What would shift in each of us if we could trust that we are all the same?
That not one of us is better, different or more unique than the other. That one path is not more ethical, that one method is not superior. That one person's expression is not more genius than another's. That it is just the insecure ego feeling threatened, which drives us to seek such differences and spotlight them. What if, instead of comparing ourselves to each other, we could allow one another the time and mistakes to discover what is meaningful to each?
What would it be like if we believed that we are all just the same, all connected, all parts of one growing and shrinking, expanding and contracting, universe? All parts of a collective consciousness, acting and responding in kind. That all is hanging in divine balance at all times, even in times of injustice and confusion.
Powerful and reknown medicine men and women I have come to know or have heard about all seem to share one thing in common. It always stops me in my tracks to hear it spoken: "I'm just a common man (or woman)." Is it a mantra they use to stay humble or do they really believe they are completely ordinary? They claim no special skills, thought processes or training. I always find it curious that the most evolved and awe-inspiring people are also the most humble.
Why is being totally common or oridinary so frightening to some folks? I have to admit that I fear not living an extraordinary life. It motivates me to try to make choices that matter to me, which is not all bad. However, so much emphasis is put on the individual in this part of the world. While this is empowering in it's healthy state, the shadow side of it is the arrogance that comes with believing that one's choices are somehow better than the rest. We all suffer from it. Not one of us is immune to it! (except those scamps like Eckhart Tolle or the Dalai Lama.)
And this saddens me a great deal.
Someone dear to me always says that we are all one. When I can remember this, my heart feels a bit lighter. We are all the same.