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AN END TO DESPOTISM: THE VICTORY OF LIGHT
Autocratic regimes have since time immemorial been part of human history. They have controlled their citizenry through the abuse of power and through the production of fear... Now, in nation after nation, the formerly helpless have been arising to affirm their essential humanity.
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As the civil war in Libya draws to a close, the world once again witnesses the call to freedom that has coursed through the blood of many in the last year, overturning autocratic regimes that have held power for decades. This call to freedom and an end to oppression is not just a political statement, however. It is a moral and spiritual statement which emanates from a heart that can no longer tolerate conditions that were once tolerable, and that because of this, is willing to take greater risks that freedom may be. These ideals are present in the non-violent street protests that have taken place in the Middle East. They are also present, though mixed with other motives, in the current situation in Libya where a civil war, and the pillaging of property as the 'spoils of war,' have also played a part in the outcome.
The dignity of the soul is what is at stake here - not just the outer dignity accorded by principles of democratic government such as the right to speak, to write, and to congregate freely, but also the inner right accorded to each human being to live a life of their own choosing, a life dictated by the inner values that they hold. Such rights, both inner and outer, have gained many defenders in the past year, and we have seen in the Middle East the fruits of an inner transformation that has already had far-reaching effects
The overthrow of the Qaddafi regime after six months of conflict is both a political victory and a victory of light over darkness, produced by each heart that was able to take a stand for the cause of personal freedom and for what it most needed in order to breathe freely. For breath has a great deal to do with it. The breath of the soul can be felt as a need within the heart to make something happen in support of life and love, to commit oneself to something, and to stand with others for the benefit of all. That these motives have been circumscribed by the strategies and methodologies of warfare must be acknowledged as well.
Such motivations toward freedom are not just political in nature. They are essentially spiritual motivations produced by the infusion and expansion of greater light on the planet. As a result of this infusion, each heart begins to want and need what it no longer feels it can do without. The triumph of light over darkness has been produced, in the nations where it has occurred and in individual lives as well, through the expansion of each heart and through the commitment of each individual to an inner truth that could no longer be suppressed.
Autocratic regimes have since time immemorial been part of human history. They have controlled their citizenry through the abuse of power and through the production of fear. They have created and reinforced a citizenry that felt helpless and without resources. Now, in nation after nation, the formerly helpless have been arising to affirm their essential humanity. They have been arising to proclaim the values of respect and dignity. And even if one holds that economic motives have been a large part of the picture, it is the fire within that could no longer be diminished that has changed the landscape.
The seizing of power and the usurping of the rights of others has long been an outer sign of the presence of that which is opposed to light. For the energy of light creates love and unity and works toward the welfare of all. Despotic power, by contrast, seeks to create its own reality and to change the perceptions of others so that they accept it. This justification of a false and distorted version of reality, often supported by misinformation and disinformation, has been characteristic of despotic regimes everywhere, and in Libya as well.
Today, with the downfall of the Qaddafi regime along with those of Tunisia, Egypt, and perhaps Syria, we witness a new beginning. This new beginning lives within the hearts of men and women and especially the young, to live life according to the sacred inner values inherent within the human soul. These values which involve, freedom, respect, dignity, and love, are intrinsic to the soul. They define and determine how souls are meant to relate to each other and how they are meant to live. Today, these values are rising and forces which have suppressed them are diminishing in their ability to do so. To say that they are diminishing does not mean that they have no effect whatsoever. For within the new leadership of those who have been involved in protest, and within the new governments that have or shall be formed, the potential still exists to stray from the values that are of the light, and to resort to measures or values that have adhered to that which was overthrown. This potential would once again give power to that which is opposed to light.
Much turmoil and upheaval has been necessary as this transition into light is taking place, and it is not over yet. Nevertheless, the emergence of the heart which is the carrier of the soul is every day becoming stronger. It is this heart and soul that will, within individuals and upon the Earth, insure the creation of new social structures based in light where none seemed possible before. It is this heart and soul that will ultimately manifest a new society.
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