“Another boat with Refugees found capsized, 55 dead, many of them small children”. (News Headlines)
As I walked on one of the treadmills at my local gym today, focusing on my own body – how it felt, how I was breathing, making sure I was connected to myself – I had quite a realisation.
I have observed that there is a lot of fuss about refugees at the moment – in the media, on political agendas, basically everywhere you look. No big realisation perhaps, but this realisation came when I pondered upon the reception they are given; how we actually meet them?
There is this huge ‘problem’ (as some people are putting it) called refugees. We call them a problem before we even meet them. They flee from war, famine and many other forms of abuse. Many are already broken, sick, injured, or all of these. Many have been abused before, during and even after their plight: some raped and beaten, some have seen loved ones murdered, or drowned, and they have risked their lives (some many times over) to escape their tortured existence. They arrive most often in the West and are invariably subjected to hate, discrimination and further ‘mental’ torture when they are already in a state of total desperation.
It’s as though they are not humans, they are something else – a burden on us, a nuisance, a plague of unwanted debris – and not our responsibility. And we are told by politicians and other authorities that they come here and cause problems, they have no money so we have to support them, they are lazy, they are criminals, all tarred with the same brush; we are even told that many of them are supposedly ‘undercover terrorists’ that will try to kill us in the years to come.
And this is not a question of politics, e.g. of political parties saying “Yes” to 5000 more refugees when they know there is an election on the horizon, or saying “No” to the same question to catch the other end of the vote.
On considering this further I wondered – have we forgotten that we are all the same? And that despite our circumstance, no one person is better than another.
And I also wondered why we feel this way about refugees … particularly as not too many generations ago many of our families were refugees in one form or another.
We do not own this planet, though many think they do. We are all one global community so anything that happens on this planet is for us all to consider. We are all custodians of this planet – and this crisis of refugees is on our watch.
What if rather than the question “What should we do with them?” or “How can we send them back?” we might consider –
“What is truly going on here that in our so called modern age (with all the technology and infrastructure that we have) we have ‘refugees’?”
Surely with all the technological advances etc., human atrocities like refugees should be long since extinct?
How then can we work together as a global community to reframe this issue – more so as to offer the true support that is needed? And why is it that this problem is worsening by the day and yet many of us are watching as bystanders? Or seeing the harrowing pictures on the news yet are not feeling to speak up or act in some way?
I’m not raising this here so that we necessarily each drive down to our nearest port and collect and house every refugee (though that is an option), but so that we take a step back and look more deeply at what is going on. And if we do take a step back and ponder, we may just realise there are many ways to help; individually, as groups, organisations and governments, and that even the smallest things can move mountains as our collective creativity knows no bounds when we open up our hearts to these societal atrocities.
If we treated this as a community issue and worked on this together we might consider many options – it could be just by making one meal for one refugee or it could be taking a family into your home and treating them as your own family (as here on earth in truth we are just one big family). Or people of great wealth, companies, institutions, governments, with many homes or properties or resources, could provide “homes” (not just shelter) for several or many families. Every drop, from the tiniest kind word uttered from a place of love to the grandest action, will help the world become a better place for us all to live in, together.
If we stop to realise that together as a worldwide brotherhood we could act to make changes together, to meet these fellow equal human beings with compassion, with love, honesty and respect instead of the way we treat them now, perhaps they would no longer be the ‘problem’ we all fear.
What if the ‘refugees’ became an equal part of our society, as they all truly deserve to be, no longer mirroring the hate and mistrust we project onto them? And in this they could start to feel ‘safe’ again?
There have been refugees in society for many lifetimes. It is obvious here that the issue is not going away, but worsening, and that we haven’t as yet got to the root of the issue nor to the truth of a response.
Isn’t it time for us to consider this more deeply?
By Christopher Murphy, Kindergarten Assistant and Universal Medicine student, Drøbak, Norway
Further Reading:
Corporate Social Responsibility – The State of Our Working World
What’s right with this World?
A True Role Model: Universal Medicine = Universal Responsibility
A refugee is a person seeking refuge from conflict of one sort or another. Are they met with love and equalness or with further oppression?
“To meet these fellow equal human beings with compassion, love, honesty and respect” nice idea Christopher but currently impossible because we can’t meet ourselves with compassion, love, honesty and respect, in fact we can’t even treat ourselves with a basic level of decency, truly we can’t. Most of us trash ourselves through many different means, we hammer our bodies into the ground and so truly what are we going to be able to offer another? Sure some of us could muster up enough kindness to offer refugees a meal here or there but none of us are going to take ‘strangers’ into our own homes because it would effect our lives too much. Will things stay like this forever? No, no they won’t but it’ll take a while and a significant shift in how we treat ourselves before true and lasting reform can take place.
Is it possible that refugees are seen in such a negative light because we feel they will spoil or interfere with our comfortable life, it’s the I’m alright Jack and to hell with anyone else who gets in the way of this. We have all allowed this negative attitude to permeate throughout our so called modern day society.
Elizabeth you have hit the nail on the proverbial head. for many people this will be a tale too far as we have grown so used to comfort even if it is not really comfort that we do not want to know that planet earth is not our true origin. I feel it will take many lives for humanity to accept this fact.
Though it may seem it’s not directly related to the issues refuges face, living a life dedicated to love means we are not, to the best of our ability, contributing to the energy that allows abuse to occur worldwide in the first place. True change globally truly begins within each one of us.
It is so important not to have a blinkered vision, labels or go with the crowd but to instead stand back and ask ourselves questions, in other words be willing to see the truth. As you share here people have been labelled as something and put into a box and in doing that we de-sensitise ourselves from their story, their experience and their truth. This is something I am seeing so much more of lately, how as a whole, in society/humanity we are becoming more de-sensitised, so it is great to have blogs and writing like this that instead express and highlight the sensitivity we often do not want to see which of course includes respecting our brothers and sisters, from all walks of life all across the world.
Refugees have been used in political agendas for many years now, and in our present day it looks like this is happening worse then ever.
As we walk though life the way we are connected or our conscious presence within our movements shapes the way and what we reflect to others. As our reflection is our greatest form of communication, could it be all that is needed is more people to walk this level of True connection? True connection is available for us all equally and if we take that to the streets, supermarkets, workplaces etc. then as many people as possible get to feel True Movement and thus feel there is a different way of living without any self doubting consciousness’s.
My life is more richer more filled with love and certainly more interesting knowing the refugees i know, they are my family and deeply honoured i am to know them.
By being consistently the same love with everyone even if we do cross paths I don’t treat them as any different and act as a role model for others to be the same. I have met a few refugees or people coming to London as their country had financially crumbled but that doesn’t mean I have a right to treat them differently.
Absolutely Leigh we are all equal and are all to be respected and treated equally.
‘have we forgotten that we are all the same?’ And if it is not directly on our door step affecting us does it matter? Well yes it does but we seem to currently to live our lives or are more concerned with something when it directly affects us .. then we start worrying. Also what I am becoming aware of more and more is how the media choose what we should be concerned about or not, how they can focus on just one thing (and it might not even be true what they are focusing on) and miss out so much more that is going on. Like is asking ourselves why when we are supposed to be living in a more ‘intelligent’ time do we have more refugees than ever and even though slavery was supposedly abolished have more human trafficking than ever before.
Ha ha, great point that we are all refugees here, that we are here to return to live with love, truth, harmony, and in brotherhood with all.
Indeed, we are all the same, and all equal human beings, ‘I wondered – have we forgotten that we are all the same? And that despite our circumstance, no one person is better than another.’
When we use the word refugee we may see it as a label and not that these are people, people who are seeking a hand in welcome and friendship to live equally with all.
Yes the refugee ‘crisis’ really shows how much we have made it about countries and ownership of the land even though you rightly say we “We do not own this planet, though many think they do”. This ownership creates a separation of who belongs and who does not belong and all understanding goes out of the door. It shows too how comfortable we have become that we rather turn our head and look the other way hoping someone else will deal with it.
We need to make life about people, it’s so simple, and not divide ourselves because of country, religion, skin colour, or other features.
I find it interesting how there is never any doubt that every person on the planet is a human being, which you would think would instigate an immediate sense of equality between us. And yet, there continues to be so much separation.
Great article Christopher and the key words and there were many was – ‘meet these fellow equal human beings with compassion, with love, honesty and respect ‘ – We sure do need to be open in this way and we also need to bring this into every relationship we have. Our key principles of treating another as an equal and how you would like to be treated has simply faded away, and we could even ponder on whether it was there in the first place.
I work mostly with young refugees and what I’m learning is that many are scared and this is when their own prejudices, anger and demands show. The budgets to support them when they turn 18 are greatly reduced and this can be a great source of disappointment, though housed with the same rights as UK 18 year olds involved with children’s services and in receipt of the usual benefits, it’s still not the safe haven they fought for their lives to travel to. That they are treated with great respect and decency is so important because that provides a steadiness that they need to get them through a great adjustment period.
