💥Armageddon or 💖Enlightenment?
The world is crazy. What should we do!?!?
Ram Dass + Larry Harvey = !!!!!
When my mind goes off the rails, I remind myself of something Ram Dass said.*
He was asked after a lecture, “The world is so crazy right now. Are we headed towards Armageddon? Or Enlightenment?!?”
He responded,
“I really don’t know. But I’ve asked myself, ‘what would I do if I knew we were headed towards Armageddon?’
I would quiet my mind and work to reduce suffering in the world.
Now, what would I do if I knew we were headed towards Enlightenment?
I would quiet my mind and work to reduce suffering in the world.
I can feel my shoulders relax when I hear that.
Spend less time worrying about what the future holds.
Spend more energy being the type of person you want to be NO MATTER WHAT is happening in the exterior world.
I can’t overstate how impactful this idea has been and how much it inspires me to wake up every day and dedicate myself to love.
But as soothing as that idea has been, I have to admit that there was a little snag for me. The phrasing of “quiet my mind and work to reduce suffering in the world,” has connotations of martyrdom and sacrifice.
“Quieting the mind” feels like a skillset reserved to dedicated lifelong yogis. Every day that I don’t meditate, I feel like I’ve failed.
And “Suffering” conjures up people in agony. Of festering boils. Of torture.
Alas, I’m not pious enough to live up to Ram Dass’ daily directive.
But I had a massive epiphany when I layered the Burning Man wisdom of Larry Harvey onto Ram Dass’ idea.
Instead of, “Quiet my mind and reduce suffering in the world.”
I tried on, “Heal myself and practice Gifting.”
YES!
I may not be able to quiet my mind, but I am on a lifelong journey to heal myself. Every day I am working on removing the ego obstacles that restrict my ability to be Radically Self-Expressive and fully loving.
And I may not be dressing the wounds of lepers, but every day I can look for ways that I can Gift to the world. I can look for the cracks that I can fill. I can seek out opportunities to lift someone up or lighten someone’s burden.
BAM!
The slight shift in wording turned it into a directive that I am fully qualified for.
It isn’t aspirational. It’s not something I’ll be able to do once I am as wise as Ram Dass.
It is something I can do RIGHT NOW. EVERY DAY.
I feel energized by that purpose.
It feels like a joyous life.
And it is what I want to be doing every day NO MATTER WHAT.
Whether we are heading for Armageddon or Enlightenment.
It is amazing how often social media and outrage algorithms drive me off the rails and make me forget.
You have my permission to remind me any time.
I’m gonna keep waking up every day and work to be a Love Ambassador. To me, that means, “heal myself and practice Gifting.”
Join me any time.
Hug Nation channel on YouTube LIVE at 9:00am PST:
Gratitude Sharing and Love Ambassador check-in.Zoom Gratitude Circles, daily at noon, PST.
1st Saturdays homeless outreach, every 1st Saturday in San Diego.
* He has told many different versions of this story. This quote takes pieces of several recordings.
Opportunities to Gift
My dear friend (& Stay Sparked Co-host) Janus is fighting for his life.
His GoFundMe could use some love.
Mikey’s Hug Deli (my favorite interactive Burning Man art, ever) and Mikeys’ home has been destroyed in the LA fires. You can chip in to rebuild to Hug Deli here.
The universe is giving us lots of reminders of how precious every moment is.
Don’t forget to celebrate.
I love you,
John
