Today I was reminded of the Book of Joy, a collaboration of his holiness, the Dalia Lama and archbishop Desmond Tutu, written by Douglas Abrahams. There is a chapter titled, “Despair: The World is in such Turmoil.” People from around the world were invited to ask these two spiritual leaders various questions. The book talks about how to attain a state of Joy, one of the questions was how one could live with joy in a world that is in such turmoil. We have war, starvation, terrorism, pollution, genocide…To this the Archbishop responded, “by how you see yourself, not as apart from others, but from your connection to others. “When a disaster such as 9/11 happens, we realize we are family. Those people in the twin towers are our brothers and sisters. I read somewhere and I can’t remember if it was in the same book, is that what the world needs is an alien invasion. This would unite all of humanity against a common attack and in so doing bring us together and remind us of our oneness. I thought about this as I tried to do some yoga in my room, whilst being quarantined. The rampant spread of Covid 19 has turned into a national disaster for many countries, including South Africa. People are having to live differently for the time being. There are precautionary measures in place, such as self-isolation, working from home and avoiding contact with others. People are scared, uncertain of what the future will bring as this pandemic impacts us in several ways. Our very survival is at risk. There are economic ramifications. This is an event that none of us have seen in our lifetime. It feels like the onset of Armageddon. Peoples’ panic has led to the bulk purchasing of food, flu medication, hand sanitizer and toilet paper, making it increasingly difficult for the rest of us to get these essentials. Others have taken to social platforms to rant. Yesterday I saw and then shared a post that said, “ One of the most disappointing things in this whole saga so far is that no one needed to buy bulk but they did, which then led people to panic buy and now some have to go without things they need. We’re the virus. We are the weakest link. Fear and greed will always be our downfall. “
Despite all of this, today as I did my yoga, I felt such a sense of connection to my fellow man. I thought about it and I wondered why this would be the case. It seems totally paradoxical. I live alone, I am isolated, I have less contact than ever before with anyone and yet I feel more connected, more at one, than ever before. Is it because we as humanity now face this pandemic together and for once it doesn’t feel like it’s me versus you or you versus me? The book of Joy also mentions new studies conducted by psychologist researcher Joseph Forgas, that shows that mild sadness can have several benefits. People who were in a sad mood had better judgement and memory, were more motivated, more sensitive to social norms and more generous than the happy control group. People who are in a negative state of sadness were more discerning about their situation, better able to remember details and more motivated to change their situation. The brief sadness might generate more empathy or generosity. I myself have found that during times of difficulty and great melancholy, what helps me greatly is to be of service to others in some way. The book of Joy says that the formula to attain a state of joy, boils down to 3 factors:
1) Being present
2) Maintaining a positive state of mind
3) Being of service to others
I also thought about some other stuff that I’d read and watched on a video that a friend shared. There is this theory that the world has been shifting from a 3-dimensional reality to a 4 dimensional one since 2012. In order to better understand how dimensions work and what it means to be living in the third, fourth or fifth dimension, we must think of a dimension as a point of perception rather than an actual place to travel to. Living from 3d, or 4d consciousness allows us to experience the same reality (on some level), but our perception changes.
In the third dimension you see yourself as a separate entity in comparison to other people and the universe. Because of this you still feel part of the physical world and quite entitled to judge people based on the colour of their skin, gender, age or financial status. At this level one believes that one’s thoughts are one’s own alone. Happiness and fulfilment are sought externally. We battle to separate from our ego. We rely on labels to identify with in order to feel of value. The concept of competing in order to get ahead or have enough is rife and there is the belief that things are either good or bad. People are either good or bad.
As we shift into a 4th dimensional reality, we may begin to regard all our previous beliefs and structures as ludicrous. We become more aware and conscious. As a result, we begin to question the ethics around eating meat and the effects of plastic manufacturing on our environment. We understand that the material world doesn’t yield much lasting satisfaction and as a result begin to seek knowledge and truth. We begin to look inwards for a greater sense of purpose and meaning in the world. The ego becomes the enemy and many of us may begin to judge others who are still “asleep,” still eating meat. The next stage would be to shift to a 5th dimensional reality however I don’t want to start delving into what happens as we enter the 5th dimension because I want to focus on where I believe we are at now. We as a collective are waking up. We can no longer lie to one another as we were once able to as we will be more in tune with one another. History has shown us a world where man harmed and killed one another as means to expand and gain power. This will no longer be an option for us. Our mindless manufacturing, destruction and building at the expense of our environment and rain forests will no longer be as acceptable to us. We will be able to manifest the reality we choose far quicker than before. This is all incredibly positive, and I believe that what we are dealing with now is a universal reboot. A death before our rebirth.
Soul Food 