One thing I know from the law of attraction is what we fear, we bring near. So let’s take the mystery out of the incredibly difficult topic of gun violence. Some say education, others want guns banned, pleas for govt to just enforce the existing laws, and others throw their hands up in frustration without a real solution. All understandable reactions to gun violence as I agree that we must DO SOMETHING. But I don’t believe any of these address the deeper issue at hand.
I think we need to focus on the topic of connection and community. It will solve a lot of issues other than just gun violence. I’m not an expert but I have life experience. I grew up in a town of 2500 people and I thought it totally sucked. I knew everybody and everybody knew me. And they probably knew what I did Friday night and if they didn’t, most likely made something up!
Disliking small town led me to use my imagination and strengthen my manifestation skills as I was determined to get out. My BFF and I would sit outside in her parents car on the farm for HOURS pretending that we were driving off to the big city and bright lights. We knew we were bolder than what this little town had to offer.
So early in life we were both OFF to bigger and better places. I went to CA and she went to live in NYC. Unfortunately we couldn’t have been farther away from one another (within the USA) but we stay closely connected even until this day. My connection to her, knowing she’s out there and she knows my entire life’s story and is available for me to call helps me feel connected. In a way that makes me know I’m not alone in the universe.
Honestly I’ve stayed out of the gun conrol topic for the most part, up until now. I write this not to argue a point but to raise consciousness that all anyone really wants is LOVE. To love and be loved, it’s that simple. We often feel love through others by being recognized. Sometimes just for being human and having someone care that we exist on the planet. Many learn love in childhood as external and in many cases programmed to believe it is conditional.
I don’t know the statistics or if they even exist but I would imagine in todays world there is a large percentage of people who don’t feel their existence matters. If they don’t matter in their minds then why would it matter in their minds what they do?
In a cry for attention and validation, people become violent. Why? Because they feel separated, alone disconnected and unworthy of love — from others or their own self-love. When the pain of loneliness, and separation goes so deep, it’s unavoidable to try to take happiness away from others in an effort to stay alive. The dark will always suck on the light to exist.
Looking back on my small town experiences, I know the value in community. Over the years, I’ve spoken of my appreciation for what I’ve learned: Respect of others (especially elders), contributing to the whole, and being raised by a tribe to name a few. For me the tribe was our families involvement in the church along with other organizations my parents leaned on for support. Everyone knew your business and that was a double edged sword. Knowing what I know now, I’d take small town gossip over a big city of separation to grow up in.
The reality is that there are not that many small towns left and many parents would be miserable living in one. Without different social and cultural influences, communities can lack diversity. We need this dynamic and so do the children as we can learn so much from it. So if we’re not going to live in a small town, then we need to create our own within city living. Not to separate but to collaborate.
I’ve told this next story many times before. One day after a high school track meet we convinced the bus driver to drag main and do fire drills. Simply meaning that we drove up and down one main street and he’d stop to let us all out to run around the bus only to get back in again. Well I had mischievously bought a condom at a rest stop on the way back to town. I decided to blow it up and hang it out the back window. An elder in the community saw this and the next thing I knew he told my dad and my dad had to have a talk with me.
The man who had observed me was concerned as his daughter became pregnant prior to graduating high school and was shipped off to CA to reduce embarrassment. He didn’t want that to happen to me so he brought it to my dad’s attention. OK, maybe an extreme example but the point is observation and action by community members.
Let’s talk about action. People love to observe and judge. That’s not what I’m referring to. In general, if we observe children not being cared for in communities, we need to do something about it. To actively include them, especially if we think the parents are nut jobs. Maybe in some cases report them, but first try to connect with them. No one wins when we try to figure out who’s the cutest, most popular or the most resourceful kid on the block. It’s when we connect with the heart center of other humans that we know what true love is and the rewards come naturally. The more we teach this to our children, the better chances they have to embody connection to the heart, not the mind as an adult.
I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for my family, BFF and all the other soul mates I’ve met on the journey. When I get lonely, I reach out. Many don’t have this available to them because they haven’t been given the tool box to even know how. If it wasn’t for the attention that my parents placed on me at a young age, I would be in a totally different situation right now.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that I am hunter safety certified. I know how to fire a gun and I have done so on several occasions. I even received small plastic trophies for my marksmanship at a young age. I hope that I will never be faced with having to use a gun but I’m not scared of them. Why? Because my dad took the time to educate me on the POWER of guns. But more importantly he showed me what the POWER of LOVE can do.
Both my parents took the time to demonstrate unconditional love as well as tough love when it was necessary to keep the sail going in the right direction. I don’t remember a day that they didn’t make themselves available to hear what I had to say or what I was FEELING. So in the end it feels the message is about CHOICES we make in the TIME we take to CONNECT with each other. To LISTEN to how one another feels, especially when we’re irrational. That’s what helps us diffuse our emotion so it doesn’t get suppressed or turn to anger. If we start by listening to our children and encouraging them to express their feelings along with unconditional love, it makes the journey for many a lot less painful.
I feel for the loss of all the loved ones due to gun violence who have left the earth plane in what seems like “before their time”. I feel equally for all the lost souls on the earth wanting and waiting to be heard.
Join in Raising a tribe?
An example of a potential opportunity… What if the next time you are on a plane and someone’s child screams for hours in the seat in front of you that you cared more, not less? Instead of notifying them of one’s annoyance by pushing the back of the chair where the mother is squished in the seat holding the child… What if we smiled at them with empathy and understanding that we know what they are going through must suck. Refraining from judging their parenting abilities or style. I don’t know that we can change their situation but we may be able to change their life simply by connecting through a smile or nice gesture. Let’s give it a try and find out.
Taking the magic wand away from the magician doesn’t stop the magic from happening.
Shine your light brightly and be the beacon of bliss you wish to feel. And you too will be Pollinating the Planet with Love.
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