Like many of you, I have been watching what has been happening in the Ukraine. It has brought up so many questions that I have been asking myself. In the end, a couple of questions keep coming up. Who am I? How do I want to be remembered? And ultimately, what is my truth?
Throughout my life, I have been inspired by movies based on true stories of people who lived with great courage. Their heroic actions were so far beyond anything I have faced in my life. I would ask myself, if I were confronted with a similar situation, how would I respond? I would love to say I would respond with the same courage. But would I?
Think about the following movies as examples.
The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler (2018) — Irena Sendler was a Polish humanitarian, social worker and nurse who served in the Polish Underground Resistance during WWII in German-occupied Warsaw (Wikipedia), who saved over 2,500 thousand Jewish children. She knew if she were caught what it would mean, yet she did it anyway.
A Hidden Life (2019) is based on the life of Austrian farmer Franz Jagerstatter who was told he had to fight for the Germans. He ultimately refused and was therefore executed, leaving behind his wife and children.
The movie Hacksaw Ridge (2016) portrays the true story of Desmond T. Doss, a U.S. Army Medic serving during the Battle of Okinawa as a conscientious objector who refused to kill. Instead, he went about saving the lives of 75 fellow soldiers, including some Japanese soldiers. He was the first man in American history to be awarded The Medal of Honor. Under great pressure the Army wanted to oust him, but he stood by his principles and did not waver. His strength came from knowing who he truly was and living his life true to his principles.
There were others living during WWII who started out by taking advantage of what they could gain, but then became aware and woke up to the reality of what was happening then (1938-45). Such became the mission of Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist who employed Jews and saved them from Nazi extermination portrayed in Schindler’s List (1993).
Living in America, I have never been so challenged as those who endured WWII, nor have I ever before witnessed the horror the Ukrainians are currently experiencing now. My idea of a test was how I faced COVID. I would say some days were good and others not. I would complain when I could not find what I wanted in a grocery store, or the prices were too high. I felt that I had PTSD as a result of experiencing COVID. Now, only two years later, I am watching the news on TV, seeing buildings blown up, families running to escape, and children dying. Men are saying goodbye to their families and choosing to get them to safety and return to fight for their freedom and their country. They are living the heroism I was so awed by through those movies. And here I am complaining about PTSD from COVID (not to diminish the trauma of the pandemic). But this is REAL LIFE, not a movie, and not a video game. Whether due to a pandemic or war, we as sentient beings, human and animal, experience the PTSD of Trauma. Each of these world events is a battle that causes stress to the body and the mind. How we process the fear and stress internally leads to the actions we take. It is the decisions we make from the depths of our being to live from a place of love and not fear.
If put to the test, would I respond with courage? Would you? It is time to reflect on the answer. Who am I? How do I want to be remembered? What is my truth? Why is it so important to reflect upon, and ask ourselves, these questions? Because, like it or not, we are involved—on a few different levels.
Though we may be from different countries, we have much in common. We all want to keep our children safe and protect our families. We want to ensure there is food on the table and a roof over our families’ heads. We want the right to create and express ourselves freely. Create and express, not to harm, but to evolve, to grow, to become a better version of ourselves. I heard one Ukrainian state, “We would rather die than live on our knees”. WOW!!!! They lived through tyranny before, being afraid of speaking out. Then they experienced freedom, and now say they won’t go back to the way it was. BRAVO.
So, I ask myself again… Who am I? What is the truth of who I am?
I am created in the image and likeness of God, as we all are. My likeness to God means that I am (as you are) created with God’s essence, which is Love, not the conditional love we may share with each other: Love you today, but won’t love you tomorrow because you have done this or that to me. God’s Love is ever present to you, no matter what. God does not judge actions, God Loves. God created each and every one of us in His likeness–LOVE. That is who and what God is. And that is who and what we are. Whether or not we understand it.
So much of the time, we do not see ourselves, or others, from that perspective, because we judge what we see. We see people acting out from the ego or pain body. That is not who they truly are. Like me, they are not just a body, they are Divine beings living a human experience who have forgotten their true nature. I know that to re-member who I truly am takes time and commitment. I am still learning.
