So the suffering continues. We can see that there is a distinct gap between our ideal world and the world we live within. I doubt there’s a person on earth who doesn’t want some happiness. Which begs the question: Why is there so much pain?
This is the question that began my own quest, many years ago, into the deeper reason for life on this planet. I began with a meditation practice, which opened up a portal in my mind where I could access a clearer view of my own relationship with life on earth. It didn’t take long to realize that most of us are living with “blinders” on, most of the time. Once I became aware that there is more to this life than we can usually see, I began to explore this new realization within the context of religion. I knew then that I had to share this understanding with others who were as inquisitive as I had been. My books and the Listening Room have been created as part of this desire to share what I’ve come to understand.
Obviously, this has not been enough. We are still seeing suffering as we saw yesterday in Florida, and we know that division and hatred are becoming more prevalent in many parts of the world. What’s missing is something that Judaism, and every other sane religion, has been teaching for thousands of years. We can’t just call it “love,” because that doesn’t seem to give us enough inspiration to heal the challenges of the moment. We need to call it “integrity,” which is the “quality of being honest, with respectful, compassionate principles.”
We need to expand our consciousness to move beyond simply understanding how to be the 3-dimensional creatures we are, experiencing life through time (which is the 4th dimension). We need to grow into the 5th dimension of consciousness, called “integrity,” which is the realization that we need each other more than we have ever admitted before. This can only happen when we come to understand that we are all, in fact, part of a planetary ecosystem that doesn’t just affect the land and the vegetation, but also connects every one of us with each other. What needs to be understood now is that every level of time, space, and consciousness, is interconnected in more ways than the human mind can usually fathom.
Judaism has been teaching about integrity through the Torah and the Psalms for thousands of years, but somehow this has not impressed enough people to awaken us into this clearer understanding about life on earth. But this is the time when we can come to the realization that we each have, deep within us, an awesome soul, which is an actual part of the interconnected wisdom of the universe. And this is the time for us to open our hearts and relate to each other with compassion and respect. Only then will we be able to gradually heal the challenges we are facing at the moment.
These teachings are definitely not just for Jews to understand. However, when we’re all able to open up our hearts and let go of the judgment between us, we will more easily be able to move forward into the kind of wholeness that creates integrity, harmony, and yes, love.