Taking the higher ground is a phrase and a concept that all of us at one time or another have had uttered at us in moments of conflict or frustration. There have been times in my life when I thought someone was being holier than thou and flinging it at me … along with the phrase, “turn the other cheek”. Neither of these concepts I might add did I ever find to be of any help when I was deeply into some sort of emotional or mental battle. I’m not sure if I ever used either of them, because in the heat of the moment they just never seemed to be applicable and quite frankly seemed pretty stupid at the time. Of late, with age and wisdom seeping in (hopefully in equal measure), I have returned to these phrases and re examined them and how I could have applied them to my life, and perhaps make sense and feel as if they made a difference to me. An old Indian chief once said, “I will fight no more forever”, and another wise master said, “The only way to win a war is not to take part in it”. Today, both these phrases resonate to me more intensely than ever before. I have begun to realize that to take the higher road may well be a steeper climb but the view when you get to the summit is breathtaking. Taking the higher road is more than just another approach to a struggle; it’s taking the entire situation to another level of consciousness and bringing the spiritual and unconditional love into the mix. That’s where the climb gets tricky. You let go of the emotions of anger and literally rise above them. You look at the situation or person from another perspective and realize that is just isn’t worth the energy or effort to sink to their level and become them. The universe puts a mirror before you and lets you see what you could become if you sink into the situation and not one of us likes what we see at that moment, It is truly easier to smile and genuinely say something nice and simply walk away. Conflict and anger once carried drop away and there is freedom of spirit and joy fills the space where anger once dwelled. The key is that you truly have to be genuine in your feelings… if you aren’t you are simply reflecting back at the person or situation and fueling the anger and conflict. If you don’t fuel the fire it will go out. If you send love it will go out even faster. It isn’t easy, if it were we probably wouldn’t learn anything.
Many of us are conditioned to fight for what we believe in and to respond in kind when we feel wronged. There is another way to respond and though not easy it works in dispelling anger and conflict, and brings a new sense of peace to our lives. Understand that when someone attacks you often it is because on some level they feel threatened. If you respond in kind you will validate their feelings, if you don’t respond in kind but rather in love and kindness they are forced to not only reconsider but to shift their approach as well. I might add that this is not an over night response but with time it always works. I’ll also admit that my knee jerk reaction in the past was to attack back and quite frankly it didn’t work too well for me at all. Pulling back and realizing just where some of the conflict comes from makes it easier to understand and let go. Responding in kindness, genuine kindness takes the energy out of the moment and fills it with love and understanding. I’m not suggesting that everyone go out and send love notes to everyone who has slighted you, (I know I’m not yet that evolved), but I am suggesting you try to understand and let go your anger and hurt for then the fire is not fueled and a sense of peace will eventually prevail.
There is a universal balance and universal justice and if we allow the universe to balance the scales, justice is always given out and it is always so much more appropriate than we could ever have managed in our own human realities, When we try to manipulate justice, when we try to do the job of the universe, we get in the way and often make matters worse. Stepping back, taking energy out of the situation, allows the universe to not only right the wrongs but to balance the energy and often it brings joy and peace to you because you did not interfere.
I don’t have the answers to major wars yet, but most of them started with simple conflicts and because both sides were adding energy and fuel to the fire so to speak they escalated into major conflicts and then to wars and in some cases world wars. So if we take care of the small stuff then maybe the big stuff won’t have a chance to manifest.
Taking the higher road shifts the consciousness to a whole new level of awareness. It brings us closer to a time when peace and love can prevail and perhaps even the time when the higher dimensions will be open to us as a species and we can indeed dance among the stars.
So the next time someone becomes a “thorn” in your side or someone has a poisonous tongue or an abrasive personality, try not to judge …they must indeed carry magic like the rest of us and after all you don’t have to take root next to them. Everyone, no matter how strange, has a purpose in the wholeness of the universe just like you. You don’t even have to be in the same bed with them but you do need to exist with them within our world in order for all of us to grow and flourish. Nature has provided us with a great lesson, unfolded before us each spring … all we need do is take notes and pay attention. Poison ivy is a beautiful vine and won’t hurt you at all if you don’t touch it. Allow the diversity to exist and co exist with it and there will be balance and wholeness within out entire universe. We are after all flower children from the stars.