If I am not my body and I am spirit, I can not die. This is important because, as I started understanding this, I realized there is nothing to fear in death because who I truly am cannot die. My body can be taken away, but my true self continues on to the next level. I still fear death (at this time), but at some level I know there is nothing to fear. So, what does this mean? It is easier being courageous when there is a knowing that you cannot die. That to speak Truth, to live Truth when you understand you are not just your body becomes easier. In other words, we become fearless in the face of our destiny.
Am I going to let the ego or pain body rule, or am I going to live my truth courageously? Living the truth does not mean I have to go and fight. We can, however, make loving and unselfish choices. How can we do that? We all have to do our internal work. First let us truly understand. Life is lived from the inside out—not from the outside in. Buying the new car will give a moment of happiness but not sustained joy. It dulls the pain that we carry for a moment in time. True happiness comes from within. Do you carry anger, loneliness, shame, etc.? I carried so much and it was always someone else’s fault. So-and-so made me so mad; I wouldn’t be lonely if so-and-so paid more attention to me. We all need help in this growing process. I have been blessed with a couple of great teachers.
One thing that truly helps me along this journey is meditation. Whether you go on YouTube and discover someone that clicks with you, or find a local group that meets and supports each other on the journey, when you pray or meditate together, the benefit is exponential. “When two or more are gathered…” –YES!! With that said, there are groups that are praying together for peace.
There have been so many times in the past when I would say, What good is that? Yet, it is more powerful than we understand. During WWII there were many stories of people’s prayers leading to outcomes that saved lives.
Start, or continue, your internal work and pray or meditate for peace by yourself or with others. There is a Song, “Let there be Peace on Earth… and let it begin with me”. Peace starts with each of us remembering who we are and living from that place of truth. And when we pray, whether together, alone, or at a distance, we can enact change.
Once again, I say this. The work we have done within ourselves leads to our outward actions. Maybe all of a sudden you realize that you don’t need the hundred-dollar pair of shoes, and that the twenty-dollar pair of shoes would be just fine. And so now you can send the money to help the people who are now without a home. A priest once told me a woman came to him for confession. She stated that she wanted to help more but did not know how. His comment to her (without judgement) was to spend $10.00 less on every piece of clothing she bought. The woman, who was quite wealthy, did just that. A year later she returned to the priest and let him know that she was now spending about 75 percent less on clothing and donating the rest.
When I lived in Poland in 1978, I was amazed how people helped each other to defy the Russians. All the little things they did frustrated the Russians. One example that stays etched in my mind was when I was on the tram. No one paid to go on the tram because they did not want the Russians to benefit. So, I got on the tram and did not pay. At the next stop Russian soldiers got on the tram to check everyone’s ticket. As the Poles on the tram saw the soldiers getting ready to get on the tram, they started passing tickets back so no one was without a ticket. I received a ticket from a total stranger. These people needed every penny to live but they chose to help. They worked together. That’s solidarity. Unity.
As gas prices increase, we need to ask ourselves, “Do I need that new _____, or should I help my neighbor with a tank of gas?” Also, if I am the one that needs gas, do I stay proud and not allow anyone to help me, or do I, with genuine gratitude, say thank you? In A Course in Miracles, it is stated that giving and receiving are one and the same energy. Just think about a gift you found for someone and were so excited to share it with a loved one because you knew the joy they would experience. You both received and you both gave. Your loved one received a gift but you experienced their joy. When you give, you are also receiving.
We have to be willing to ‘suffer’. The experience of suffering is relative. Have you ever been around someone who lives in joy even though their body is riddled with pain? I have. Or have you ever been around someone always complaining about the littlest things? I have. It all depends on your outlook–inside out, or outside in. Doing the work, recognizing our faults (not others) is painful, but well worth it, and part of our growth. Do the work, and over time suffering changes; it eventually is not even considered suffering (I am not there yet). It is a process. How long it takes is different for each of us. Like many of us, my ego fights tooth and nail, but I am slowly learning.
Though I know there will be hardship and ‘suffering’ for each of us, I am grateful that President Biden stopped buying any oil from Russia. I do understand what that means to Americans. I hope, like me, other Americans are not only willing to help Americans who need money for gas, but help in every little way that they can. It is time for all of us to be courageous, selfless and help each other around the world on Planet Mother Earth.
LET US WORK TOGETHER. It is time for all of us to say, “The behavior that Putin is acting out in the Ukraine will no longer be tolerated anywhere in our world.”
Theresa Contaxis 