I can’t understand why one human being would stop another human being moving to a place that’s safer and more beneficial for their well-being. Surely being safe, having a home to live in, food and water and a life that is not in danger is a basic, basic human right – forget countries, or land ownership – why would we ever not want any human being to not have that?
“On considering this further I wondered – have we forgotten that we are all the same? And that despite our circumstance, no one person is better than another. ”
You only need to listen to the news to understand we must have indeed forgotten that we are all the same.
We are the same, and we don’t own this planet, ‘We do not own this planet, though many think they do’.
In these situations, we more than forget that we are one global family and that we are all immigrants. No one is purely from one place. DNA shows us this, and yet we build man-made borders. And we separate each other when in fact this is the total opposite of what is true.
This dehumanising is shocking and something we should not be proud of. “It’s as though they are not humans, they are something else – a burden on us, a nuisance, a plague of unwanted debris – and not our responsibility.” We are but one step away from this ourselves because of the instability in the world, because of our unwillingness to see each other and ourselves as all the same and borderless.
I was pondering the other day on the food situation after seeing on the news how in some countries people are actually starving, when in the western countries gluttony and over abundance abounds, where we have more food than we can eat with so much thrown out, how can this be, the same as the refugee situation, how can our fellow brothers be treated this way.? It all comes down to us and how in our lives we treat those around us, do we treat each other as equal human beings or do we have a them and us mentality.
I love this piece, it is such an important topic to discuss and you are right when we look at the ‘refugee problem’ in that way we have already cast a judgement without actually connecting to people and what is going on for them and responding to this.
It shows a deep arrogance when we refuse to see others as equal. I seriously find it super cheeky the way some people talk about refuges, for it was not too long ago that many of our families were also refugees in one form or another.
We are one world one people -let us remember this and start to have compassion and understanding for our brothers from overseas.
It’s not so much that we ‘refuse to see others as equal’, it’s that we can’t. Our thoughts, viewpoints and beliefs are given to us dependent on our alignment. If we are aligned to a consciousness that wants us to think that we’re all separate human beings living isolated existences then chances are we’re gonna see refugees and people from other countries as different from us and even a threat. If we’re aligned to a consciousness that is impulsed by truth then there’s much more chance that we’ll view everyone as the collective melting pot of God. But we’re not choosing what we think, it’s being provided to us dependent on our alignment.
In this world of diversity, it appears that we tend to judge others by their ethnicity, their gender, their age and in this case their ‘status’ as refugees, but in our haste to judge “have we forgotten that we are all the same?” Peel back our skin and all else that we use to identify ourselves and we look like the person we have judged. All these ways of labelling another only add more separation to a world that is already divided by imaginary lines on the earth. We are one family; one humanity, so let’s begin to live as one and see what happens; after all, living in separation to one another definitely isn’t working.
I am often surprised when I hear people talk of ‘not letting them in ” and ‘not letting them have access to our health care’ and so on and so on – genuinely surprised as every part of me knows that the best and true thing to do is to open our hearts. All refugees need Love and compassion not judgement or condemnation.
I love this conversation and how it asks us to consider our connectedness rather than our differences. At no point does a child set out to be displaced, to live a life where they will be considered less than human. So what is it about the way we are living that takes our focus away from decency and respect and instead focuses on technological advancements to name but one of the many distractions?
It is so true Christopher… History tells us again and again what happens when we hold people as less. We are one and anything that says that this is not so must be exposed, revealed, brought to the light of day, and let go of.
The power of us working together as a global community is yet to be realised. Yet it is this precise unity that will supersede the disparity between us that falsely believes that we are separate to one another, as such the problem of one nation are for them to deal with. Truth is that disharmony in one apart of the world is disharmony for us all. For we cannot escape the fact the we are connected, all living in a pool of energy, and the quality of energy in which we live impacts all. Hence the power of us working together as a one community to address the disharmony together in order to restore the harmony we all equally and rightfully deserve to live.
The plight of refugees the world over shows how far away we are from moving as the one planetary family of human beings that we in truth are. And solutions do not go deep enough, they are but mere bandaids. We need to look deeper and examine how we treat each other, those we call our ‘nearest and dearest’ and where it all starts.
Because many refugees tend to come from war-torn and ravaged countries, it seems that there is typically a huge fear that somehow adopting them into your country will bring the same conflict with them; hence the usual unfair judgement that they are ‘terrorists in waiting’. But when one stops and feels into this situation a bit deeper that accusation and fear doesn’t even make sense, because the people trying to escape those wars are usually not the ones wanting to continue the fight, let alone bring it elsewhere. They just want to go back to living a normal life, typically. So this situation calls for some compassion and putting ourselves in the refugees shoes for a moment before we judge them and put up both figurative and physical walls.
That’s how you bring it / us home (!) practical responsible approach because we are all indefinitely involved. This is a global issue and Christopher gives us some principles we can follow .. there is much joy in opening your heart to another no matter where they have been or come from. When I have truly been there for another human being, even if it is small and especially if they need it, it does move mountains (beyond belief). I know to never underestimate the power of love — where true change is possible removing all self-identification in the exchange.
As these words claim “.. and that even the smallest things can move mountains as our collective creativity knows no bounds when we open up our hearts to these societal atrocities.” Working together will support more rapid change.
Where there is war there is a refugee crisis as anyone who is able would be crazy not to flee for their lives. One day it may be any of us. The people who oppose settling or even dealing with refugees may one day find themselves on the other end of the stick.
If we look over the course of history some choose to live in other countries, but most would have been because they are refugees, slaves or prisoners. We also know from history that when people experiencing difficulty are welcomed and supported to re-start their lives they enhance and give back to the community that has helped them and their family back on their feet. We are more and they are more for the experience. Isolating people and imprisoning people because they are refugees makes us all lesser for we miss out on building amazing connections with people that may look very different but we realise at the end of the day, there is no difference at all. Why is it that we see the difference, which is skin deep, and not what binds us, which is everything?
We still carry this warped perception of ‘us and them’, like they are something so different and so far away it allows us to look the other way when they need us most.
My life is certainly more richer and fuller with refugees in my life
Perhaps when we realise that we are all refugees from the true love of Brotherhood we would find our way home.
When we understand the true meaning of responsibility we will know how we are the creators of such hardships of life regardless of where they are occurring, and so it is our responsibility to support those in need so they too can live responsibly and lovingly with one another.
When we get over the fact that we are indeed all one people, one nation one world we may just see that we do not need any manmade borders.
‘“What is truly going on here that in our so called modern age (with all the technology and infrastructure that we have) we have ‘refugees’?”’ This question is the one that truly needs pondering on, very deeply. We have no advancement at all if humanity is still suffering at any level.
Having to leave your home to travel a dangerous journey to then potentially reach unfriendly shores is a brave thing to do. To uproot your family, leave your job, your neighbours, your friends, everything familiar for the safety of your life and for those who you love is a massive decision to make. Perhaps to admire the person who makes this decision is a starting point in seeing the humanity in everyone who is called a refugee.
We celebrate and marvel and the newest iPhone yet still have refugees and war and a list of ills longer than a toilet roll. If we did nothing but look at the ills we’d get depressed very quickly, but celebrating and focusing on objects will never make the ills go away. Connecting to ourselves and then others, now thats when things start to shift.
Refugees are people who have been displaced from their country of origin because of atrocities that most of us have never and will never see in our day to day lives – and for this reason we really need to be more compassionate and understanding as we support them to assimilate into our society.
I work with refugees and I absolutely love them, I have learnt so much from them. I find it a real joy to connect and mix with others confirming my knowing that we are all the same – Love.
Instead of concentrating on our own patch as it where, we need to look afar to where problems are happening and to be on the front foot with new initiates and ideas that could help whole nations before it becomes too late and they feel they have no other choice then to move from their home place. We can play a role in offering what we know works.
“It’s as though they are not humans, they are something else – a burden on us, a nuisance, a plague of unwanted debris – and not our responsibility”, This was quite shocking to read but we can’t deny that this is the reality that faces so many refugees. How far have we strayed from true community and compassion for another in need that we can treat another human being so horrendously? If we were to return to living in community, in brotherhood, we would be able to offer so much support to the displaced members of our human family. From the littlest offering of a warm meal to the bigger offering of a bed to sleep in, every offer would come with the love and support of all, something that is so very urgently needed in this world where we are living in so much separation from our fellow man.
