By Susan deCaussin
I had the pleasure of attending a conference several years ago featuring several powerful speakers. One of the many influential individuals who has deeply affected my direction in life is author Neale Donald Walsch. He was one of the main reasons I chose to attend the event. The theme of his talk centered around the power of love in the world.
Now, I would say that I’m generally a positive person who does her best to accept everyone with an open mind. However, Neale’s talk created a dramatic shift in how I’ll view people from now on. It helped me to more clearly identify a force that is shared by all of humankind. And, any time we can focus on our commonalities instead of our differences, we make great strides toward improved tolerance and acceptance.
I’ve always believed that much like genetic traits are handed down from one generation to the next, each of us contains a spark of our Creator (God). And, since God is the energy of pure love, and we are the “offspring” of that beautiful Source, we carry that same divine energy at the core of our being. However, I certainly was not ready for the shift in perspective that Mr. Walsch was about to present during his talk.
Neale was able to open our minds to the fact that every act is always rooted in love. The audience actually grumbled a bit when he reiterated that EVERY act, no matter what, ALWAYS comes from a place of love. Imagine that!
It seemed like a giant leap to adopt such a radical thought, knowing how many violent and cruel things exist in society. Just turn the news on, and you’ll see that it’s much easier to divide the world into “them” and “us” rather than find a common connection among us all. I fought the desire to resist his words and maintained an open mind.
He explained that since we are all created from a Source of pure love, it’s in our nature to be driven by loving impulses. He provided examples of events that could easily be classified as “dark” and “evil” by many but was able to shift the perspective of the audience to see things in a different light. He explained that even a gang member who takes the life of another is being driven by a love for protecting and honoring his gang. A love for that particular item drives someone who steals. Now, please understand that I’m in no way condoning any of these actions. I provide this uncommon view of the world to show that they all are rooted in love regardless of how extreme the actions may be.
I know that it’s really hard to swallow at first. Still, opening our minds to this possibility can bridge the divide amongst us and create a desire to understand each other’s motivations at a deeper level. And I believe that whenever we consciously choose to identify our commonalities, in an effort to connect at a soul level, we draw peace and understanding into the world.
We are all offspring of the Source of all being. Love is what we are and what drives our every action. We all want the same things – to love and be loved, feel safe, be heard, and have purpose. Suppose we can accept that and try to recognize and understand each other’s perspectives and motivations truly. In that case, we can transform barriers into bridges and shift judgment into greater understanding.
Susan deCaussin CHt
