I learned early on in one of my yoga classes a few years ago how important each individual is in elevating others' spirits. What elevate means in this context is to help people see beyond what is limiting them and making them feel hopeless. It's about saying something to help them change their perspective to one where possibilities abound so that they can start moving forward with confidence and strength. It's not easy.
This is beyond the concept of being our brother's keeper. I don't believe in that per se. I believe though that when the opportunity arises for us to help someone in trouble, we must give our best. That's exactly what it is, it's an opportunity we are being given to be generous and give something of value to others. I'm not talking about giving a dollar to someone that is begging for money but rather to give of yourself, to talk to whoever it is about your experiences and relate to this person even though the issues may be very difficult to relate to and understand.
At a spiritual level, there are no accidental encounters. Everyone we meet is for a reason. It's an opportunity for us to show up for who we are - at our very best and at our kindest. It may seem time consuming and it is very time consuming. We are all very busy, trying to keep up with the accelerated speed in the world's energy but one kind word with a positive message can change someone's outlook in life. It can get them started in a new path. We can make a difference. What's more important? Get to our "to do" list or participate in changing someone's view of themselves?
I have a lot of faults. I am aware of some of them. When it comes to helping others, I'm mostly clear. It's easier to help people that look like us, live like us and are like us...it's so much harder to help people that we don't recognize as part of our tribe for one reason or another.
I'm not talking about differences in race or social strata - I'm talking about the situations that other people find themselves in that we have never encountered ourselves and are totally unfamiliar to us. For example, how to help someone with an addiction when you have never been exposed to that - what are the right tools, what are the right words? How do you deal with what seems to be truly hopeless, where the situation is dire, where it's so dark you know it's not a world you recognize? As I said in my post Light on March 18th, even the flame of a matchstick can bring light to total darkness. And maybe the words don't make a dent today but somehow you are able to start changing the energy by just articulating those words. Positive words, empowering words.
I suspect issues that are unfamiliar and seem so mammoth are to be treated in the same way as one would treat any other issue. With kindness and love and with genuine intent to help the other person. With addiction I would add that getting advice from an expert would also help. Addiction is a disease, it falls under a different category than when you are dealing with someone that is not thinking about the next fix or the next drink. It's important to remember that for any issue, the responsibility to take action begins and ends with the person involved. As helpful as we want to be, we can't change someone's thought pattern and actions unless the person decides to do that.
We are all together here. We are one and part of the whole at the same time. And, we do make a difference.
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