Judy Johnson
“Things are moving at an alarming rate, if I choose to be alarmed.”
– Jayanti Kirpalani
Watching world events has many of us alarmed. Everywhere we look we see sorrow, extreme weather events, sudden deaths, and disasters, and all of this happening in the midst of a global pandemic! And now the anxiety in our minds is creating a collective crisis of fear with reactive behaviours as a result. What if these world events are not meant to alarm us but to be an alarm clock to wake us up to what matters most? Waking up to the call of the time means quietly an diligently going about the personal work of taking care of what matters most to each of us. This is a matter of finding balance and making peace with the heart and mind. It means putting all our affairs in order, creating harmony in our relationships, letting go of old grudges and having good feelings with our special people. Waking up means finding simple ways to live, with respect for the Earth and all that I have within it.
Waking up means treating the body like a temple that houses the sacred image of the soul. It means learning to care for the body with the respect of a temple trustee, keeping it clean, and giving it simple food, water and rest. Waking up means making the mind a friend, not a foe. We have treated the mind like an adversary, filled with thoughts we try to combat through force. Losing the battle more often than we win, we give up in defeat and allow all manner of thoughts to race around our minds. Then we seek escape through distraction, Netflix, books, and other stimulants. Now is the time to discover that the mind is a worthy and valuable companion when treated with kindness and respect. When we realise the mind wants only to feel good, we begin to feed it positive thoughts that nourish a state of well-being such that no stimulants are required. Waking up means finding my way back to God, to my inherent goodness and to my love for humanity. The world needs us to be at our best to be able to help others who are struggling. Perhaps, in these alarming times, the world is offering us a wake-up call to put our inner house in order and take care of what matters most.
Judy Johnson coordinates the activities of the Brahma Kumaris in Atlantic Canada.