We start with opening our heart to the possibility of being the love that we are and then we live that love letting everyone we meet in and then and only then will we be able to successfully open our borders and be able to offer people a safe haven. It is up to each and everyone of us to take responsibility for what is happening
Perhaps it is not about whether a person is considered a refugee or not, but rather if they are considered a person, with a family, friends, a sense of humour, a liking to certain tastes, smells and textures. A person who dreams, sleeps and drinks water. A person whose aspirations go beyond finding shelter after displacement from their country. A person who can philosophise about life and see the bigger picture when it is called for. A person who has love in their heart for the people in their life. All of these qualities and many more are perhaps what needs to be considered and given respect for dignity to be lived.
I guess it is not that we don´t care as such but that our fears and need for security have the upper hand. As long as we are controlled by our need for security (and comfort) we will have difficulties to cultivate our innate love and care for each other that without any hurt or fear would be our natural way. Getting to the root cause is at least partially a matter of healing our hurts and facing our fears.
The dictionary says refugee means a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.So since when did we stop caring about our fellow men and instead, reduce them to a label and forget about the equal human being that needs our help and support?
I visited a mocked up refugee camp a couple of weeks ago to raise awareness of the status of refugees, at this event I learned that refugees spend on average 17 years in camp, seventeen years, that blew me away. So think, right now there are millions of displaced people living in tents with nowhere to go and little to nothing supporting them and they have years of this to endure. Isn’t that a terrible indictment on us as a global humanity. To have so little regard for our fellow brothers. But in truth we never see them as brothers as we are so bound up in the illusion of our cultures, our religions, our nationality, our race, the wealth we have attained that we wish to consume with. It is all driven by fear but what are we really afraid of, as so often we have our eyes pointing in the wrong direction, trusting the wolf in sheep’s clothing and slaughtering the lambs.
How arrogant we are to think that turmoil, war, abuse, famine that occurs in another country is not our problem. Are we not part of one humanity? How is it that we have become so inane to the reality of what is happening around us, and the trouble that we are really in as a humanity, or a civilisation? Ok so we think that if we shut off to the trouble that is occurring in one part of the world, we are immune to the effect this has on us. Or worse that these people are somehow different to us because they live in another country and it is OK for them to live in conditions that we ourselves would say ‘NO’ to, as it is their problem. We need to deeply consider our stance on how we view refugees as that are people the same as us all, how we view our civilization, and the way we address and resolve the problems, the disharmony that arise. For as you have so wisely shared Chris – ‘Every drop, from the tiniest kind word uttered from a place of love to the grandest action, will help the world become a better place for us all to live in, together.’ And this is where we need to begin, with the way we live our own lives first.
“What is truly going on here that in our so called modern age (with all the technology and infrastructure that we have) we have ‘refugees’?” – This really exposes the gaps in our society today. Our ‘intelligence’, if it as ‘intelligent’ as we think it to be, is considerably inconsistent if you look at these gaps under the naked eye. Imagine if we took a microscope to it.
Yesterday I watched a short video filmed by a young girl who had travelled to safety from Sierra, or so she thought. They were put in a boat big enough for 15 people and crammed in 50 women, children and their husbands. You could tell that the children were absolutely terrified as many were crying, then the boat nearly sank and they had to be rescued by the coast guards. At some part of her journey she was robbed by buying a fake ticket to Macedonia, so she tried to cross the border to Macedonia with many others, and was tear gassed. Eventually she had to borrow 7000 euro to get a fake passport and air flight out of the country, and was picked up at the other end where she was registered as a refugee. Now how desperate must you be to have to go through that, and not only as a young women but parents who have small children to look after – we do them an injustice when we automatically think that they want to come to Europe, or anywhere for that matter, and leave their homes.
You raise some great questions Christopher. The state of the world and international relations is always going to be a direct reflection of what is happening on a micro or personal level. When we raise the standard of our relationships, we are in fact contributing to a change on a much larger scale than we often care to appreciate.
When chatting about the ” question ” of refugees I always ask myself and others if they were a refugee how would they like to be treated. Be assured that a lot of the “refugee crisis ” is created by the western counties that make weapons and sell for the purpose of greed profit. Just consider the weapon of land mines and just to name one country as an example Spain makes and sells land mines of course there are many more countries.
So in simple terms the ” refugee ” is not the issue the refugee is the result of the issues we in the western world do not want to look at , as in this example we are content to make devices that kill people . That is how we treat people never mind people who become ” refugees”
It is only when we have a sense of ‘one world – one life’ in its deepest sense will we start to unravel the separation that brings such grief.
As a society we have learnt to live in total comfort, always thinking about self and nothing else so anything that comes in the way of that we attack in order to avoid responsibility and treat each other with respect and equality as true sons of God.
“….. have we forgotten that we are all the same? And that despite our circumstance, no one person is better than another.” In response I would say yes we have forgotten. There is fear that refugees will somehow deprive us of something. Yet so many have gone on to give back to their new home country. It is said that a society can be valued by how it treats its weakest members. Things don’t look good for us in the West then.
The way we view “refugees” is very exposing of where we are at as a society. We’ve categorised them and somehow in that process seem to have stripped them of their humanity. We’re all a part of it. Even if we are not against letting them into our countries, would we let them into our homes? Do we speak up about the fact that our fellow humans are treated the way they are – be it by our own government or theirs? It’s is a global problem.
Part of the fear generated around refugees is fear of the unknown, and particularly the fear that our relative comfort might be disturbed in some way shape or form.
I wonder how much of this starts with family and the way we treat and are within our own family. Do we love and accept our family members unconditionally? Are we there in times of need or is that seen as a burden and a taking up of our time? As a society, if our own homes are not in great loving shape, it can then be super challenging to extend that love and care out to others. Where does it all start and how did we end up in the state we are in where we don’t care for our global, local or blood brothers and sisters? Perhaps it starts with ourselves and the love and care we genuinely, truthfully and honestly show ourselves.
What is shared here is very significant for the coming decades, for the foreseeable future the numbers of refugees is only going to increase. Accepting this as a reality that all of us have in some way contributed to would go a long way towards changes happening where we will see support, love and welcoming of those who find themselves in such a horrific circumstance. Unless we have lived without prejudice, judgement or jealously of any another, we have been equal contributors to the atrocities we now have in our world that have created the reality of people needing to move country to find a home in which they can reasonably safely care for their families. As all wars and conflict are fueled by these emotions.
The crazy thing is that many of these so called refugees are actually qualified, learned and respectful citizens that are equal to you or I. If a modern country like NZ was involved in some kind of major war that the world disapproves of and many were displaced, the people from NZ would become the refugee that many in that nation were judging, labelling and complaining about. How ironic is this situation and it shows how inhumane these labels truly are.
We are often so caught up in our own little world that we do not see what is happening beyond. To allow ourselves to be open and interested in another and listening with an open heart opens us up to the bigger picture and brings understanding, and this is all that is needed as it will rekindle the compassion that we naturally feel for each other and thus the knowing of what needs to be done.
I remember as a child Cambodian refugees came to New Zealand and the ones in my home town were beautiful people and even then I couldn’t believe the horrors they had gone through and the dangerous boat journey to get there. I can’t remember any hostility towards them, but maybe there was and I was too young to realise. You are right Christopher nobody owns this planet and we should all have a safe place to go to if trouble does erupt where we are from. I can only imagine how removed from our feelings we would have to make ourselves be in order to survive such an ordeal such as having to up and leave everything behind and flee for your life, only to be treated as sub-human when getting to supposed safety.
Dehumanising people and thinking we are better is as old as time. You would think we would have learnt by now that this attitude will never work and will always keep us backward and un evolving.
Such a beautiful thing to ponder on what is our feeling against refugees, why are they so demeaned in society? It is our responsibility to see that it is just our responsibility to see the world as our home and refugees as fellow brothers needing support. We are all part of this one humanity and so should we take the responsibility.
“If we stop to realise that together as a worldwide brotherhood we could act to make changes together, to meet these fellow equal human beings with compassion, with love, honesty and respect instead of the way we treat them now, perhaps they would no longer be the ‘problem’ we all fear.” The answers are often very simple however with accepting them we become aware of the responsibility we have and are asked to step up to them.
‘We call them a problem before we even meet them’ – True Christopher, globally we are looking at refugees as a ‘problem’ and it’s obvious to see that this approach is NOT respectful, loving, considerate or working full stop. We are all being offered an opportunity to deepen our local communities AND global one unified community, and it is OUR resistance to this that has created this ‘refugee crisis’, not the families who are fleeing because of conflict and unrest in their countries.
Well said, the opportunity is there, how are we responding to it? Do we see those fleeing as any different? I would flee if that was happening in my home. We sit in judgement of things we know so little about because we have not seen ourselves as part of the same body, we have fallen for the illusion of individuality.
We are all complicit in the wars these people are fleeing and then punish them by dehumanising them for fleeing! The madness that is our world today is baffling if you don’t understand that other energies are at play that do not want humanity to remember thier humanity! Brotherhood is our natural state.
