In the years I worked in the technical end of medical records, there were many times that systems did not work as expected. Getting systems to resume functioning as expected was the priority, but not the only priority. Additionally, what was known as an RCA (root cause analysis) would often have to occur. This was to prevent recurrence of problems. For example, we know that rebooting a computer can often resolve an issue, at least temporarily. But that doesn’t necessarily resolve the root cause. Resolving the root cause can prevent the need to reboot in the first place. The root cause seldom exists visibly on the surface of the issue. Similarly, we often treat symptoms of disease, masking the read cause. This may work for a time, but it is better to treat the disease itself when possible.
This has been much on my mind as I watch the happenings of the world. I believe that a good example of treating symptoms rather than the root cause came to light in the years Donald Trump was president. Prior to that, laws and the culture of the United States seemed to have addressed much in the way of racism toward people of color and non-Christians. However, when Mr. Trump demonstrated intolerance on his own part, the flood gates of hatred seemed to open across this country. The root cause was never addressed. When we look at the disparity in distribution of wealth in this world, we know that the root cause has not been addressed. When we look at the destruction of the environment across the world, we know that the root cause was not addressed.
In this blog entry, I want to present what I feel to be the root cause of the above. My hope is that, in time, we can look toward addressing the root cause. It can be expressed in one word: fear. Hatred and distrust of other races and cultures can easily be traced to fear of losing privilege. Hatred based on sexual orientation can be traced, for some, to fear of their own desires. Hoarding of resources is a defense against the fear of lack. Having more and more luxury in our lives can feel like a defense against lack and is, at the very least, a pleasant distraction from fears. The need for power is the need for control, giving the illusion that one can control their fate. Even much of religion trades on fear. If you don’t follow the rules, you will suffer for eternity.
So, if the root cause of so much suffering in the world and destruction in the world is fear, what is the solution? Fear is a natural impulse for our survival. It can’t just be dispensed with. But what if we were to realize there is nothing to fear?
Most fears can be boiled down to a fear of annihilation…of non-existence. Despite our belief systems, we strive to hang onto this life. There is nothing wrong with loving life but fearing its end to the point of destroying what makes life worthwhile is self-defeating.
What we are really fearing is the death of an illusion. Ironically, the same technological advances that have led to so much destruction have also led to a greater understanding of what we really are: energy. In the case of matter, energy is coalesced into what we presume to be solid and separate. Energy does not “die.” But it does recombine, both while we are alive and especially after the bodily system ceases to function. So, are we not back at a place of rational fear? Only if we consider our consciousness as bodily based. But consider this: If the solidness of our bodies is an illusion, how does it “contain” our consciousness. Is our consciousness also not energy? Why then would we think it would die?
Additionally, as we all come from one source, we are all connected as a whole. I often use the analogy of a leaf on a tree. We think we are the leaf, but we are in actuality, the tree. However, we are not “solely” the tree, but in combination with all others. There is no annihilation…there is only change. But from within the illusion, this change appears as death.
So, if the root cause of so much human-based destruction in the world is fear of an illusion. Moving past the illusion should address the root cause and therefore the symptoms.
But how? It is not so easy when our experiences, our languages, our habits all reinforce the illusion. It must be a process. I can see this happening in a series of overlapping steps:
- Awareness
- Acknowledgement
- Release of ties to the old.
- Taking in the new reality and reinventing language and habits based on reality.
You have now, by reading this, been made aware. However, you may not readily believe, and so acknowledgement may not yet occur. Yet a seed has been planted. You will see more examples of this as time goes on.
To release the ties to the old, we must identify what binds us. Sometimes, fortunately, the release is only the release of a perception but not of the reality. You have family in this lifetime who share common ancestry. That is real. However, the truth is that we are all connected, but not all as intimately. So, perhaps, everything is your family, but what you have known as your family is your more intimate family.
Reinventing language and habits may be the hardest to conceive at this point. Knowledge of the energetic interconnectedness of all makes borders insignificant. Countries become less relevant. Culture should be examined for what may keep us in illusion and what has always been there pointing to the truth in poetic ways.
So, if all the universe is ever-changing energy, there is no difference between a place called Heaven and a place called Earth. What there can be is a change in conscious perception, either while in bodily existence or after. So, what would Heaven on Earth look like? It would have to acknowledge that what we see through our bodily senses is heavily filtered. This would best manifest as curiosity as to the real nature of what we experience through our senses. This, itself, is a form of love. I find excitement in curiosity that leads to discovery. Noting that the hillside I see lit in a pink sunset, is the same that is there invisible in a dark, moonless night. It is my perception. I find a kind of love in watching flowers form, bloom, and wither through the seasons and in watching those I know and love do the same over many seasons. And I find wonder, and a heart-tugging acceptance in knowing that the death of our bodies is just another shift of the kaleidoscope and merely a transformation rather than an end. I see no need to travel to see the monuments we have built to our illusions. I can watch the seasonal and lifetime transformations in my own yard in absolute amazement.
I use the term Arcadia for this “Heaven on Earth” we could be experiencing while in these bodies. This is based on the Greek mythological Arcadia, which was said to be the home of Pan. I call it this because it is still experienced in body as nature, but the knowledge of what it really is can make it a paradise.
The song below is called Arcadia Road. There are four sections to this song, each representing one of the steps above. I hope you enjoy it!