How to quickly get to know our Oneness.
What happens when we don't know who we really are? We fill in this gap and pretend to be something we are not. If asked, we would likely say, 'this is who I am. I have always been like this. This is my personality.' We are pretending to be a separate individual exclusive from everyone else.
As you may have guessed, we're not talking about gender identity, our style, or whatever we express to the world that says, 'this is who I am.' Instead, we're talking about the real nature of who we are. In our world of individuality, our expression is important to differentiate ourselves from this group or that group of people. This way everyone knows, we identify with a certain group.
The problem with this, we are identifying with something that is our individual expression.
Not that there is anything wrong with our individual expression but...it is not who we truly are. We become invested in this individual expression and we defend it, sometimes without an offense in place. It's easy for things to become an us-versus-them from the individual identity. This is not to suggest that individual expression is wrong but it needs to know the true identity underneath it all. It needs this so we can be happy and healthy.
From childhood we develop behavioral patterns that work for our life situations. If we grew up in household where our caregiver is an alcoholic, we develop survival strategies to get by. Some of these survival strategies continue on in our life even though we've long left the childhood situation. They become enduring patterns of behavior or a part of our personality.
When we don't know who we are, we act from our individuality. Individuality is highly susceptible to things like fear or hatred. We can be harmed. Situations can become a harm or be harmed situation. This could be a physical harm but it also could be an emotional harm or a mental one. Living in a dog-eat-dog-world, we've got to watch our back and do what is necessary to get ahead. When we don't know who we really are, this individualized mentality is extremely destructive to ourself, our family, our friends, our community, our nation, and our world.
In courses like 'Love' and 'Commitment,' we can work through the pains of our past to free us up to be fully in the present moment. In 'Creating,' 'Attend,' and 'Rightness' we empower and strengthen our future to bring forth and support our true identity. In 'Breath of Presence,' 'Purpose,' and 'One,' we come to know who we really are. We are One.
Conceptually, we may understand Oneness and what it means. However, most of us don't have a tangible reference in life to say, 'this is Oneness.' We don't have an experience in life that give us a sense of what Oneness feels like.
Oneness, is a quiet and still place that is always there observing life. While we may not have a tangible experience of Oneness, it has always been there. We are already One. There is no long arduous spiritual journey to Oneness that suddenly reveals itself to us. Why take a long spiritual journey to Oneness when it's already present in our lives? We need to become aware of it.
In a dog-eat-dog-world, we have grown accustomed to watch out for certain things. We've developed those coping strategies to deal with or prevent adversity and harm. This creates a state of mind that is anything but quiet and still. It pushes our experience of Oneness out of our consciousness.
Oneness is the foundation of who we are.
Even if we pretend not to be One, we are still One. Every action and thought that comes from individuality is based in a temporary perspective. Oneness is the only thing constant in our life and it is compassionate, considerate, peaceful, still, quiet and calm. The hustle-and-bustle of our dog-eat-dog-world keeps the qualities of Oneness hidden in the background of the noise and chaos of the individualistic lifestyle. We simply haven't been paying attention to our Oneness.
For the experience of Oneness, all we have to do is become aware of this quiet place that already exists within us. It will feel still, silent, calm, reassuring, and confident. There is a vast freedom that opens up as we break free of the imprisoning confines of our dog-eat-dog-world.
Everyone and everything holds this calm place, as Oneness is ALL of it.
When we live from an individualistic perspective we are going to do things that protect us, our family, and our friends. We may even mean well but our actions will have devastating consequences. These people will suffer from these actions including ourself. This is because we are One. We ALL suffer when we act as if we are separate.
When we live from our experience of Oneness, we know how to respond to any given moment. We may not know the potential outcome just as we don't know the actual outcome when we act from individuality. Acting from Oneness, doesn't mean we have it all figured out or we know how it will all turn out. But we know what feels right and we act on this rightness. We begin to develop a faith that knows that it always works out for the best for everyone. Why? Because we've seen it happen again and again. We hold the qualities of Oneness within us and like the individualistic person acting on their fears and spreading harm and chaos, we act from Oneness and we spread the qualities of Oneness.
Everything follows the same laws of Oneness.
If you are experiencing the turmoils of individualism, reacquaint yourself with that quiet and peaceful identity of Oneness. Because individualism is pretend, the experience of turmoil literally dissolves. Take a deep breath, relax, and get to know your true identity.