With our daily dose of chaos, we might wonder what is happening in this country. For those of us trying to see the bigger picture, we wonder what this all means to us personally, and to humanity as a whole.
Those who voted for the current administration were voting for change. They believed that deporting illegal immigrants, stopping foreign aid, and a generally isolationist policy would benefit them personally. What the reality is they’re now discovering—at least some of them are.
We are already recognizing the negative effects of their policies. To illustrate: When vegetables and other produce are not picked and are rotting in the fields, who will suffer? The deported illegal immigrant, the farmer, and the consumer will all be impacted. When US aid is denied to foreign countries with starving populations, who will suffer? The poor, starving, and sick people in other countries will suffer and some may even die because of this action. But they are not the only ones. What about the welfare of the farmers who have provided grains and other foodstuff to be shipped to these countries and then have their unpaid crops lost in warehouses? And what of those farmers expecting grants to expand their operations who are now in danger of losing their farms? No doubt there are many other similar examples of the far-reaching consequences of these government cutbacks.
The Universal Law of Oneness
We see a universal law unknown to many operating here: the great Law of Oneness. We are all connected. There is a web of life where all is interconnected, be it the earth, humans, the inanimate, and the animate. None of us live in isolation. We truly are a global village. So, when this law is violated, misery and grief result.
How can we know this law to prevent this grief? Unfortunately, most of us learn our life lessons only through much suffering. When personally affected, we pay more attention to what’s happening. Already people are experiencing this. They are losing their jobs, their health care may be threatened, and our values and the economy are being assaulted. Moreover, we are only at the beginning of the misery resulting from the divisive and self-interested decrees of the current political power structure blatantly disobeying this law.
Many of those who voted in this administration call themselves Christian. But have they forgotten the values that Jesus espoused, such as:
“Verily I say unto you, in as much as you have done it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Matthew 25: 40)
What about the “Golden Rule” present in all world religions?
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
– Christianity
Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.
– Buddhism
What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow man. That is the entire Law: all the rest is commentary.
– Judaism
No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself.
– Islam
Underlying all these statements is the Law of Oneness, which is also one of the main principles of the Indian Vedanta philosophy. You and I and all others are not separate from one another.
Hope for Humanity
There is still hope for humanity. Through our current chaos, we will reach a critical mass when enough of us learn this lesson of unity and realize that we are all interconnected parts of the whole. When we realize this, we will start to look out for the welfare of others, especially the downtrodden, and be responsible caretakers of our precious Mother Earth. The rights and needs of all people will be respected and ensured, and the blight and greed of the rich and power-hungry will no longer be accepted. Then, a mass shift will result in living in the truth of the Law, creating a “New Earth.”
By Anna Hourihan, Publisher & Editor, Vedantic Shores Press
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