SOLVING WORLD PROBLEMS THROUGH SPIRITUALITY: WHAT EACH ONE OF US CAN DO?
Humanity is going through tumultuous times; every country in the world is going through extreme convulsions. Even developed countries, which were once considered stable and strong are going through political and economic chaos. In these testing times, we need to ask ourselves, individually and as a society – what is the vision we have for us, our country and for the world? We need to support each other as we go through these challenging times and understand, collectively, that change is inevitable. We need to ask ourselves – do we want to succumb to this change or pilot towards the change, by strengthening our resolve, both on a personal and global level.
The question that then presents itself is - how do we strengthen our resolve? How do we propel ourselves from this chaos? The answer is simple yet complex. One way is through spirituality, meditation and by attaining inner peace, which can be understood to be a state of self- acceptance, a state of attaining mental calmness even in the presence of mayhem in the outside world. As meditation is gaining popularity, numerous studies have been conducted to assess its relative merits. Not only does it result in a healthier body and a fuller mind, but it also helps in improving the emotional well-being of the person by reducing anxiety, stress and enhancing self -esteem and self-acceptance.
The NGO Committee on Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns-NY held a dynamic and interactive discussion on “Visioning the Future: Consistency in the Midst of Change” on January 19, 2017. The speaker, Mr. Andrew Vidich, PhD, an award-winning author, consultant and international speaker spoke about how spirituality can help all segments of society work together, can inspire actual change and how we can attain inner and outer
peace by practicing it. Mr. Vidich reiterated that all humanity is one consciousness – what we do individually to ourselves is exactly what we translate globally; violence will produce more violence; peace will reciprocate peace. Essentially, we are all our own conduits.
Likewise, what impacts us personally also impacts how we see our work, even at a global organization such as the United Nations. The premise is that if we can achieve inner peace through spirituality, that peace will ultimately resonate positively in how we deal with pressing issues at the global level. But how do we make spirituality help us in achieving measurable goals? Mr. Vidich proposed that if all humanity is one consciousness then we need to unite this consciousness by practicing the following in our daily lives –
Have a clear vision of our values;
Live the vision;
Share the vision; and
Teach the vision.
Our vision can be our “life alienating beliefs” – beliefs which separate us from others or identifying the core values that are most important to us and living by those values. This includes letting go of the continuous need to be liked by another, and trying to fulfill their demands and expectations. When we live life based on our core values and make our own decisions, we live a life of contentment and peace. Applying these beliefs in the outer world includes trying to stop judging and polarizing with people, countries and nationalities. Instead, we should try to become forces of reconciliation, by having unity in our thoughts, words and deeds. We need to realize that each of us has a role to play and that we need to change from inside to reverberate peace outside and handle the chaos globally.
To know more about this event, please visit - http://csvgc-ny.org/
