Quote

May you fill your heart with so much love that there is no room for hate.

Evita Ochel

Reflection

If you want personal and collective wellbeing, you need to take a heart-centered approach to how you treat the “other” — other sex, other race, other religion, other culture, other political parties, other belief systems, other points of view.

Nothing good will come from division, separation, violence, anger, and hostility. Solutions for personal and collective wellbeing reside in love, unity, empathy, peace, and forgiveness. However, this doesn’t mean that you need to like everyone or everything, or agree with perspectives that do not match your worldview or get abused in the process, but it also doesn’t mean that you need to hate.

The path of enlightened living is a path where we and “other” can coexist in peace by focusing more on our similarities than our differences, and focusing more on the solutions than the problems. And the solutions always start with us—our choices and actions, which collectively create the very world we have.

When you find yourself wanting to strike out at “other” with some thoughts, words, or actions, pause for a moment of mindfulness. Consider what you are about to do from the perspective of your heart. Our minds are quick to judge and react with fear or anger. Our Egos often adopt the identity of being a victim, which makes us feel like we have the right to blame “other” for our problems and dislikes. However, our hearts always hold the truth that everyone and everything is part of us and the laws of the Universe are such that we reap what we sow.

Only heart-centered thoughts, words, and actions can turn things around. The more we fill our hearts with love, the more we are able to heal our pain and trauma, to make peace, and to forgive, knowing that we need to give forgiveness as much as we need to receive it.