The Future of Peace Depends on This Skill

I’ve been really struggling with this realization lately.  A lot of things I assumed to be true about business, love, and life, just aren’t true anymore.

Do you get this, too?  Get a little torn over completely contradictory things working for you at different times in your life?  Or over opposites actually both feeling true? 

I am so there with you.  

Here are some opposites that I’ve found to both be true in the past 3 years:

-What people think about me is none of my business.
-What people think about me is acting as a mirror pointing to my blind spots.

-Hustle like a boss until I reach my goal.
-Align with my True Self and Purpose and things will flow more easily.

-Bringing it to light is not worth the consequences.
-#ibelieveher.  She is a brave hero.  And damn do we need heroes right now.

Coming to terms with an opposite being true, and sometimes simultaneously being true, has been a real challenge.

Travel down this rabbit hole long enough and I always arrive at this astonishing, reality-shattering realization:

All Things Are True.

All things are true at some point or another, to some person or another.  

So how do you move forward if all the options start seeming beneficial? How do you form an opinion if you can see all the consequences?  How do you take a stance when you can feel into every point of view?

I don’t have the perfect answer, and honey, trust me, I’m looking.  

I think there’s a hint inside last year’s rare joint statement from the world’s most prominent faith leaders, including the Pope and the Dalai Lama.  They highlighted the importance of forging connections with others and emphasized listening to those with differing views.

Weave in this crucial lesson.  (It’s actually a skill because it can be learned with practice.)

Hold Your Beliefs Lightly.

The world needs this right now.  We face so much divisiveness and demonizing.

We need more people who listen to understand instead of to judge.

We need people who risk feeling vulnerable or foolish to discover what they do not know for certain from people who do.

We need more people who are willing to incorporate the tremendous gifts inside another’s experience into their own learning.

Because that is how we evolve.

If we are hoping for a peaceful future, these are the skills that will get us there:  listening + holding our beliefs lightly.

From really listening, we open up to compassion.  From a lighter hold on our beliefs, we open up the space required for transformation.

And when we open ourselves up in this way, we open the world to the peace it needs.

I’d love to hear from you in the comments on the blog.  How have your beliefs evolved over your lifetime? What was the impact on you?

And dayum if you got tips on how to traverse opposites feeling true, put ’em in the comments so others can benefit, too. <3

Big love,
Jen