Unity Obstacles
Unity Obstacles
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 Unity ObstaclesHere are some obstacles to achieving Unity:-
Psychological Boundaries It is psychologically healthy to have personal boundaries. It is especially important for the vulnerable to develop boundaries. However, whilst within such a protective armour, we must beware of closing off to life. Somehow we must keep our heart open and somehow love. We may need to close off to toxic influences. But do try and find something wholesome to love. We do need to keep the spring of our heart flowing!  Identity Formation Identity or self-concept is a very powerful psychological force affecting both personal and social life. Adolescence is a crucial time for identity formation (Erikson in Identity, Youth and Crisis, 1968). This transition to adulthood is challenging and recognised by tribal initiations for youths. However, in modern life, identity formation can be fragile and young people can over-identify into intolerant cliques or in-groups. They can then attack out-groupers, even over such minor things as dress or gesture. There are various answers to these obstacles to unity: elders, mentors, presence of father for boys, community involvement. Identity continues to direct a person throughout life. One answer to overcoming any intolerance arising from identity is identifying the deep Self, the real 'I'. We realise we are One.  Minimal Group Research In social psychology, the 'minimal group paradigm' is best known for investigating the least conditions required for discrimination to occur between groups (Wikipedia, accessed 16 August 2017).
Essentially, categorisation or labelling is enough to create a group and the possibility of discrimination against any other group. (Age of the Sage, accessed 16 August 2017)  Another fascinating example is the name-letter effect, where we unconsciously prefer letters that feature in our own names over other letters. If such trivial differences can potentially create obstacles to equality and unity, then what about gender, class, ethnicity, skin colour, nationality, religion?? We may be born without hate (Nelson Mandela quote and the most-liked tweet as at August 2017), but there are so many influences on us that we can understand how we develop preferences and biases.  We might conclude that it is okay to perceive bias in oneself - rather than condemn ourselves for being like this? And then rise above these tendencies, surely? One way is to realise we are one! This is a mystical and environmental truth. We are interconnected. We are One. In this way, we minimise discrimination and inequality. We are One.  Most languages reflect a world of separate things. A 'knife' can be measured by a scientist for its weight, dimensions and chemical composition. Or when someone talks of a 'knife', they might question whether it is good or bad, and conclude that it is neither, as it is only consciousness that makes it so, as in whether it is in the hands of a surgeon or a criminal. But these patterns of thought can fall short for at least two reasons: (1) Everything is interconnected and 'knife' does not convey this. (2) There is an invisible, spiritual world, of which most people are unaware, so that a 'knife' also has a life, an aura, a consciousness, an energetic link to other apparently separate things. So, there is an illusion of separation created from language and modern patterns of thought, which is portrayed in the Bible as the confusion of tongues (pictured below).  However, in certain indigenous languages, there is no separate word for 'knife'. Anything is always described in relation to the context. This creates some very long words! Applying this contextual understanding to social media, we could describe social media in the context of a capitalist world and in the context of our evolutionary history. When social media + capitalism are joined, we have powerful companies like Facebook that exploit our data, make money from us, all things that maintain separateness. When social media + evolution join, despite the vast array of social networking possible, there is a disconnect that arises from tools new to humans, and so trolling and bullying become rampant. Anyway, from childhood, I have always considered language as being a limited tool for conveying the unity and light and love and wonder of everything. Science has similar shortcomings. Music is perhaps the best language at transporting us from this illusory world into mystical non-duality. The Way is beyond words. Rather, be present with humans. Listen to the Sun or Nature. Can you feel the Unity? Political Machinations 'Divide and conquer' is a well-known political strategy. Politicians often sow discord and division to further their selfish interests and block positive progress. They’d rather create chaos than seek harmony, justice and equality. Many political leaders are like this: Xi, Putin, Modi, Erdoğan, el-Sisi, Orbán, Johnson, Morrison, Trudeau, Duterte, Bolsonaro, Netanyahu and of course Trump. Trump’s USA uses baseless accusations against ‘Antifa’ (see here, here, here) instead of facing the real issues of racism, oligarchic ecocide and apocalyptic climate change. It is ironic how the USA helped win World War2 against Hitler’s fascism, but is now itself fascist (see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here)!  Here is David Graeber (8m42s, posted 12 April 2020, accessed 19
September 2020) on this issue in the Middle East:
“I’m an anarchist. I’m opposed to States as a
solution to anything. But I think that everyone has a right to live where they
want to live. If Jewish people identify with this as their homeland, they have
a right to live there – but so does anybody else who identifies it as a
homeland.
You don’t have to have these violent, exclusionary solutions to problems. It is conceivable for people to work out their problems reasonably and get along. In fact, it requires a lot of work to keep people apart, to keep people from comparing notes and noticing that actually they have a lot more in common than they have which divides them. You have forces right now in the Middle East trying as hard as they can to stop people from realising how much they have in common. In much the same way racism has been deployed to keep working-class people from uniting against their employers. At this time, nationalists, ideologies, are almost invariably deployed to keep people forgetting how much they actually have in common with their neighbours.” Also, beware wolves in sheep's clothing. The likes of Biden, whilst claiming to seek consensus, is in fact pursuing an American exceptionalism and white innocence agenda. The UK's Starmer seems similar. It is at best ignorant, if not evil. If your country has a working ‘democracy’ (i.e. it's not an authoritarian state), consider thwarting political machinations with People’s Assemblies, or at least Proportional Representation. Also see: The myth of race (BBC); ‘Crossing Divides’ (BBC), here. "To achieve the aims on which almost everyone
agrees, we have to fight almost everyone in power." (George Monbiot)
Internal Division "Do not allow division to take hold within you, this state in which two contradictory thoughts or desires pull you in two directions to the point of tearing you apart. To avoid this dislocation, you must create unity within yourself. ‘Unity’ means that all parts of the periphery are harmoniously linked to the centre, so that the balance necessary for the manifestation and the preservation of life is maintained. This unity is the law of life. Atoms, molecules, organs, limbs, individuals, communities, countries, and so on – everything – in its own way, must converge towards a centre, must link with the centre, and must even cling to it to avoid being swept away by adverse currents. Within ourselves, we may call this centre God, but it can also be a very high ideal or a vocation. Those who fail to link themselves to the centre by means of their thoughts, feelings and actions, create within themselves a state of division that, however fleeting, leads to disorder, conflict, and separation." (O.M. Aïvanhov) [Also see 'God', 'High Ideal'.]  Inability to Sense/See the Spiritual Invisible World When humans regain their ability to sense or see the spiritual invisible world, we will begin to grasp that behind all skin colours and cultures, we all have an aura and chakras. The awareness of this subtle energy system is an opportunity to realise we are all made in the image of God, we are One.  |
Also see:- Unity Unity Quotes Unify (Solar Culture Exercise, PWP) |
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