A Small Steady Voice

by Dubby Riley

A funny thing happened on my way to my next breath. I caught myself pausing to appreciate the space between. The frames of all the images in my head softened. The edges of all the tactile impressions extending out from me blurred and the little me grew smaller.

Who is that BIGGER me watching? An energy...an interconnected community of living intelligence--capable of forgiving anything and everything and laughing at the fecklessness of judgement. The utterly useless, futile, contemptible and pointless act of judging things as "right" or "wrong" is a burden and baggage which should be left behind. That doesn't mean we shouldn't learn to be happy and productive and good steward's of the planet. It's more about letting go of negativity. Face problems, understand them and find solutions.

Our Smiling Heart community is growing slowly. We have visitors who are new. Most of them remain invisible and choose not to contribute, for now. But folks are looking in, poking around, going through old posts. Unfamiliar faces are deciphering signals and putting the story together of these few authors and extended community of "commentors." Here is our message to everyone reading--Put a smile of hope in your heart!

Some have suggested that forces outside of us are at play and that these forces influence circumstances of the natural world. Perhaps some planetary attractions, lunar cycles, psychic phenomena are wreaking havoc on our dispositions. How would we know whether or not some rythmic drumming or celestial dance isn't permeating our moods and emotions?

As the world watches the unfolding of the worst man made ecological catastrophe ever to occur on our planet, it is understandable that we inherit despondency. Other events which have saturated the fabric of socio-economic conditions such as financial upheaval and the "creeping" spread of corporate power and influence put tremendous pressure on individuals. Half of the world population, about 3.5 billion people live on less than $2.50 per day. The richest 20% accounts for 3/4 of the world's income. A large percentage (perhaps 90% or more of us individuals who are blessed to be in the top twenty, ten or even five percent of the richest people on the planet) are also struggling to balance our finances.

Less dramatic from a global perspective but every bit as real for the individuals who experience pain are our personal struggles. Players suffering from disaster and heartache, personal loss and tragedy, such as death of a loved one, a sad twist in a love-life or even an isolated case of depression--must admit that we humans suffer. Buddhists call it the human condition.

So whether or not illusive energies and angelic forces are strangely permeating our culture, a negative and dark human-behavioral storm has been gathering momentum for quite some time.

In the midst of such anguish and turmoil a sweet and charming voice has been providing a background song. Celebrities occasionally join forces with grand productions such as WE ARE THE WORLD. Even Coke managed to infiltrate our higher consciousness with its bizarre suggestion that by drinking some brown sugar water, we'll find peace. But always, without once being disconnected from it, we've stayed attuned to a delicate note of hope.

I think great things can come from small voices. Humans may lose their foothold as the arbiters of planetary sanity. Quite frankly, I think the rest of the world species would benefit by the demise of the human experiment.

So it really isn't a matter of saving the planet. She'll do exceedingly well without us, thank you very much. But the question becomes: Is human culture worth saving?