Several days ago, actress Stacey Dash created a maelstrom of social media fodder by endorsing Governor Mitt Romney for president. Some of the tweets, posts, and blogs castigated her for this endorsement.
Based on the work I am doing on my own mind, I usually don't comment on political machinations. However, sometimes there are circumstances that illustrate some of the challenges we face on our enlightenment paths. This is particularly true in the case of Ms. Dash.
When people have been conditioned to bond together because of oppression, there's a commonality of passions about the beliefs and values most of us adhere to. And whenever someone from the oppressed class goes outside of these beliefs and values, others in the group are quick to pounce on them.
On the enlightenment road, we have the opportunity to change our beliefs and values. This means we must diligently work on creating an awareness that allows us see beyond the illusions we are using to liberate our minds. And it's this level of awareness that allows us to perceive Ms. Dash without personal judgments and vituperative language.
Today, those of us with the clarity to understand that the source of our power comes from within our minds, we must share this awareness with others. This means we have the opportunity to tell Ms. Dash and others who are exploring other paths, particularly political and spiritual ones, that she has the power to support whatever ideas she chooses.
And whether people like it or not, there are no right or wrong paths to travel in our illusions. There are only illusions, which distort our perceptions of ourselves and others..
Nevertheless, for us to grow in our own awareness, we must move beyond our self-righteous condemnation of ourselves and others. This means accepting personal responsibility for the beliefs and values causing the judgments.
Moreover, as we accept personal responsibility for our own suffering, we must be willing to admit to ourselves that the beliefs and values we are clinging to have not liberated us. Regardless of how much we believe in what others tell us, there's little denial that this information is sufficient enough to make us feel whole, perfect, and complete.
In other words, we are just as flawed in our beliefs as others around us. And we will remain in this position until we do the necessary work to overcome our illusions. This entails our awareness that liberation of the mind cannot emanate from the illusions we embodied during our oppression.
Some of us on the enlightenment path believe now is the time for us to rise above our pettiness. We must open our minds to create the space to clearly see that Ms. Dash's actions are not any different from most of our own. We all acquired our beliefs and values from others -- society, parents, and life experiences.
Meanwhile, many of us are busy destroying our minds by ingesting and expressing pernicious dosages of beliefs and values that only creates more suffering for ourselves. And, unfortunately, we suffer each time we attack someone for doing something they desire to do.
No human being has ever been able to stop or prevent the suffering of others. We can only enlighten others with information and actions that have the potential to awaken their minds. They, however, must do the work to fully understand what was said years ago: "you must be born again."
For us to be reborn does not mean engaging in rituals and personal pronouncements; It means being born with the awareness that we are greater than what the world has taught us.
Similarly, if we desire to attain sufficient power to conquer the illusions of this world, we must first begin with our own minds. That is why some of us advocate for Powers of Mind. It is the source of our power to perceive ourselves and others outside of us with power.
Meanwhile, enlightened awareness is the recognition that we are born with the powers of liberation in us. So we don't have to search for another person to express this power, because it's a part of our divine birthright.
Many of us forget that it's our confusion about the Powers of Mind that tricks us into believing others have power to give us enlightenment. And with a little clarity, we can see that this power already exists in our minds.
So let's be clear here: enlightenment is not born of this world. What we are experiencing now is what others experienced before us. And unless we conquer this world of illusions, we will continue searching outside of ourselves for someone to liberate us.
It's important for us to be mindful that Stacey Dash's beliefs and values come from the same sources as our own. And when we attack her for expressing them, we are also attacking ourselves without realizing that we are doing so.
All power comes from "Powers of Mind."
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