When I think about resistance, it certainly includes times of organized opposition to government policies and times of civil unrest, which are intended to create greater stability and a society of well-being. One recent event comes to mind, where in 2017 Greenpeace activists hung a large banner reading “RESIST” near the White House, protesting President Trump’s attacks on the environment and other economic, and educational injustices. In 2017 there also was the “Pink Pussy Hat” march protesting for women’s rights, and many Unitarian Universalist women have been in strong support of this movement. Indeed, the first Unitarian Universalist principle promotes the inherent worth and dignity of every person.
While I believe these non-violent resistance movements have served a very good purpose and deserve our support, I would like to propose another approach which may at first appear very passive and less effective. We could call it the “Let It Be”, or “Let Go and Let God”, or “Ultimate Trust”, or “Allow Well-being to Flow” approach. This is not meant to replace our anger and concern for “Peace, Liberty, and Justice for All”, which can serve as a strong motivation for change. And it is not passive at all. It requires a very active, disciplined mind and trust in the unfailing wisdom and love of the Universe, the Source of All That Is, which is love and life itself.
Scientific surveys consistently report that more than 90% of Americans believe in a Higher Power that is all-knowing, all-loving, and all powerful. And all major religions believe we are one with this Supreme Being. We have the power with our thoughts and feelings to literally create reality.
There appears to be logic to aligning with this Energy of love as a way to create greater peace and harmony. Some might call it an act of mindfulness, where everyone accepts their circumstances just as they are without judgment. Some might call it “Loving what Is”. How can the overt action of a peace march be as effective as “letting go”? This seems illogical.
I discovered this in my work and study of guided imagery and hypnosis. These approaches ask you to focus only on what you want, not on what you don’t want. Focus on peace vs. anger, resistance, and civil unrest. Focus on healthy lifestyles vs. “Say No to Drugs”. Focus on pain and sadness, rather than trying to make them go away.
Yet my study and practice of meditation demonstrates that being truly mindful can actually be more effective than active medical treatment. Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn has used this approach very effectively as Director of the Stress and Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. Thousands of people have been referred there by their physicians, usually because standard medical care has not worked. Yet the practice, which tends today to be called mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), has become increasingly practiced because of its effectiveness with removing or eliminating any number of symptoms, including cancer.
The fact is that what you resist, persists. What you focus on, you create. The idea is to allow well-being (love – the glue of the universe) to flow.
As your thoughts and feelings become more aligned with the underlying matrix of harmony and order, which pervades everything, you naturally allow the God Force, the energy of love, to soothe and bathe your body and mind. This is why love heals, which I concluded in my research with cancer, and wrote about in my book Why Love Heals.
How many of you have heard of the term “Divine Timing”? Or the expression that things will happen “When they’re meant to be”? This is the belief that everything happens at exactly the right moment. Though your life may appear to be one of utter chaos, whether we call it divine timing, the Universe, God, or any other name, our Soul Plan and spirit guides are always acting in our best interest and our spiritual growth.
Even though life at times can seem anything but harmonious, I am as certain as I can be that the deck is always stacked in our favor. We have come to overly identify with our physical senses and ego vs. our core, eternal nature of who we are: our soul.
When we remember and come to completely love and accept ourselves no matter what, love flows. Well-being flows. And as this “All is Well” energy radiates through and out of our bodies, it begins to entrain everything around us into greater harmony. As we connect with our Essential Nature, so do we and our world resonate with these loving energies and our wholeness and oneness are restored.