We get so identified with being from a certain country, and this is confirmed by everything around us that celebrates the part of the world we live in, the nationality, the culture. We even have surveys and ratings that tells us the greatest part of the world to live in, the pockets of wealth and health. Yet as mentioned by many on the comments, what value does this have if others are suffering. It is a failure of our humanity that we only care about ourselves, or our perceived own. But what if our perceived own people is just a massive illusion, and that the differences we fear in others are in fact not real either.
Maybe if we didn’t refer to these people as Refugees and instead we see them as our brother human beings and have compassion for these people fleeing from disasters and war in their own country it would make a difference! I feel as Australians we have a rich country and need to open our hearts to these equal brothers.
“We do not own this planet, though many think they do. We are all one global community so anything that happens on this planet is for us all to consider. We are all custodians of this planet – and this crisis of refugees is on our watch.” This is huge and exposes how trapped humanity is in the belief that chasing personal security is all that matters, that there is an us and them, and worse than that there is an us ‘or’ them and that we need to look after our own.
It is a great question to ask: How come “in our so called modern age (with all the technology and infrastructure that we have) we witness people being forced to live as refugees” and how come we have other atrocities around us in our world?
I find it very arrogant to think that it is not our problem in some of the situations the western and developed countries have had a big influence into the creation of the refugee plight.
Refugees are in dire need of everyones help and have been through enough trauma without then being turned back or stuck in camps. What freaks me out is that there is enough money and resources in the world to save lots of people from the misery they are going through but it is all in the hands of so few.
What a timely and powerful wake up call for us all Christopher, a call for humanity to take responsibility and work together in brotherhood treating each and everyone of us equally and with true love. Sadly in this modern society we do seem a far cry from this truth.
It’s so past time to consider this! The way asylum seekers are treated is disgraceful. the timescales by which people are meant to be ‘processed’ – like hello, people are not pieces of meat – are months, even years out because the systems are not in place to support them. People are interviewed whilst in states of distress and with limited time or understanding of cultural background and ability to answer questions. I’ve heard from people who have worked with young asylum seekers and it’s people being reduced to a number.
Whilst the UK press calls to protect national’s money and well-fare what’s really happening as people subscribe to this mentality is a huge loss of richness to all of us. Every miss-treatment of another leaves us poorer and more bereft.
There is a big responsibility for us all in this – even thought the majority are not in a position to make changes in government, we need to be doing everyday things to make changes. Like being aware of our reactions to our family, our friends and work colleagues. If we can’t get along with them, then how do we expect countries and so forth to welcome each other. The change starts in our home and with people closest to us.
I agree we do seem to wilfully avoid asking the true questions and taking responsibility for every aspect of life. We are not asking what is truly going on here whether it applies to refugees, war with each other or war with our own bodies as the global obesity, exhaustion and ill health shows.
It’s sickening how we facilitate this ongoing hate. How can a group of people fleeing torture be a nuisance to us. How?
I have never been a refugee, but I have arrived at a foreign land by sea and been either welcomed or treated as I don’t belong there. I used to wonder as a child, how anyone could treat people so differently, we are all the same and we all share the same world. Where did this ownership of land come from and how can we separate and say this is my border you can’t come in. I personally love seeing a blend of cultures and colours, people of different nationalities and races living together. Why do we fear that if we share there won’t be enough.
“If we stop to realise that together as a worldwide brotherhood we could act to make changes together, to meet these fellow equal human beings with compassion, with love, honesty and respect instead of the way we treat them now, perhaps they would no longer be the ‘problem’ we all fear.” Very true Christopher. When we think of others as being different we go into comparison and that can feed feeling ‘better than’ in the case of refugees. We are all the same under our skin and we all need to be treated equally, regardless of ethnicity, race, age and gender.
Your love for humanity is clearly felt through this blog, it is beautifull. We are all equal and yes I agree I do not think we who live our comfortable lives just realise how much trauma many people including children have been through. We are all brothers and sisters, we are all One. Only the other day on the radio was the question ‘should we let 300 children in or not!’. Who are we to even ask this as a question, its incredibly arrogant, if the shoe was on the other foot I am sure we would want the help and support. This is a great question “What is truly going on here that in our so called modern age (with all the technology and infrastructure that we have) we have ‘refugees’?” Something is clearly not working. And this says it all for me ….. ‘We do not own this planet, though many think they do. We are all one global community so anything that happens on this planet is for us all to consider. We are all custodians of this planet – and this crisis of refugees is on our watch.’ Beautifully said. This has made me stop and reflect what am I doing in my local area and globally to help support those in need, I feel some loving action is needed here. Thank you ????
When there is, at times, a national crisis that displaces people from their homes, there is often a rallying together of nations to try and find a solution, with many wonderful people working extremely hard to support and at times rescue those caught in the cross fire. The people who do this are very precious because they are actively communicating, by their actions – that regardless of race, nationality or culture, people have value. The key is however, for none of us to be caught up in the identity of this – nether the victim nor the saviour – but simply addressing the fact that there need be no war.
To start with we de-humanise people when we refer to them as refugees; we do not want them to rock our comfortable lives; we go into fear that there will not be enough space (Uk is a small island); along with taking our jobs, but one thing that has always stood out for me is that people must be pretty desperate to risk their own lives and that of their children – especially as they know others have died trying. We as a humanity have a long way to go when it comes to helping our brothers and sisters.
Thank you Christopher for exposing something as serious as the refugee crisis, which is the coldness and lack of willingness to understand or relate to people experiencing extreme hardship and reaching out for support. I cannot help but feel that part of this is the attitude that so long as our lives are ok what’s happening to others does not matter.
How revealing of the many ways in which we classify, box and compartmentalise people and life which allows such depths of abuse and de-valuing behaviour to take place.
If we saw life for what it truly is and each person as our fellow brother, would we allow such ills and harm to take place?
Now, more than ever, it is so important for the world to see that we are all one global community. As is shared here – not too long ago we all shared the same DNA and I’m sure most people would be surprised to find that they have bits of DNA from all over the world. The fact is we’re all connected to each other and yet our behaviour suggests otherwise. All we are doing is creating separation and disharmony when we could all work together and support each other and not have these wars.
I’ve had the honour of working with someone recently who exemplifies one ‘who walks the talk’. A beautiful young woman with not only a depth of knowledge of her subject ‘Equality,’ but lives it. And how do I know this? it is felt in the way she relates and supports you. She listens, is open, generous and efficient too. Her sensitivity, dedication and deep love of all people can be felt. One of a growing number willing to stand up and oppose the de-humanisation and mistreatment of people seeking refuge or asylum and share the understanding that if each one of us is a member of one global community we should not be closing borders and building walls.
I agree and I think we have, “On considering this further I wondered – have we forgotten that we are all the same? And that despite our circumstance, no one person is better than another.” This is a living process we need to all deal with and simply using the words “we are all the same” is hollow without the ongoing expression of it. So it’s not about walking around telling everyone we are equal either or turning up to a peace rally or similar. It’s about having a look at how you are, the quality you are in and around things like this. How are you with children? Do you treat them with a care and respect equal to you or do you swing to the over and under this mark? We all have a part in this and to turn a blind eye or to say something without the continued action of the same is just our way of not dealing with that very fact.
I agree Ray. Words alone do not bring about change, only our lived expression does this. And as you say it is often in the smallest of movements that confirm who we are in relationship with others: how are we with children, parents, friends, colleagues? What message do we send, equal or differential status, loving or not?
You raise a very valid point here Christopher, that when we still have refugees in our so called advanced world, whether we have ever gotten to the root cause of the separation that is and has been so prevalent in this world. Has anything truly changed in regards to how we are with each other as a one humanity or have we only focused and changed the outer layer of our appearance?
This is a great blog, with a call to be more honest about our relationship with the word and whole concept of the word refugee, which is a de-humanising word that strips away at the natural balance of human understating.
Thank you Christopher. This gives us much to consider and ponder on. How are we with so called ‘outsiders” ? How do we view them and treat them? We know we are all equal but do we meet others in that equality and what do we do when they do not respond from that same place? How do we deal with conflict ? And on an ongoing basis?
It’s a sad reality that refugees have been used as a political football – that even the future or present leaders of the world are more concerned about their own career and future than the future of countless others.
It’s important to look at the big picture here, as you rightly point out. People are influenced (an imposition) by fear rather than presenting the truth the way you do here, Christopher. As I was reading I thought about what if we put ourselves in their (the refugees) shoes, how different would that feel then. It’s too easy for us to sit back and say ‘not my problem’ – when even defending the support for our refugee brothers a conversation begins to make a difference.
