It's Not About You; It's All About You

As I write this post, I am sitting in a beautiful, comfortable space with a magnificent view of the Rocky Mountains. Thanks to the generosity of some friends, J and I have had the luxury of spending a few days in Breckenridge, CO relaxing, hiking, and enjoying the cooler temperatures.

Yesterday, we hiked the Spruce Creek Trail. It runs along, you guessed it, Spruce Creek just south of Breckenridge in the Arapaho National Forest. We enjoyed our time in nature, hugging the trees, sitting on the boulders, and dipping our hands into the icy-cold waters of Spruce Creek. There were few others on the trail, so we also enjoyed periods of relative solitude as we hiked at our own comfortable pace and breathed in the fresh clean mountain air.

As we walked along, the trail became less rocky and our surroundings more densely forested. I suddenly became keenly aware of the root systems of the trees which lined the trail. Because of the rocky terrain, the roots are close to the surface. Of all the beauty that surrounded us on that hike, I was most in awe of this intricately interconnected network of roots which we were walking on, over and around. The trees linked together by the interweaving of their roots was a present visual reminder of the interconnectedness of all life. I began to take each step with more reverence.

It was a gift for me to have the opportunity to witness the connection that usually happens beneath the surface. Becoming consciously aware of the interdependence of the trees, the soil, the water, the animals, the air, and us humans was breathtaking. I better understand now how some people can claim that nature is their church. This was certainly a sacred spiritual experience.

This hike provided me with a new insight for a lesson I gave at Unity Spiritual Center Denver on August 11. It was entitled, It’s Not About You. You may listen to it here or watch it here. Reflected on it now, I wish I had entitled it, It’s Not About You; It’s All About You. That may seem contradictory at first glance, but it speaks to the interconnectedness of all life and how every choice we make not only affects us individually but also impacts the whole. 

My lesson was a reflection on a couple of articles I had recently read about author, spiritual teacher and now, candidate for the Democratic Party nomination for President, Marianne Williamson. The articles linked her spiritual/religious beliefs to New Thought of which Unity is a part. They criticized her for blaming people for creating their own illnesses, financial insecurity and other life situations through their way of thinking. The articles’ authors claimed that her “self-centered individualism” could be dangerous and would not support good public policy.

I was intrigued by this perspective for two reasons. One, it concerns me that people reading these articles and others like them will get the wrong impression of New Thought and our teachings. Two, that while exaggerated, these critiques of our beliefs might hit too close to home.

When popular culture and the media associate our teaching most closely with the book and subsequent film, The Secret, and books such as Napoleon Hill’s, Think and Grow Rich, it is understandable that our teachings might be perceived as self-serving. Additionally, when our teaching becomes so myopic as to convey that through the power of our thoughts and feelings, we are solely responsible for everything that happens in our personal lives, including illness, we alienate many who might otherwise benefit from learning about New Thought. Further, we impose metaphysical guilt on New Thought adherents who get sick or face other challenging life situations.

While it is imperative that we learn the impact that our thoughts, feelings, words and action have on our lives, I am concerned that when our teaching implies that we are solely responsible for our experience and that we can create anything we want so long as we think the right thoughts and generate the right feelings, we risk supporting the idea that we create in isolation.  In my way of thinking, this does not promote the concept of unity. In fact, it has the potential to purport separation. The Truth is that we are in constant relationship with the Whole, and we are co-creating with the totality of creation.

Those who are less familiar with our teaching and those who are new to our teaching may assume that we are promoting a “self-serving individualistic” philosophy of life. Further, many who apply our teachings solely for their own personal gain are missing a crucial point. I encourage us all to go deeper.

I wish I could share with everyone my experience of the interconnectedness of the root system in the forest. While I was able to witness a sampling of it on the surface, I know that the network of roots extends much deeper underground. It is awe-inspiring to consider how all life in the forest is interdependent. The life moving through it all nurtures and supports growth and sustainability. One only need observe the fallen trees and the new seedlings to recognize this.

We, too, are connected to each other and to all creation by an intricate invisible web of life that supports growth and sustainability. All too often, however, we are unconscious of this. We think, speak and act in ways that belie our interdependence.

When our New Thought teachings are received and perceived as being about “what’s in it for me” and do not invite and encourage us to include the good of all of creation in our desires, we are missing the mark and are in ignorance of the foundational unity teaching.

While it is important to understand how our thinking, feeling, speaking and acting affect our personal lives, it is also essential for us to know that we are also affecting all of creation with every choice we make. When I say, “It Is Not About You,” I mean that nothing is solely about any one of us. We are all connected, intertwined and interdependent just as the root system in the forest. When I say, “It Is All About You,” I mean that it is about each one of us awakening to the reality of our unity and making choices that support the well-being of all creation.

We are at a critical point in the evolutionary process. It is up to us to make the choices that honor the sanctity of our connection with each other, the environment, the Earth and all her inhabitants. The choices we make today, both individually and collectively will determine our future. It begins with you and with me and the choices we make moment-by-moment. May we be mindful.

It Is Not About You. It Is All About You!