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THE FLAME OF PROTEST
Protests, today, in different parts of the world, are part of the vast sweep of light forces that are activating the heart's motivation to pursue with greater effort and importance the values that the heart holds dear, values such as freedom, equality, justice, dignity...
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Today, on the streets of cities, in the hearts of many, and paid for with the blood of many, the desire for freedom, equality, and human dignity has been ignited on a worldwide scale. This thirst for human dignity and for each individual voice to be heard will not be quenched until oppression and domination by others has been vanquished, and until forces of darkness that seek to reduce human dignity and freedom to a shadow of what it might be no longer hold sway.
This is the story of protest movements, worldwide, that have become active in places far afield from what, in the beginning, was referred to as the 'Arab Spring.' Now, that Spring has spread incrementally to South America and to the Far East as well, and it is still moving.
Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Turkey, Bangladesh, Thailand, Venezuela, Brazil, Ukraine - in each of these countries people have gathered by the thousands and tens of thousands with hearts aflame with the desire for change. And although the specific content of what must be changed varies from country to country and people to people, the thirst for a voice in government, for a reduction of economic inequality, for the elimination of corruption by those who lead, for, in essence, a right to have greater say over how life is to be lived, becomes a clarion call to many to rise and protest things as they are.
Protests, today, in different parts of the world, are part of the vast sweep of light forces that are activating the heart's motivation to pursue with greater effort and importance the values that the heart holds dear, values such as freedom, equality, justice, dignity. Though such protests often begin in purity, with a desire for peaceful expression and a goal of furthering the right of human beings to shape their own lives, they are often co-opted by and responded to by forces of darkness that would promote conflict, erase the possibility for conciliation or dialogue, incite violence, engender bloodshed, and ultimately prevent the peaceful and forward-looking change with which many such movements begin.
Forces of darkness co-opting or responding to protest movements whose original impulse is based on a force of light create the multi-layered landscape that we witness today in many places, a landscape that appears social and political in nature, yet which is fueled by cosmic forces that are powerfully operating on this plane. Often, forces that promote violence and enflame hatred and fear are focused primarily within governments that seek to protect their own self-interest and defend their positions of power. But all too often these same forces gain a foothold within the hearts of those who did not start out with ideas of violence or anger, but simply with a desire that their voice be heard.
There is a need for us who bear witness to the upheavals that are taking place in so many places today, to understand how this transition from peaceful protest to a violent confrontation of forces takes place, and to recognize that the cause cannot be attributed, in many instances, to the actions of just one 'side.' Where forces of darkness are at work, there is an inflammation of fear and anger that can take hold, and what, under other circumstances or at another time could have led to the possibility for reconciliation or a willingness to compromise, now, today, often leads to a sense of 'no exit,' a sense that there is no alternative in dealing with present dilemmas except for violence. And this sense of 'no exit' can become true both for those who are defending the past, and for those who are opposing the injustices of the past.
We must understand this influence which seeks to breed anger out of the desire for self-respect and human dignity, and conflict out of the desire to better the collective welfare of a people. For this same influence can also affect our own perceptions in a situation in which we, too, may feel endangered, or in which we, too, may feel our rights limited or threatened. All who seek to anchor in light must hold to the light and to the understanding that there is always another way other than killing. There is always another way other than violence which breeds more violence. The idea that actions promulgated by darkness will ultimately lead to a light-filled outcome is a false idea. It is not true. What is born out of motives of anger, fear, hatred, or violence breeds more of the same, if not in the present, then in the future.
May we who bear witness to the inflamed passion for greater representation, respect, equality, and fairness become champions of the cause of human dignity, a cause that is gaining adherents in ever increasing numbers as each heart becomes infused by light. And may we, at the same time, reject those influences that seek to create the illusion that the only way of achieving these goals is through violent confrontation, division, and the pitting of brother against brother.
In this way, through maintaining our connection with love and with each other, through the power of light a new world can be born.
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