In my last post I wrote about how important free will is to the development of human futures, to consciousness evolution. Today I am going to briefly address a question which touches upon that same issue: should we fight the darkness? I define 'darkness' as human unconsciousness trapped in the dream of separation.
Although it is not presently recognised in mainstream science and education, consciousness has field properties, and is not localised to the brain. Each of us is centred within overlapping pools of consciousness: family, friends, work colleagues, race, religion/worldview and ultimately the human species.
Human intention has force, and it has a particularly strong effect on other minds. And unfortunately it is the human desire for power and control over other people and life itself that has the most immediate and powerful effect on other minds. When I first learned to read and feel consciousness fields I was shocked - indeed terrified - at what I saw. We, the human species, are constantly attempting to belittle, shame, dominate and manipulate the thoughts, feelings and behaviours of others. These intentions manifest themselves in fields of intention which cross from one mind to another. The bad news is that you are not the victim. Regardless of whatever your particular role you adopt in any given drama in your life, you are responsible for dealing with your part in it.
Having said that, some people are particularly lost in the dream of separation, and because of their pain and fear, they are very destructive in terms of the psychic energy they throw about - unconsciously. There is an approximate correlation between 'dark' consciousness fields and negative and destructive human behaviour. Generally, the nasty, petty and manipulative people of the world are the ones with the darkest fields of intention. But it is not always a perfect correlation. Some people who might be called - to use apolitically correct terms - bastards and bitches - may have relatively benign energy fields. This is usually the case when the person is not suppressing emotional energy: what you see is what you get. On the other hand, some 'nice' people can have very dark fields of intention. These are usually people who have been deeply damaged, have a lot of anger, guilt and shame within their psyches, but who hide it from the world - usually because they fear the disapproval of others.
So 'evil' has two basic components: real-world action and behaviour, and fields of intention.
What should we do when we are being affected by people who are hurting us or emitting destructive energy at us? There are some schools of thought which suggest that we are incapable of such action.
These might include those who feel free will is an illusion. I dealt with this idea in my last post. I do not agree with this position.
A second group are those whom I like to call the 'love 'n light' brigade, and they are common to new age culture. They believe that all things happen for a reason, for the greater good, and that we need not challenge that. In this way of thinking, even the greatest acts of human evil are 'meant to be', and good eventually comes of them. My take on this position is that it is naive in the extreme. It is true that there is a greater evolution of consciousness occurring, and that all things contain the potential for consciousness expansion. We all move towards the light in the end. Yet this does not do much good to the Jew being shipped off to the concentration camp, the Tibetan who is forbidden to practice his religion in peace, or the Australian Aborigine as he looks about and sees that the mission where he lives is stuck in an extreme state of poverty and helplessness.
As I have pointed out in Discover Your Soul Template, anger can be a positive catalyst for change. It can help people break out of the victim state, and change a sense of powerlessness into a state more ready for affirmative action. This is the power that Gandhi tapped into in South Africa and India. There was anger in Gandhi: make no mistake about that. He was no saint.
The key though, is that in any given drama, there is a psychic component playing out, and it is mediated via our thoughts, emotions, ingrained beliefs, childhood pain - and I believe, karmic beliefs and pain. There are also collective beliefs and intentions impacting many personal dramas. People who really wish to take an affirmative response when confronted with 'darkness' will ideally acknowledge their own role in proceedings, and engage in some kind of spiritual or introspective process to get a greater awareness of what these are. This is part of any truly empowered response to 'evil'.
The biggest mistake is to fight from a position of fear, blame and hatred. When this happens, you simply become another monster. The human ego is defined by blind stubbornness. It simply will not be told, will not allow itself to lose face. It is by nature delusional. This is why it is better in 99 per cent of cases to simply step aside when you meet the tiger on the path. A common example is people outraged by racism against 'my people'. In virtually every case they become lost in hatred of the race they see as 'the racists'. But talk to one of the 'haters' from the other race, and they will say the same thing about the race accusing them of racism.
'Haters gonna hate', wrote someone on the comments section of my second last post about the late Australian bodybuilder Zyzz. He was writing about me. The irony is that he apparently could not see that the barrage of expletive and shame-laden comments on that post were themselves hateful in the extreme. But that is the nature of ego. It is blind unto itself. That post is a perfect example of a 'drama' where it is both unwise and unnecessary to challenge unconsciousness - which is by definition, unconscious.
It also pays to remember that ego feels threatened by the judgement of others, and normally reacts by hitting out. This is because all judgment emerges from a subtle desire to destroy or eliminate the object of judgment. So as soon as you express any judgment of the 'monster', he will most likely respond aggressively. So gently acknowledge any judgments you may have towards the other, confess them to God, and forgive yourself for being human. The result of this is often a feeling of love and forgiveness for the one you previously believed to be 'bad'.
As Chinese mystic Lao Zi wrote 2600 years ago, to the outsider the wise man looks week as he yields or walks away. But often this is the most empowered response. It is not necessary to worry about gaining the approval of others, or worrying about how you are perceived. It is much better to be free, and at peace.
There are of course times when assertive action needs to be taken. This is most commonly the case where there is an immediate threat, or where the unconscious party is causing you unnecessary suffering. But I will not go into that here (There is a chapter in my book Extraordinary Mind - "Surfing with the Psychopath" - where I deal with this.)
Blessings,
Marcus
