Question for Our Times

Yin Yang

What is the question of our times? What should we all be asking ourselves during these days of unprecedented change?

Have you noticed? The contrasts are increasing. If you are aware of them, I wonder what you might be seeing in your dream.

In mine, I am seeing the starkness between those who are struggling to preserve the preciousness of life and those who are hell-bent on destroying it.

I am seeing the divergence of “sides” beyond just the opinions expressed. I am seeing how people live in completely different realities. No wonder people are having a hard time communicating; so many of us are living in different worlds and even on different levels.

I noticed this years ago, one day when I was living in Asheville, NC when a neighbor came to me and said how she had reported a stranger wandering the area. She was so filled with fear of break-in. And I felt so safe and protected that the threat of break-in never even crossed my mind. When she mentioned it, I was dumbfounded. This same woman later experienced an actual attempted break-in. Even then, I had not even a shred of fear or doubt that I was in danger of having a similar experience. I just knew it wasn’t my reality.

Today, what struck me watching the tragic unfolding of events in my beloved former home town and the surrounding areas is that people are having different private experiences even though they are sharing a common experience over which none of them had any control. That’s the thrust of this post.

First and foremost, despite what many spiritual bull-slingers try and tell you, we DO NOT have any control over what experiences come our way. The only power we have is in HOW we experience those experiences. When things go wrong or tragedy strikes, it is not some kind of punishment or karmic retribution. It is life.

That neighbor of mine had an experience outside of her (awareness of) control. She couldn’t control her fear and life presented her with a matching reality. She didn’t consciously ask for it. It wasn’t anyone’s fault.

But, how do we think and feel about what happens? That’s where all the power lies. And that power can either be trapped in a mindset of victimhood and entitlement or one of gratitude and empowerment (thanks Charlene!). This is our choice, but only when we remember that we have it.

For example, there are those in hurricane-affected areas who are feeling supported and connected in their communities even without water, power and communications (other than reporters) and then there are those who are more focused on blaming governments, political conspiracies, and defending their beliefs that “no one’s coming to help” who actually aren’t receiving help or feeling supported.

Interesting, no? What drives the experience of our experiences? This is a question for our times.

Now, I’m not saying that we’re personally responsible for all the corruption we may see in the world. I’m not discounting actual conspiracies either. That’s not my point. But if those ARE our experiences, what are we doing about it? Not in terms of “changing the world” or trying to “fix the broken”. But how are we letting it change us? In ways that benefit our own lives and the greater good or in ways that undermine them?

Do we perpetuate the mentalities, keep them alive with the fuel of our attention as we rail against the injustice? Or do we shift focus onto solutions without expectations? Do we clear ourselves out of the corruption within? Or on the conspiracies of ego that keep us trapped in our small-minded, self-obsessed realities?

Again, questions for our times. And it’s highly possible that time is running out.


Western North Carolina has been devastated by Hurricane Helene. They face unprecedented rescue and recovery challenges that will take months if not years. If you haven’t already made a contribution to a charitable organization helping in those efforts, please pick one from this list and donate today. We are all connected.

Author: Beth at Divine Me Time

Inspired by wisdom traditions including Yoga, Buddhism, Advaita Vedanta, Dzogchen, Daoism, Sikhism and Shamanism, each expressing the same Truth in their unique ways, Beth's role is as an energy worker and creative channel to Life's Great Mystery. She is driven by the desire to make ecstasy practical by offering guidance, healing, yoga, chi gong, meditation, and voicework practices.