Dealing With Virginia Tech, Chaos and Tragedy
We've all have had to deal with tragedy at some level at different times in our lives. It might have been personal injury or disease, the lose of a job, the death of a loved one, or the death of a relationship.
This week, just like you, we've watched as the story from Blacksburg, Virginia and Virginia Tech has unfolded about a very troubled student and how his rage ended in tragedy for many families.
Whether we know anyone at Virginia Tech or not, we all have been affected on some level by the massacre that happened there this week.
We've watched as the students and people from all over the world have come together for comfort and support,
calling themselves a family.
We've also watched as commentators have blamed the officials in one way or another. We all have different meanings and interpretations about what it all means to us.
So the question is--How do we deal with this tragedy or with any tragedy in our lives?
How do we still find love in our hearts and how do we still open to one another in spite of the chaos and senseless tragedies that frequently happen in every corner of the earth and in our lives?
When 9/11 happened, the two of us were attending a spiritual retreat and one of our wise teachers told us
something that we'll never forget.
She counseled us to keep in touch with what was going on in the world but to remain centered. According to our teacher, you "remain centered" by finding the silence within yourself where you feel only love. You can find
this silence in prayer or meditation. Meditation can take many forms--seated meditation, dance meditation, fishing, running, hiking, in the shower or even sitting on a crowded bus.
At that retreat, we also had the feeling of being supported by our "family" during this time of fear and uncertainty, in much the same way that we've seen the students at Virginia Tech drawing together in love this week.
In the face of any tragedy, whether it's one that touches many people or just you and your family, we suggest that you draw together for love, comfort and support but also allow yourself to move into the silence within yourself.
Take a moment when you start to feel overwhelmed, quiet your mind and feel yourself go within, feeling only divine love.
If the chatter and fear in your mind starts getting loud, bring yourself into the present moment instead of dwelling on the past or worrying about potential future events that may never happen.
Make a choice to focus on love instead of the pain.
You don't need to sit for long periods of time to feel the changes that will happen if you do this periodically during the day. It often just takes a change of focus and the silence can support that change.
We recently listened to one of Wayne Dyer's tape sets where he quoted Herman Melville who said "God's one
and only voice is silence."
That's what happens in meditation--you find "God's one and only voice."
No matter what has happened in your life, these short periods of replenishing silence will help you to mourn
when you need to mourn, help you to feel what you need to feel and to help you let go of what you need
to let go of in order to move forward in your life.
It doesn't mean that you can't feel anger, hurt, sadness because those are all natural emotions to feel when
there is tragedy. We are saying to do what you can to focus on love instead of hate and the best way to start
is by becoming centered within yourself.
Maybe, just maybe, if you focus on love and we focus on love, and our neighbor focuses on love--even though
there is tragedy in the world--peace may become a reality on this magnificent earth. This is our hope.
