Looking back over the course of the past two years of our shared history, one thing has become clear. And thing is this: nothing is clear.
Some have come through this pandemic firm in the belief that vaccines and masks would end it. Throughout this entire time these folks have been seeing evidence that supports those beliefs. They know unvaccinated people who've died, and they've seen case numbers drop as mask mandates are enforced.
Others have come through this pandemic firm in that believe that it would run its course and wind down in its own time and that vaccines could have side effects. Throughout this entire time these folks have been seeing evidence that supports their beliefs. They know people who've had nasty vaccine reactions and they've seen COVID cases milder than the sniffles.
Both of groups have lived through the very same global pandemic. Both have both ended up in the same place, here at what we hope is the end of the pandemic, some believing that the vaccines sped this up and others believing that the disease has run its course naturally.
And here's the kicker. Both of those beliefs are true.
The eye-popper
The other day, I donated to a fund-raiser for a local young man who, shortly after his COVID vaccine, developed Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a known, but very rare side effect of some vaccines, including the Flu shot (1 case per 100,000 shots) and the Johnson and Johnson COVID vaccine (1 case per 125,000 shots.) GBS can also occur, and far more frequently does so, after a person has had certain viral or bacterial infections. But it is entirely possible his case was a side effect of his vaccine.
It made me think that, in spite of my opinions on the value of vaccines, the people who worry about potential side effects have legitimate and real concerns.
What if...?
Writers like to play the what-if game. What if this happened? What if that happened? It's how we go from a cool idea to an entire novel.
I got to wondering, what if my whole family's incessant pressure had convinced that one vaccine-hesitant member to get his shot? And what if he'd been the one out of 125,000 to get this rare side effect, which can cause paralysis or even death? Certainly, a person who's worried about side effects is more likely to experience them. That's how things work. It's non-physical physics, if you will.
The above course of events was one of many possibilities. But it was a possibility. It could have happened just that way. And how would the rest of the family feel if it had?
Belief and perspective are impacted powerfully by experience. An experience like that might have turned many more family members into anti-vaxers.
Poking the sore spots
Soul searching is never easy. I'm from a tribe of strong, smart women who are vocal and passionate about our opinions, which are based, we believe, on the best science of our time and love for all beings.
Our Higher Being or Inner Being or Soul is still mostly non-physical. Only a very small part of it is focused here in our bodies. The rest remains unfettered from physical limitations. And it has a broader point of view.
Our physical self sees words raining down onto a page in apparent random order.
Our Higher can see the complete story.
Human being sees a mountain of color-ed glass bits.
Higher being sees the stained glass window the size of the sky.
Physical me sees the day to day events of my lifetime.
Higher being sees the arc of all my lifetimes.
And buckle up, there's more.
She can see the arc of all lifetimes and how they fit into the bigger mosaic, a cohesive picture created by every lifetime of every one of us. It's all part of something more.
A little more...
Everybody gets to experience the events of their lifetime in whatever way they choose. It really doesn't matter, as we are moving in the same direction, regardless. We are united and working together (sometimes in spite of ourselves) to create the pieces of the greater creation. There's a deeper sense guiding us. We're brushstrokes in a masterpiece. And we know what we're doing. And life goes better when we begin to trust that deep down, we really do know what we're doing.
By following our hearts, we follow our inner knowing. We shift from swimming upstream, to flowing with the current of our lives, and everything becomes easier.
Our divisions are nothing but illusion. There's no such thing as separation,because we're all parts of one Being. You can't have a painting without contrasting colors. There has to be light and shadow and bright and dim. This is a masterpiece that must use every color of a living spectrum that is endlessly expanding, so the painting is never completed, but a living, growing piece.
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The Bird and the Cat
Abraham, through medium Esther Hicks, tells a story about a cat eating a bird. Seeing the cat catch the bird, Esther says, "Bad cat!" And she realizes that the cat is clearly thinking, "Good bird!"
Opposite perspectives on the same event. Complete disagreement about what is true, when both perspectives are absolutely true to the perceiver. And the event itself is unchanged. An outside observer, who is neither cat nor bird can see both sides, but can't feel the sheer purity and power of the belief of either. There is no belief stronger than the bird in the jaws of the cat's belief that this is a bad cat,
In most cases, the clearcut lines of right and wrong are illusions.Both sides are right in the eye of their perceiver. And since everything is based on perception, both sides are true to their perceiver.
I hate this!
Because, you see, in my personal persona, I sometimes enjoy arguing with people on social about events where I feel a very clear sense of which side is right and which side is wrong. I know, I know. I have flaws. I own them. I get passionate about my causes and I watch too much TV news. Every time I start to wean off it, some big world event happens and pulls me right back in. (*This is the job of the media – to create a revolving loop of non-stop "crises" to keep the ratings high. It's good to know this and keep it in mind.)
But here's the thing I must continuously remind myself. Without the "other side" (for lack of a better term) stirring up trouble, I wouldn't have causes to feel passionate about. When we shine a light on a subject, it is the contrasting shadows that expose the cracks in the masterpiece. It's the encroaching darkness that compels to turn our lights on to begin with. So we can see where to paint and spackle.
The continual conflict of ideas among humankind is unavoidable, and also part of the very cycle that fuels expansion for the next generations. The greater the challenges, the greater the growth. And the growth is always coming. You never have to worry that we'll evolve backwards.
We have to remember that it's largely the troublemakers who are fueling the progressive, forward expansion, evolution, and improvement.