditional yoga, Taosim and Buddhism are universal. They focus on understanding our true nature, acceptance, compassion, love, peace, awakening, self-awareness, non-attachment and personal responsibility. The also guide us on how to end personal suffering, transcend duality, attain our full human potential and establish unity.

We  learn that infinite consciousness is the ultimate reality.

For inner and outer peace to occur, Sri Chinmoy says, “Your heart must become a sea of Love. Your mind must become a river of detachment.”

Spiritual practices purify our minds and bodies—they open our hearts. These paths teach us how to transcend judgments such as “good and bad” and “like or dislike” to equanimity. They help us expand our mind and put our problems into perspective, so that we are no longer focused on short-term, limited and selfish thinking—me, mine, I—but rather a collective, long-term focus on us, we, ours.

We have the tools, resources and knowledge available.

Love wins when we all awaken—when the stars are put on the star-spangled banner—when everyone can put their hands on their hearts in gratitude for equality, freedom and independence.

Love wins when everyone in America can say they live in the “land of the free and the home of the brave.”

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Relephant Read:

Media Blackout as Southern Churches Burn.

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Author: Hana Berlin

Editor: Yoli Ramazzina

Photo: Flickr/Beverly & Pack