Activism | Rohini Ross - Part 2

Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. and Remembering the Dream!

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. -- Martin Luther King, Jr.   Today is Martin Luther King Jr. day in the United States. It is a holiday that commemorates Dr. King's life and work. He led a movement for racial justice and equality and embraced nonviolent action as a powerful revolutionary force for social change. He employed Gandhi's philosophy of nonviolence as the means to confront racist laws and discrimination in America. His work made a significant contribution to President Lyndon Johnson signing into law the historic Civil Rights...

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He Said, She Said: Understanding Is What is Needed to Find Solution for Public Safety

Angus talks about the cultural differences between England and the US regarding the ownership of guns. He has his own experience of heightened security growing up during the era of IRA bombings in London. Rohini points to the importance of being able to find common ground related to this issue in order to find a solution. This requires mutual understanding and respect between opposing sides. Angus and I agree that shootings are the result of someone with a destabilized mind buying into the misunderstanding that reacting to and acting on their destabilized thinking is a good idea. We also support...

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In Celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. — Let Love Transform Us All

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. -- Martin Luther King, Jr.   Today is Martin Luther King Jr. day in the United States. It is a holiday that commemorates Dr. King's life and work. He lead a movement for racial justice and equality, and embraced nonviolent action as a powerful revolutionary force for social change. He employed Gandhi's philosophy of nonviolence as the means to confront racist laws and discrimination in America. His work made a significant contribution to President Lyndon Johnson signing into law the historic Civil Rights...

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Letting Go of Judgment and World Peace: What Do They Have in Common?

Grief shook my foundation. It left me feeling foggy. My days felt like they were moving in slow motion. My energy seemed to be sapped out of me. Even my physical self felt less solid. It was like my joints were more loosely connected. I felt less held together in all ways. One of the blessings of this disruption was becoming more of a witness to my habitual thoughts. I didn't realize how much I thought about Bella through out the day and how much of a place she held in my life. I know the loss of a dog is...

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The Problem is Fear. The By-Product is Violence. The Solution is Love.

The enemy is fear. We think it is hate; but it is fear. ~ Gandhi   I remember waiting on the platform of the underground in London when the station was flooded with skinheads. I felt fear and did my best to be as unobtrusive as possible. I know not all skinheads are fascist neo-Nazi’s, but I was afraid. I was no longer with people on the platform. I was with an “other” that scared me.   As I watched the news of the violence in Charlottesville, and heard about more upcoming white supremacist marches across the United States, I felt disturbed and sad....

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Avoid Activism Fatigue and Burnout in General

Recently in the Mastermind group I belong to, we were discussing the profound impact the understanding of the Three Principles has had on our lives. In the conversation, I became more aware of how clarifying the understanding is and how impactful the practical implications of it are. Particularly with respect to me being more content and navigating my life and my emotional experience with more grace and ease.   This understanding seems particularly important during this time of upset, consternation, and stress related to the current political climate in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world. I find the increase in activism,...

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From Nothing Comes Everything

I am the product of East meets West. I have a Sri Lankan father and an English mother. When it comes to spirituality, I like the best of both worlds. In the East emptiness is sought after and revered. In the West, it is feared and seen as nihilistic. The West seems to prefer the fullness of love. For me, both are true.   In the fleeting moments when I experience emptiness, the space where there is nothing. It is in this nothingness that I experience everything. It is in that space that I touch the most exquisite feelings I have ever known.   One...

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Reflections on Love and Unity on Presidents’ Day in the U.S.

There is only one religion, the religion of love. There is only one language, the language of the heart. There is only one race, the human race ~ Sai Baba   Today is President's Day in the United States. It started out as a holiday commemorating George Washington's birthday on February 22nd, and was later moved to the third Monday in February to celebrate all presidents past and present. I choose this day to speak of love and unity.   There is tremendous division, anger, and upset over the current state of American politics both nationally and internationally. I have my Canadian and European friends...

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“What Is” Beats a Good Idea Every Time!

I have ideas about God. They are not God. I have ideas about spirituality. They are not spirituality. This is of course common sense, but I didn't realize how enamored I had become with my ideas about my spiritual nature. I noticed recently I was seeking to live up to my ideas rather than simply experiencing what is. My ideas about spirituality were grandiose and extraordinary; however, I now see that my experience of my spiritual nature is often simple and ordinary. I kept dismissing this effortless wellbeing looking for the fireworks.  I have experienced the mind blowing force of...

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Love Trumps Hate!

I just got back from the LA Women's March. What an adventure! It started with the best laid plans going awry. I was traveling to downtown LA with my youngest daughter, our neighbors, who are good friends, husband and wife and their daughter, and another of my daughter's friends. We thought we were smart in deciding to take the end of the line North Hollywood Metro to Pershing Square. The difficulty finding parking should have given me a warning to how crowded the Metro would be. When we got the station the crowd was enormous.   We managed to descend the staircase...

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