The movement of people across lands has become an explosive topic in Europe lately, as many have been fleeing war in neighbouring countries. When I hear the figures on the news of just how many people have fled I am always staggered by the sheer numbers, 100’s of thousands of people displaced. And I wonder what it must be like to suddenly be caught in such a massive tide of human movement. To leave your autonomy behind and be suddenly dependant on the ‘good will’ of other people. It must be very challenging on many levels.
The question of refugees and how we have been approaching this situation highlights the inherent flaw with the way we view the world. We see it as ‘progress’, higher skyscrapers, bigger medical machines, better tracking devices (all things to ‘mend’ the mess we have made) instead of looking at the basis of it all which is to deepen our love for each other and care for each other in the way we ourselves would love to be cared for (without sympathy!) As you so well say Christopher: ‘What if rather than the question “What should we do with them?” or “How can we send them back?” we might consider –
“What is truly going on here that in our so called modern age (with all the technology and infrastructure that we have) we have ‘refugees’?”’ We do know what is going on and we largely choose to ignore it.
Thank you Christopher for bringing up this subject. We cannot turn a blind eye to this situation any more. There is something deeply awry in the way that we ‘live’ together (or not) and inhabit this planet. Life is about Brotherhood – love one another as yourself, and this must be the basis, at the very least, that we live upon as a world. As you say:
‘We do not own this planet, though many think they do. We are all one global community so anything that happens on this planet is for us all to consider. We are all custodians of this planet – and this crisis of refugees is on our watch.’ This is a very powerful statement and is the one next big step for humanity to get before we can all heal. Thank you Christopher (true to your name’s meaning! – ‘carrying Christ’).
Christopher, you have opened up the conversation so beautifully around refugees, and this is exactly what is needed. We need to talk about how we feel about them, gradually coming to a realisation that these people (yes they are indeed people and not ‘problems’) are no different to us, same same. It is time we deeply considered our resistance to supporting others, as it exposes a comfort that stops us from truly connecting with another, and ultimately ourselves and our so called closest love ones. Thank you for highlighting this for us, an immediate dinner time conversation needed with all our neighbours and our communities.
You talk about it rocking our comfort and I am struck by how true this is. We hear about a ‘problem’ or an ‘issue’ and we personalise it, we make it about us as an individual and whether we will be impacted. Perhaps there is a way of moving that can mean that in that moment, when it comes round again, our first thought is not for ourselves and our comfort but on a more global scale.
Spot on Christopher: “On considering this further I wondered – have we forgotten that we are all the same? And that despite our circumstance, no one person is better than another.”
One year on since Christopher wrote this article on those seeking refuge from the terror and desolation of war and nothing has changed except that those who could offer refuge to another human being continue to pull up the drawbridge perpetuating the separation of one group of people from another. The excessive amounts of money that many spend on indulging themselves and close family at this time of year were shared with those seeking love and warmth then we would all be able to live in greater harmony with each other.
I heard yesterday that we have had 3 seconds of peace since 1945….. that’s horrendous, also imagine the damage that occurred in those countries and towns and the displaced people. We are hearing about it constantly but nothing seems to be shifting and the battles continue. This is a world in crisis even when we live on the other side and are not directly affected we can feel the impact and the tension ripples. What to do? There is a different way and I know in our hearts we do not choose to cause conflict, it’s time for our ripples to turn the tide.
One day we will have a one world with no borders and no nationalities until then we will be under the evil illusion that we are separate.
I agree, Samantha. We live lives of comfort and choose not to look to take responsibility- myself included. This blog shakes and wakes (if they are ready) those who do sit in a comfort bubble.
Like much in life, we are being shown and called to take responsibility for the lovelessness in the world. If this means that a group people go from one side to the world, and by this case we call with the term refugees (because the flight of war, harm etc), we should never ever turn away from the absolute equality that mankind in truth is, as what makes the difference that a person goes from place to another (in this case because of war), we should even more warmly if nott exactly the same welcome them and allow the support to each other, especially in times where a person (refugee in this case) has dealt with the absolute horror.
I agree Christopher, we are a global community and ‘refugees’ are happening on our watch. We are responsible for what is going on everywhere, and remote from our lives as many conflicts and wars might be, if we are part of a one-humanity, then what we do ‘over here’ is contributing just as much to the whole as anywhere else.
Yes Christopher it is certainly time we looked at this issue differently, for surly what we are doing is not working; in fact it is harming on so many levels. The separation, selfishness, protection and irresponsibility around the multitude of issues surrounding refugees needs to be addressed by the global community, working in brotherhood to call out the evil of separation.
An interesting news article on the radio today talked about how we, as people in general, can be very moved and touched by the plight of individual people that we see, such as with a singular child making a perilous journey away from war, and yet when we see or consider the mass of humanity in movement away from war we do not approach it with the same level of compassion, and will instead become much more brutal in our approach – the reporter asked the question of – do we harden our hearts in response to the call of humanity? And I wonder if this is true, if there are points when as humans we touch each others hearts with our own humanity, and then as humans there are points when we loose our sense of humanity with each other all together. And that this is some kind of gauge that we can switch on and off when it suits either ourselves or the situation. And if this is so, what is the true driving motivation for having such a switch?
What are we missing out on as a race when we are not living as one? We get everything but that oneness when we choose to make it about our own lives and our own protection. Whether we are in Antarctica or England or in China (or even on the moon!) we are all part of the same race and therefore all have a part to play in bringing humanity back to that harmonious oneness.
The current situation with refugees at the moment is a reflection of the level of irresponsibility we have chosen to live with one another, this is an opportunity to start to break drown the divisiveness between people according to culture and meet and treat each other for the love that we all are.
Great point, Francisco. I feel like Christopher writes about the big picture but you hit on the energetic reality, which I imagine is hard for a lot of people to swallow. Quite a reflection.
This is still very topical and there is likely to be more refugees now created from what’s about to happen in Iraq. We as humans need to not only learn to get along but love each other like we haven’t done for eons so people are not forced from their homes in the first place. It makes absolutely no sense when we spend all this money on war which creates all this misery when the same money could be spent on providing everyone on earth with more than just their basic needs.
This is a great opportunity we are being offered here, to let go of any perceptions or judgements we hold about others from a different culture and connect to that which is innate to us all, as when we do this we know there is no separation at all and deserve the same rights on this earth we live in.
This conversation still needs to continue as the situation has not lightened up side the ‘crisis’ began. The more we talk about it and play our part in supporting the ‘refugees’ we will learn slowly we are all the same and start to break down the fear and ignorance so many are looking out from and only then will we slowly develop understanding and compassion. Thank you Christopher.
By giving them a label (refugee) it makes them less than an equal member of humanity and of society. And somehow this then allows the gargantuan abuse that is meted out to people in this situation.
What would our picture of refugees be if we weren’t so clouded by the fear of the unknown and protecting what we have. Refugees are a product of a failed system, and most failed systems stem from the corruption that we all allow. Perhaps refugees landing on our shores are the greatest gift we can be given, as it could awaken us out of our slumberous ideas that we are not one humanity, that essentially all human beings are the same. To consider the care and love of a stranger as important might actually bring us alive and make us realise that this is how we are meant to live, with open doors and open hearts. The doors not literally, but most definitely metaphorically, do we really have so much to lose by letting other people in!
Definitely this a matter of concern for us all – so many people on the planet homeless and stateless. It must horrific to have to uproot to an unknown future, and an unknown destination. People are people and if I put myself in their shoes how can I have anything less than compassion. We must all work together on this.
Brilliant article Christopher. Thank you so much for going there and actually talking about what matters. There is so much for every one of us to actually look at here. I know I personally have turned a blind eye to the situation, using the excuse that I am of no use to helping this enormous problem. But the truth is it all starts at home….I have an equal responsibility to those in government to live a true life, one that respects everyone around me and most of all respects myself. The more we learn to appreciate and love ourselves, as it’s been said many times, the more this way of living can be reflected out to everyone not choosing that thus giving them an opportunity to choose the same. The ripple effect of love is far more rapid than we want to believe.
Hello Christopher and it’s interesting what you say and also interesting how our view of refugees has changed. My grandfather came to Australia with his parents as a refugee from Lebanon and from there as a collective there has been many businesses and extended families come from this point. There was no screening, tests or anything just a yes. In the initial stages there was some reservations (more then reservations) to them but after a period it wasn’t as blatant or obvious. Have we really changed our view of people in this way or have we always divided each other and the world up? I see our ‘current’ problem with refugees as not new and just more obvious or blatant, it was always there.
Yes Ray the racism has always been there, and the energy of separation can come from both sides. As an ethnic family in an Anglo town if we saw ourselves as separate we would cop it bad. If we saw ourselves as people that are just the same the racist comments were met with ‘what’s your problem’ and had no sting.
Refugees are not welcomed by any stretch of the imagination to the countries where they seek asylum. They are referred to as ‘boat people’ and no one seems to care about them dying enroute to Australia in leaking boats on treacherous seas. I know there have been terrible deaths and losses at sea for people who have lost everything already and then lose their loved ones- a huge trauma on top of the other traumas they already faced.
