Q: What are we to make of these troubling times we’re living in?
If the current time is seen as a woven fabric, a perspective can be to stay focused on the fabric and not the holes in between the woven threads—which represent the darkness in the world.
The reason why the darkness feels scary is it can’t be quantified. The fabric can be quantified. The threads can be counted. The woven pattern can be discerned. But the spaces in between the threads are nothingness.
The trick now is to see the entire fabric not as threads and darkness but as a solid whole. And realize that the darkness is part of the fabric. It is not separate.
People want to separate the darkness and name it bad and wrong, and determine that the threads are good and right. Yet the fabric itself just exists.
Q: Is there some kind of a purpose to that part that we see as bad?
Our reality appears as composed of opposites. Light, dark. Good, bad. Right, wrong. Like, don’t like. When we compartmentalize reality, the darkness can manifest as “evil.” But it is just darkness. Some would say, “But it has the power to do genuine harm.” As though keeping the status quo is positive and change is negative.
Change is inevitable, and an agent is needed to generate change. You may not like the change that is currently taking place, but it is just another evolutionary iteration of reality. Depending on which side of the fence one sits will determine the perception of good or bad.
When we look at life as a zero-sum game, this is when evil acquires power. Because you give it power, you let it impact you. The reality is that every action causes an impact, whether the action is so-called good or bad, liked or disliked. It has an impact that affects some people positively and some people negatively.
When one looks past the zero-sum game, suddenly, the full fabric comes into view again, and it is understood as— This is the “beingness.” It is just the beingness. The labels one attaches to beingness is always from a dual perspective, from a misunderstanding of ultimate reality.
That is not to say there’s no middle path—we can recognize the wholeness of reality without becoming indifferent to suffering. In fact, seeing the interconnectedness of all things often awakens deeper compassion.
Q: I think that what most people react to is a feeling that the change doesn’t have to be so cruel and that when it is, we should step in and try to do it a different way. Or are we supposed to just let everything just be whatever it is?
From which perspective would you like the answer? Dual or non-dual?
Q: Non-dual.
From the non-dual perspective, It all is. There is nothing to react against or stop because it just all is. Everything is an expression of the whole. There is no fundamental separation between you, others, joy, or suffering. But this doesn’t necessarily imply passivity. Compassionate action can arise spontaneously from non-dual awareness—not as an effort to “fix” a broken world but as a natural expression of your true nature.
It may seem a paradox, but non-dual awareness often enhances our capacity for meaningful action by freeing us from the distortions of ego, fear, and hatred. Many who have experienced profound non-dual states describe feeling moved to greater service and care for all beings exactly because they no longer perceive others as separate from themselves.
Q: Alright, what about from the dual perspective?
From the dual perspective, of course—do what you feel you must to reduce suffering. Use your judgment to determine what actions lead to greater well-being and what actions increase harm. And then take meaningful steps to bring about that change. This doesn’t contradict the non-dual view; it’s just functioning at a different level of truth.
But from the non-dual perspective, know that if you do what you feel you must, that compassionate engagement with the world is itself part of the All That Is that was already set. The hand-wringing changes nothing. So, do or not do. And let it be. As the Zen saying goes: “Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.” The action remains the same, but your relationship with it transforms.
Q: Okay, then, from the dual perspective, where does motivation come from to do anything?
Desire. I desire to have something. I desire to get somewhere. I desire to know someone. I desire to change something. Desire is the motivation.
Desire manifests in many forms. Some desires are reactive—wanting what others have, craving more than we need, seeking to defend our sense of separate selves. But there are also desires that come from deeper sources.
When we recognize our connection with all beings, compassion becomes a profound motivator. It’s an instinctive desire to alleviate suffering when we see it clearly.
Creativity and the impulse toward spiritual understanding are more fundamental desires. But the desire for connection, justice, and harmony are also expressions of our deeper nature.
Q: And that desire could be separate from thinking or analyzing?
Yes, our deepest motivations often arise before conceptual thought. Compassion can be an immediate response, not a calculated decision. The spontaneous impulse to help happens before the mind analyzes the situation.
In many people, desires are often reactionary—responses to perceived lack or threats to identity. But when we reach a state of clear seeing, desire comes from wisdom rather than reaction.
With practice, we can learn to distinguish between reactive desires that perpetuate suffering and positive intentions that come from clarity. This understanding can become a compass for navigating difficult times, allowing us to act with both wisdom and compassion, recognizing and accepting the ultimate integration of reality while choosing to respond thoughtfully to the conventional world of cause and effect.
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