by Brian Dean
How do we move through
life? What kind of mark do we make? How big a wake do we leave behind?
It always fascinated me when
I would drive into the state of Maryland. Just like all states, they have their sign
welcoming drivers to the state. But they
have a line on it that asks people to "please drive gently". I always used to wonder how one drives
gently.
But then one looks at how we
move and live. What are our goals and
how do we approach them? Do we push
everyone out of the way as we race to finish line, or do we walk casually,
moving around obstacles we encounter?
Are we pushy or relaxed?
There are many ways to get
what we want, or to reach goals. One way
is to just push and push until one has flattened out every obstacle that one
runs into. This way forcefully shoves
everything aside creating a path to the goal.
It is almost in many ways like building a house. First the developer removes all the trees so
they are dealing with flat land. Then a
house is built forcing everything to be bent to the builder's will. Then a few trees may be added as landscaping,
again bending to the will. The problem
is that an area was destroyed and then rebuilt around someone's will.
Another way is to move
gently. Instead of plowing through
obstacles, move around them. Instead of
flattening everything on your path, learn to work with them. A home builder that moves gently would work a
house into the existing environment with as little change as possible. They would incorporate the existing elements into
what they want to do.
When Caring Palms teaches
shielding (an energy technique where an energy field surrounds the body
blocking unwanted energies), we teach that the shield should be pliable, like
water. With water, it moves around
obstacles, it gives so other things may pass, but it never completely goes
away. That is how shields should
work. Without being pliable, these
shields would be rigid and push everyone as we pass. We don't want to bash our way through life. I always tell people to use The Force, but
not use force.
There are people that want to
effect huge groups of people at once.
They push their ideas and beliefs on others. Healers tend to be a little less forceful. We change groups of people by working one body
at a time.
Going back to driving, while
I may like to drive a bit faster, I don't swerve in and out of traffic to force
my way ahead. If I run into slower
traffic, I slow down. I work with what
is there.
In truth, how we approach and
do things is more important than the things themselves. There is an old saying that if you see
yourself as a hammer, then everything around you becomes a nail. If we approach things with an open mind and
gentle attitude, then we will move with less effort and leave a smaller swath
in our wake.
Move gently. Live gently.
Understand what is there, and work with it.