They are the same as us and need to feel welcomed into a new environment. The bigger issues will take a long time to heal and we must until that time be as loving as we can with new arrivals to our land.
It was not until the UK election to remain in the EU or not that it made me aware of the extent to people’s reactions to refugees. I feel many people voted out with the main reason into thinking it would have an effect in stoping refugees coming into the UK instead of focusing on whether it would support the country in terms of trade, industry, connection etc to remain a part in the EU or not. I felt sad on the one hand but on the other it exposed the truth of how a lot of people were really feeling about refugees coming into the UK.
“If we stop to realise that together as a worldwide brotherhood we could act to make changes together, to meet these fellow equal human beings with compassion, with love, honesty and respect instead of the way we treat them now, perhaps they would no longer be the ‘problem’ we all fear”.
If only we, as a worldwide group, could respond to the refugee crisis in the way you describe Christopher. This issue is such a blight on the way in which our world is organised and operates. Thank you for highlighting the plight of refugees and our responsibility to work towards equality and brotherhood for all in our world.
When the facts are clearly and sensibly taken in to account, a person cannot really be labelled as a refugee, as this takes away the humanity of the situation, names people as mass movements and leaves out all of their individual stories and experiences, the relationships they have and have left behind or have lost. People are people no matter the circumstance.
I heard yesterday how there are now 65.3 million refugees world wide and in the UK they are currently 0.19% of the population. All that fuss and fear based propaganda we hear about being overrun and yet we have taken very little refugees into our country; to me this just shows how selfishness and individualism has prevailed leaving the true meaning of family and brotherhood abandoned.
This is great to look at again Christopher and keep the plight of these Refugees in the forefront of our minds.
I recently read about the end of World War II, when thousands of Germans were sent away from the areas in East European countries that they grew up in, where they had their homes, etc. because now these areas were occupied by ‘the enemy’. And I remember my grandma talking about the refugees walking though the streets of her home town everyday looking for shelter. So as you say Christopher, not a new issue at all just one that is old enough that our generation has conveniently forgotten about it.
It is interesting that some people feel that there is no room for refugees, when if everyone was treated equally we would welcome them with open arms.
It is such a shame and disgrace that refugees are treated the way they are. This attitude to refugees comes about by people being territorial, greedy and apathetic; shame on us!
True success is not earning more money, living comfortably surrounded by every material possession, it is living life in brotherhood with all others and being compassionate. To ignore or be disdainful of the suffering of others is a failing and sign we’ve lost our humanity.
The mass movement of refugees towards more affluent countries confirms that as a global community we can no longer sustain divisions and inequalities that sets economically rich countries apart from poorer and war torn ones. We tighten border controls and build walls of separation, neither will stem the flow of people seeking safety and peace. Until the whole world community sees the problem as ‘ours’ not ‘theirs’ and shoulders its collective responsibility, we will continue to witness hundreds of thousands of people willing to risk lives in search of a better life.
The problem of refugees in not only from this age as it is with us already for as long our history on this world is. The question to ask then what is this telling about the way we are living together in our societies. Do we have created societies to have a life in comfort which are only for the selected few that belong to it or do we have created societies that are open and prepared to let in other people in the understanding that we human beings are all one and the same? To me the latter should be the way to go but I feel that the first is how we are currently living – our lives in comfort in our well protected and safe environment – that in fact withholds us from living to who we truly are. As when we decide to work together as one and live that love that lives in all of us, there is so much more possible than we can imagine from that protected way of life we currently live.
Considering this more deeply is definite what is encouraged with the stigma that is attached to the word “refugee” and the way it is portrayed in the media as a threat to others. War, famine, oppression unfortunately has always been part of the world. In my grandparents generation it meant moving to another country for safety, a life free of religious persecution or opportunities for employment and contributing to the community. Today people are seeking the same when they are living in countries of intense oppression and ravaged wars that have consumed their ability to live without the high risk of being another casualty. Yet why is our response to this so different? People’s basic needs don’t change but has our responsibility to speak up against ill truth been the root cause?
‘If we stop to realise that together as a worldwide brotherhood we could act to make changes together’ – absolutely – if we all worked together the world would be completely different. Imagine that – every single person on this planet working together and supporting each other – it would be phenomanal.
It may be true, that as a global humanity, we have not yet recovered from the atrocities of the second world war. This lack of recovery could be still playing itself out through the generations as we further compound our disbelief and our desire numb ourselves away from what really happened. In this global culture, is it then possible for further destructive national relationships to occur? Is it then possible to continue to view eachother as divided and separate based on our national heritage? Because I wonder that if we had all, and that means actually all of us, had really comprehended what had happened, then there could be no war ever again and thus no displaced people.
Yes Chris, it is time to deeply consider why we have ‘refugees’ in the world and what might form part of a true solution. The current situation is reflective of a far more pervasive disharmony amongst us world-wide. For as long as we tolerate this, allowing domination, war and other human atrocities to occur, we will have refugees. At a more personal level there is a responsibility to live something that is truly harmonious in order that this wider situation can also be different.
We need to stop seeing refugees as “foreigners” but as people just like us. Every single one of us deserves to feel safe, to be able to raise our children without fear and hatred being thrown at us and to be free to express the way we want to so long as it does not bring harm to another.
Since time began there have been certain forces at play that seek to keep humanity divided under the consciousness of ‘us versus them’ for the simple reason that if such resistance was not in place, we would naturally all pull back to the truth of who we are in an instant. True evolution is marked by our ability to re-turn back to the love that we are and any warring, separation and abuse we engage with is simply us resisting this magnetic and oh-so Heavenly pull.
It is all too easy to turn a blind eye to that which we have condoned but not taken responsibility for. The so called ‘refugee crisis’ is a crisis that affects us all for it mirrors what is going on beneath the surface of how we are all choosing to live as a global society. Until we dismantle the walls we have erected within ourselves to keep us ‘safe’ and shut away from others, we will continue to make the borders that seek to keep us in such separation, as if we have a right to keep out our fellow equal Brother. In separation to each other we do not trust or love another unless we call them ‘family’ or ‘friends’. That we even have a situation where thousands of people would need to seek refuge from the harmful ways of others, shows us exactly to what degree we are lost as a humanity and how far we have strayed from the Oneness we all in essence are.
Refugees will keep coming and in doing so, they provide the opportunity for us all to embrace brotherhood and see that we are one world – for currently we are like separate parts operating on their own, removed from the engine they are from.
And as such we engage in the forwards and backwards movement of exchanging people, no different to the exporting of goods. We hastily remove refugees from the public eye, promote a fear campaign of threat and invasion and in doing so, wipe our hands of lending support, loving our brothers and ever questioning the lovelessness we employ.
We are dehumanising others and reducing them to a mere transaction.
Isn’t this true of society as a whole – we are all too solutions focused on removing the immediate issue rather than looking beyond, to the deeper ill at play?
One of the greatest challenges of this century is in how to support eachother as a one human race through and after massive acts of atrocity. It seems that at the moment in general there is a sense of overwhelm, of seeing the wave crash down around us, and of not understanding why. I sense that it will do us all very well to learn in more depths the actual history of our lands, of ourselves throughout the ages. And then maybe we can piece together the causes for what is now happening which seems so in-humane and appalling. perhaps by understanding our past better, we can truly stop where we are heading towards, as if things could get any worse.
The common denominator of all of us is the human body. Colour, culture and race compartmentalise people when we are essentially the same. Whether one is born in one part of the world compared to another part, we are all made the same way, born the same way, on the same one planet.
Right now we have the Olympics happening – country against country shouting out for their nationals – that is separation. People pushing their bodies to the limits to compete in the “games” that too is separation. None of these are ways that are truly loving and inclusive of all.
We have such a huge culture of separation which is the exact opposite of the one source we are all from and off. It is not just with refugees but everywhere in our society. For example, sport, organised religion, nationalism – you name it everywhere.
The lack of brotherhood is very obvious with the way in which refugees are being judged and shunned by society. It is hard to believe we are such an intelligent and developed species that we could be so unloving and disrespectful to another human being. Time has come for governments, communities and individuals worldwide to make a difference and begin to treat refugees with the respect and dignity and true care they deserve.
It is not refugees that are the problem, it is our fear and loathing of ourselves which we then project onto everyone else. We need to heal our own lack of self-love to truly be able to embrace others.
It doesn’t make sense that we divide the world up into segments, and if you’re born in one segment you have different rights and different challenges to overcome. There’s no equality in the way we run the planet – countries and borders should not dictate your basic human right to be safe and to choose your own way you want to live. A person’s health and safety and well-being should be considered LONG before their nationality.
