By: Jim Ryan
Source: The Daily Guardian https://epaper.
Dated: October 5, 2024
The life we know was not always as we see it. Once there was a celebration of life, an extraordinary gathering where all were involved in its music, joy and the pleasure of being alive - in harmony with the natural world and all creation. At its end, all wandered off in different directions filled with the resonance of its beauty and feelings of well-being.
Wherever these people went, they formed new groupings, communities or societies, where each endeavoured to resurrect and reflect the experience living in their memory. Each tried to revive, relive and recreate that time of celebration and happiness, framing that memory according to the attitude and ways of their particular group.
So, our world evolved, with groups separated and different yet unified by a common desire to return to that time of original happiness and well-being.
As time passed, the original memory of their beginnings grew dim and distant, and interpretations and ways to reach it changed. Individual communities became absorbed in many pressing needs and issues and the original dream slowly slipped away, lost in tales of legend and folklore.
Gradually, communities and lands developed their ways of living and lifestyle, creating their own perspective and philosophy, to make sense of their situation and lives. This loss of vision and the non-alignment of communities from their original purpose is one of the leading causes of societal unrest and inner and outer discontent, leading to a general state of confusion.
It is with spirituality that the link whereby the individual can connect with their inner original self and in so doing, accept the uniqueness of each one, thus helping resolve the fragmentation of societies and world communities.
It is in meditation that each connects to their original spiritual self, enabling their natural nature to emerge and so move them into a life of empowerment and fulfilment. As a result, the current codes of conduct and the numerous accumulated, misguided opinions can be abandoned, creating a focused and unified approach to living and relationships.
Jim Ryan has a background in education.
He is an author and a Brahma Kumaris Rajyoga teacher,
based at the Global Retreat Centre,
Oxford, UK.
