Ignorance is Bliss? Are We Ignoring Our Self?

I would be one of the first to say that if We want to know who is responsible for all of the world’s problems, the first place We must look is the mirror.

A friend of mine was tall King with Me about a conversation He was having on Twitter this morning.  I won’t get into the details but it was related to the Ottawa Salvation Army’s projected move to Vanier in a couple of years.  The relevance is that it got Me thing King about the main problem people have about the move.  It’s not really about whether the Salvation Army moves to Vanier or stays where it is, it’s about the fact that no one wants it anywhere.

The ‘why’ is probably somewhat obvious, though few people would likely be comfortable tall King about it.  How does one stay politically correct while stating that they don’t want drugs and crime moving into their neighbourhood, nor do they want that so close to such a culturally rich market full of wealth?  One block east of a tourist hotspot is the Ottawa ghetto and that’s not good for business.  Nobody wants to see poor people when they visit a rich country.  The citizens of the country are much the same, they don’t even want to acknowledge the problem exists, much less be reminded of it everyday and subject to potentially having to see it!  Oh, and then there’s the property values that Will plummet, too…

This is another microcosm versus macrocosm type thing.  Everything that is wrong with the world is really just a reflection of everything that is wrong with Me.  I cannot truly be at peace until the world is at peace, I cannot truly be wealthy until the world is wealthy.  I have known this for a very long time.  I’ve had many people suggest that it is ridiculous to take responsibility for all of the world’s problems, yet I do not have the capacity to see the world any other Way.

It is amazing how people Will turn away or quicken their step when they realize they are in the ‘wrong’ part of town.  There is no need to quicken the step or turn away if We are comfortable in Our own skin.  An entire city complaining about a shelter is really just a reflection of how uncomfortable everyone in the city truly is in their own skin.

Every time We feel uncomfortable about something, it is telling Us something about Our Self.  We know We can do better, so when We see someone sleeping in a stairwell while some of Us are sipping champagne, the psyche has one of two defence mechanisms – to acknowledge the problem (and begin working out a solution), or defend the ego (deny the problem, ‘kill the messenger’).

Most of Us have probably stuffed a bunch of stuff into Our closet or under the bed to get it out of the way and give the appearance of a clean room so We don’t have to look at it.  This is the kind of mentality I feel most of Us learn to develop in today’s society.  We have become desensitized to problems believing We are powerless to do anything about them and that there are too many to solve.  We come to accept these problems as ‘normal’ when they are really symptoms of an unhealthy society.  And if the microcosm reflects the macrocosm, that means that it’s becoming normal to be unhealthy, at least mentally and psychologically.  Turning away from the problems is like choosing not to treat an open wound; it has now festered and become a serious social infection.

I am not suggesting that there are not a ton of people who are doing everything they can to make the world a better place, I am suggesting that it has become perfectly okay to not be one of those people and to accept the myriad of problems that exist in society as commonplace.  In fact, I would say this philosophy is almost celebrated.

All of these problems exist for a reason – to remind Us We can do better.  If We all really see the world, We Will Real Eyes that if We all work for each other, rather than money, We could all be healed, We really can accomplish Peace.  The only thing We have ever proved, is that there is nothing collectively We can’t do.  Don’t just see the problems, see Our potential to solve them.

Love and Blessings,