It seems that our closed borders are a reflection of our closed hearts – seeing others as an inconvenience or using their plight as an excuse to stay in protection and to blame them for the increase in crime is irresponsible. There is no coincidence that every time there is a mass stabbing or shooting the media instantly make a link with refugees or a terrorist organisation, only adding to the fuel of fear.
Listening to the news today and hearing that Allepo in Syria is under siege and the people inside cannot get out and are facing terrible atrocities no different to Rwanda, yet the world is doing nothing about it. Maybe if we understood the terrors that many of these people have been through and are going through we would be more willing to open our borders to the refugee crisis.
What if those in the “west” we’re suddenly forever from their homes and unable to live in the country they were living in and hence forced to flee just like the refugees are. They would be refugees just like the refugees we see today, so is there really any difference between them and those of ‘us’ in modern society or is that all just made up?
Recently there have been a number of news stories about attempted and somewhat successful mass killings in Europe. In each article published, there has consistently been an emphasis on three main factors concerning the different perpetrators of these acts: 1) the person is male 2) the person is considered a foreigner and 3) there is evidence to suggest that they felt socially isolated prior to the attack.
The problem here is that socially isolated men and women live in every country, whether it is the country of their birth or not. But because we have such defined boarders and identify so strongly with them, we have in effect created a seemingly unsurpassable separation between ourselves as global citizens, causing people to feel isolated simply because they are standing on a different piece of land from where they were born.
Surely we all need to look deeper at the root cause of such attacks, and not just accept what the media is telling us?
The view the media has taken towards refugees and migrants lately has been horrendous, these people are our brothers who at this time need our support and love not judgment and hate.
People are not ‘refugees’, ‘foreigners’ or ‘different’ – they are all brothers. When my brother comes to me searching for help because he has no money, no home, is traumatized by abused I have to question myself: where was I than all of this happened? How could it come so far? I obviously had let him down and now have to deal with the consequences. To send my brother away so I do not see him and don’t get disturbed anymore in the soak of my illusory comfort does not change the fact, does not free me from my accountability. My brother is still my brother, connected to me. What happens to him does happen to me. I can’t escape from responsibility and the love of being a connected.
The fact of labelling a group of people as refugees (with all the connotations that are being associated to this concept) is being used by politicians to create separation, because in fact people who are called refugees are more than that. They are people like everyone of us, who are looking for a decent survival which allows them to simply live their life. Who would not need the same in similar circumstances? Are we so far of our hearts that we can’t feel it? Refugees are a reflection of what we are allowing to happen as a society. Look at this situation is definitely confronting, if not revealing.
As a human race we are living in protection, we fear harm and want to protect our own lives. Clearly this just shuts people out and also closes down our ability to understand and learn from one another. The media has added to this by portraying refugees as dangerous or “bad guys” and Australian politicians have capitalised on the fear by making it an election issue to “keep out the boats”. Whilst we focus on protecting ourselves there is very little room for our humanity to emerge and express itself. As we shut out our own brothers of the human race, we shut ourselves off to the best of ourselves.
Thank you Christopher for your thoughts that you share. It all seems to start (the Refugee issue) within the Countries of origin of these people who through war, famine, natural disasters, terrorism and overthrown Governments, become displaced or homeless through no fault of their own in most cases. Who are we, sitting in our comfort to reject them, turn them around in their leaky boats and force then to endure more of the same ? Surely Australia is BIG enough to take in and house at least a percentage of these “HUMAN BEINGS’?If not why not? These People are also bringing skills, appreciation and Love with them!
You are correct Christopher, the truth of the continued separation of nations and lack of response to refugees has to be addressed before there can be a universal response that is inclusive and based on our one humanity. This will not occur until I and all of us come to terms and heal the separation within me first. I am more and more aware of how I can separate myself from the truth of who I am! This occurs when I act in any way that is reactive or do not take responsibility for myself or my thoughts, feelings or actions.
The Refugee crisis has hit an all time high in the UK, not only from the arrival of Europeans from the free movement within the European Union, but from the prospect that many refugees will want to come to the UK. The Referendum for us to stay or leave the European Union resulted in the leave vote getting the majority because many people don’t want to open up their borders and welcome the refugees in, because of all the reasons you write.
We are indeed all refugees except for the indigenous community in Australia. They are also completely man made borders. It is only when we stop and consider what another person has experienced that we can even begin to comprehend the insult we throw after injury to someone who has had to leave their country in fear of their life.
Refugees, foreigners, immigrants, and many more terms I won’t mention, are very commonly and passionately used in Australia and yet all except aborigines have only arrived in the last two hundred years! It really does show a very stupid side of human nature in considering one person to be entitled to settle in a country and another not because of race or creed.
Christopher, this is a great article, you raise some very important points, reading this I can feel how it has become the ‘norm’ to see refugees as a ‘problem’ that we do not want on our doorstep – the media is very responsible for creating this idea and also us as humanity for not speaking up about this, we are all family and as you say we can all work on this together and care for our global family rather than reject them.
As you probably know, here in Great Britain news of refugees have dominated the media for some time now and 95% of it is negative, biased and based on political propaganda. Refugees are people too, they are from our one world family, they are our brothers and sisters. When the media spreads fear and lies, we see as we have this week a massive increase in hate crime. Everyone who works in the media needs to understand the consequences of printing such harmful material and be held to full account for damages caused.
And how often do those who tarnish the reputation of refugees consider why it is they are landing on our shores, what atrocities they are fleeing from. I find the idea of right wing groups such as Britain first marching about in protest far more intimidating and scary a prospect than I do the idea of a huge number of displaced families appearing in my neighbourhood. We need a wider understanding of what community should mean, it should never be some insular and closed off place but an accepting and openness to people from all across the world, we are a global community and we can embrace that with every action of love and care we show for another, regardless of where they come from.
Christopher this blog is so beautiful, I feel deeply moved by the love you express. My heart sings with joy knowing that there is another way to address the atrocities that are on our doorstep. It is little wonder that a group of people that are traumatised and abused in a myriad of ways by the system they came from and the system they enter present as a ‘problem’, however, you make it crystal clear that the ‘problem’ is not the refugee but the reason we have refugees in the first place. Very timely considering the outcome of the recent Brexit vote.
We are having a deciding vote today on the EU referendum and if the UK stays a part of it or not. It seems that the vote is 50/50. What’s so interesting is that through looking at our DNA, it is very clear that there is no such thing as a British person because migration patterns show we come from all over Europe, and before that from Africa. So the idea of race and culture and boarders does not exist. It shows how much we want to hang onto an identity that is not truly ours.
Even how we call them ‘the refugees’ gives off a feeling that they are not fellow human beings, it is like they are just things that we have to deal with and hopefully one day the problem will go away. I agree Christopher we need to see them as people first no different to you or me, not, ‘the refugees’ which de-humanizes them.
‘We are all custodians of this planet – and this crisis of refugees is on our watch’. Perfectly said Christopher and in a way that reminds us of our shared responsibility for what plays out in our world. In which case, it is truly incumbent on each one of us to ‘meet these fellow equal human beings with compassion, with love, honesty and respect’. For we would surely want the same from them if the tables were turned.
Reading your very insightful blog I had to think of how when a disaster happens we all come together as countries as one to help, support and do what is needed. This approach I feel is also possible with the situation of the refugees, the problem arises because of the control, the calculating how many people there can be in a country and of the resistance to step out of our comfortable situations and invite people in our homes we do not know. It seems to me if we would act as the one brotherhood as we do with natural disasters, we have such a huge power to build homes and shelter for the refugees that, as you said, they would not be a problem at all. The question really is what we put as important in our lives, getting more wealthy, discovering new technologies or the people in the world our fellow brothers?
I think that is a great realization Christopher, the refugees are often seen as an object, a problem, a nuisance but your question: “how we actually meet them?” brings in the human part. The refugees are no objects, they are people just like you and me and that is great to consider in such a dilemma’s and in many other situations where people become objects, problems to solve etc. Bringing in the human part makes these things so much easier to truly resolve as it is our natural state of being.
Absolutely we have to consider this question more deeply, or actually at all. We are in a state of numbness and denial where we prefer not facing what is truly going on because we have to feel that we have let things slip enormously, like these wars etc. And we know that we will have to act on it. In a nutshell why we prefer not seeing , not looking – whilst we can no longer ignore it as it is right in our face. And so it is our willingness and free will to act on this absolute horrendous abuse that is going on and that will continue if we do not speak up. So , world, lets start now.
Until we realise and fully claim that we are a one global community, world wide social atrocities will continue to transpire.
Not until we admit our fears of someone taking our little slice of paradise (comfort) will we be able to truly give charitably to those who need it.
Really it would only take one maybe two generations to solve many of the world woes. Optimistic? maybe…
Should we get started?
