From Me to We

There is something very amazing happening on our beautiful planet and that is human beings are evolving from a me kind of consciousness to a we consciousness. What does this look like?

First, we need to understand that absolute everything is in the process of evolving. At one time you were around 2 feet tall and you evolved into a much larger person. At one time the earth was just gas and dust and it has evolved into the mind-boggling beauty of flowers, the exquisite expression of water in all of its forms and land that can go all the way from dry parched deserts to majestic mountains.

For most of the time humanity has been around, we have lived in a me kind of consciousness. This is where my wants and needs matter more than the rest and my view of the world is right and yours is wrong. This has allowed us to play power games, whether this shows up as religions trying to control people, huge corporations endlessly taking from and polluting the earth, dictators accumulating great wealth on the backs of their people, partners throwing hateful words and actions at their loved ones, people abusing other people because they don’t like their religion, their skin color, their gender or their sexual orientation and endless wars that are mostly about grabbing more land and power.

If we step back and look at history, we will see the heartache, the violence, and the devastation that the me kind of consciousness has brought. If you doubt that just look at Hitler. He killed millions of people because he thought a white person was better than anybody else. But in this time of Covid-19, there is something very spectacular happening. We’re beginning to recognize that we’re all in this together, that there is only one of us here and each and every person, no matter how much difficulty you have with them, belongs here, for they are a unique expression of life.

The we kind of consciousness that we are evolving into moves from the heart. It responds rather than reacts; it cares rather than judges. If you doubt that watch all the amazing stories on the news of people stepping up to be there for their fellow human beings – people singing in their neighborhoods every night; front-line workers risking their lives every day for the benefit of others; teachers creating unique graduation and teaching experiences; and on and on and on. Sometimes as I watch these stories I tear up because, as the Dalai Lama once said, “At the heart of every single human being is basic goodness.” And we are seeing it in spades at this time.

We can also see the me kind of consciousness on the news. Rather than wanting to be there for the good of the whole, this kind of consciousness argues and protests and says if you force me to wear a mask or keep six feet of distance, you are denying me my civil liberties. The me kind of consciousness hates to be told what to do. And it also doesn’t have a clue how their actions affect others or how they pay a price for living in a me kind of consciousness.

The we kind of consciousness understands that we don’t shelter in place, follow social distancing and wear masks just for ourselves. We also do these things for others, especially the people on the front-line like our doctors, nurses and grocery store employees and the most vulnerable of our population.

Of course, the me kind of consciousness is not bad or wrong. We do need to care and respond to our own needs but when it becomes our predominant way of engaging with life, we suffer. It is so much easier to react and judge and blame and struggle with whatever the me consciousness is deeming unacceptable and we don’t see that when we are in me consciousness, we are the ones that pay the ultimate price.  Or, as the old adage says, “Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.”  This also holds true for feelings like judgment, resentment, annoyance, self-righteousness and exasperation.

If you watch carefully, you will see that a good majority of these people are young. It’s like we are all supposed to take on a me kind of consciousness. If you doubt that watch a two-year-old or a teenager who rebels against what they think are stupid restrictions, while putting themselves in harm’s way. It does take time to mature into the understanding that were all in this together. It also takes time to realize we don’t need to judge somebody who is acting exclusively from the me consciousness. They are just where they are in the evolution of their consciousness and we can learn how to not take their actions personally.

This is the time to recognize that we are each a part of a greater whole and how we maneuver through life makes a difference for everyone and everything. Life is an interconnected web of being and not only do our fellow human beings long for the wisdom of a responsive heart (we) rather than a reactive mind (me), but also the earth is desperately asking that we see and relate to her through the we kind of consciousness.

We are the earth. And what we do to even the smallest part of it we do ourselves. The bees on our planet need us to stop using certain pesticides. The exquisite variety of life in the ocean needs us to stop polluting their home. The forests are asking we live simpler lives so that we don’t disrupt the exquisite balance that is nature. Life itself needs us to recognize that even the simplest of our actions matter. What we are talking about here is the golden rule that is at the heart of every single religion on this planet – “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.”

Be gentle with yourself. The me kind of consciousness still lives inside of everyone even when our predominant way of being with life is we. Allow your heart to open when you see yourself caught in the limited view of just me. The more you live from the inclusive heart of the we kind of consciousness rather than the limited view of the me, you become a conduit of wholeness, which brings into the world love, trust and openness between all beings and a willingness to deeply care for the life you have been given.