Yes great point Luke. As long as we see ourselves as one nationality and other as another nationality there will be a separation. This separation makes it so much easier to do inhumane things to others and make that look ok just because there is a difference between the two nations. Yet if we see we are the same and start to live as one community this would not be possible anymore and yes isn’t that what we all deeply want?
Yes and getting started is with ourselves first and let go of nationality and all the protection and/or comfort this gives.
As you say Christopher, we have had refugees throughout history. Thirty years ago I worked in Vietnamese refugee camps preparing them to be resettled and they were treated with the same suspicion and fear as refugees are today. We have to understand that we are all people first and foremost and stop allowing the things that appear different about us to divide us. Underneath all the perceived differences we are all the same.
I love what you are saying here Christopher, when is it we are not going to label these displaced people as ‘refugees’, like they are some kind of weird group of people who actively chosen to be in these circumstances. They have not, yet we treat them like they are second class citizen’s, that there is something deeply wrong with them. When in fact all they need is equality, as a starting point, somewhere to live, not having to feel like they don’t belong anywhere.
Perhaps one day we will replace the word ‘war’ with a word that really describes what is going on – ‘atrocity’ would be a good place to start.
Looking at the bigger picture we have created a horrible reality where we treat some of our equal brothers as less and call them refugees not wanting them to enter the country we have been born in and believe to own it, although we are all sitting in the same boat. We are all refugees as we do not belong to earth, but we are here due to our choices and we can only return together in brotherhood.
This is such great blog Christopher the only real solution to many of our problems in this world is to realise that we are all one brotherhood and we are all the same.I watched the news this morning and it was showing how many people there are in prisons with mental health problems such as schizophrenia. These people need treatment, not just being locked away as criminals. It is like locking someone up for having diabetes or something.
Hello Christopher, I am ashamed to admit this but topics like the refugees I sometimes just push out of my mind as I find it so painful the way we deal with it globally. I am so ashamed and dishearten that I just pretend it’s not happening. I think that your article is calling for awareness and the quality of true brotherhood. This begins with our relationship with ourselves and those around us, we need to grow this and it will be everywhere.
This is a great point you raise, Christopher, that refugees are not a new phenomena but one that is as old as history and it is time to do something different. As long as we see them as a ‘problem’ we do not see them as individuals the same as you and me. When we truly connect with this truth they become no longer a ‘problem’ but an equal human being requiring help and support, no different to our own child. What needs addressing is the cause behind this predicament, not short-term solutions.
Have just re read your blog Christopher, after News of refugees being turned away from Manus Island due to the imminent closure of this camp, because it is deemed illegal. Surely our Government here in Australia can re settle them here? But No they aren’t interested in doing that! Neither side of Government!
This just highlights how the notion of boarders just separates us from coming together as one people.
It’s interesting that we focus on one aspect of this – i.e. refugees coming to a country becoming a problem, costing us money. But we do not consider how they then become apart of the communities they come to and actively contributing to society and helping us really understand that even though we come from places that are different (we may look different, have different beliefs, eat different foods) that this is only the externalities of what we are seeing. The truth is, as you have shared Christopher is that there are no differences. If we look deeper than what we see with out eyes we would know this. Therefore if we did treat refugees in a way where we were investing in the future of our countries, and that of the countries they are coming from, it would look completely different.
What would happen if we were the refugees? How would we expect to be treated? Not how the current people who are refugees are treated.
Some very important points for us to consider Christopher. It’s interesting how we treat ‘refugees’. In Australia we place them in gaol like detention centres, where their physical and mental health is at risk. It’s a hot topic that’s become a political football of ‘keeping the boats out’ and taking refugees on ‘our terms’. We really have very little understanding of what is needed here and it is definitely not what is currently being done, for this will lead to more ‘trouble’ in the long run.
If we see that refugees are not any different than us, in that they are human beings first and foremost, it is impossible to think: “that they come here and cause problems, they have no money so we have to support them, they are lazy, they are criminals, all tarred with the same brush; we are even told that many of them are supposedly ‘undercover terrorists’ that will try to kill us in the years to come.” As expressed by Christopher, it is very important to connect to our hearts again and make that the focus instead of the material gain we often find so very important.
I cannot but ask.. what are we doing as a human race? We are running around basically at odds with each other in one way or another and nothing has truly changed in the history of mankind. Your blog confirms that the only true change can be ever founded on the true expression of love and compassion.
Yes very true Joshua, with things like this happening how can we think we are doing well as a society?
There is always the possibility that any of us could be refugees. In this country of Australia especially, so much of our recent history, eg: the last 200 years, is the story of refugees finding a place to be. This is why it is so inexplicable to me that there is such a swing against helping our equal brothers. It feels like propaganda gone mad. If we can go back to basics, if we can stop the manipulation of language and stop talking about people as if they are other to us and go back to knowing that refugees are people like us with more in common than not, perhaps we can find a way to treat people the way we would like to be treated.
Today i started singing and dancing with a group of women and children, refugees from Syria. They live in a neighbouring town close by. I met them first time on Saturday. Such a beautiful experience we were joyful dancing around everybody together and singing a little. I used body language to explain what to do. We are all humans here on earth and it was very healing to truly feel we are all equal. All you need to is open your heart and look into the others person eyes.
I am very inspired by the love, care and sense of family and community they live and share with another. And can feel this is an inspiration for our german society.
It is important when we connect to “refugees” with what intention do we do? Wanting to help or do something good?
Or simply to open our heart and to connect to them like we would with our own family.
To even read the words that we treat others as non equals sends a shudder through my body. The horrors some groups and minorities endure thanks to others’ ideas and beliefs is frightening and horrifying. Treating anyone as anything other than our equal breeds this way of living and it is so ingrained in us, from the way we are in our families, in the workplace it goes on everywhere. This lack of treating each other with respect and equality is everywhere.
It is a good thing that God is the loving God he is, for if I was the big guy in charge I probably would have destroyed the planet long ago. After eons of us not getting along as the one brotherhood we are meant to be with some with so much wealth it would take life times to put a dent in it and at the other end of the scale, some literally don’t have a pot to pee in. When wealthy businessmen can spend billions on a plane that can fly into space making space travel available for the very rich and we have people starving and freezing to death. All the money that is spent on arms could feed clothe and house every man, woman and child ten times over. Will we ever learn?
Well said Kevin, it is obvious that our world is out of balance and it is up to us to make changes…
You raise some amazing points here Chris, I agree it is not the refugees that are the problem, it is the ones causing the wars that these people are fleeing from that are the problem. Why has mankind never learnt that wars solve nothing and the fact that things can’t be solved diplomatically is disgraceful. These poor people fleeing their own country only to be tear gassed at shut boarders defies belief.
And you raise some points as well well worth noting. One response arising in me is the fact that those that are inviting those having to flee their country has taken a solid and appropriate responsibility. Now there are those having done this and lately saying that they are taking too many and that they cannot cope. This is where we have to say, ok how do we solve this then! Not close the borders as the one and only solution. I know countries that has been selling weapons for ages calling themselves neutral – Now how can you be neutral when you’re selling weapons that will eventually be used to kill another fellow human being? We all have a responsibility here and just because the situation is making us feel a bit overwhelmed or scared perhaps because the situation in the world is getting a wee bit too close doesn’t have to mean we detract from owning up to the responsibility we are asked to take.
It is true, there have always been refugees. My family left South Africa 35 years ago in the early 1980’s when the situation there was not looking good. We were refugees of a sort, just not arriving in a financial or physical crisis but we certainly arrived requiring emotional support and the re-building of community around us. People immigrate from all parts of the world because they see it as a better option for their families. The difference with the refugees is that they really don’t have a choice, their situation is dire. I support the call to let go of our fear and do what we can to support.
I agree Emma, we need to start dealing with our fears (and issues). I started today talking to a woman who is actively supporting refugees in her community, which is close by where I live. She is teaching them german and has organized a women’s cafe in her seminar house where some of the women can participate in courses like Yoga. So we were talking and she said to me you can sing with them as I offer singing classes. And I responded yes I can lets do that. But after the conversation I was processing strongly, my body was in a chaos, but it cleared after sometime.
I could feel in the context of reincarnation we have all experienced at some time to have lost everything and to be a refugee. And I could feel the consciousness in our society of not wanting to have anything to do with them.
So time to heal our issues and what might stand in the way of connecting with our new foreign neighbors.
It feels like the ‘problem’ of refugees is designed to bring to our attention the parts of the world that are struggling for otherwise it is just too easy to get on with our comfortable lives and ignore that there are others in great need. Not that I am advocating jumping in and saving them, putting our own lives out of balance to do so. But rather having an open heart to receive the refugees and supporting creative solutions to be found as you suggest Christopher.
I agree Emma the refugees situation is shacking us out of our comfortable lives and brings into perspective that there are people suffering terribly and it is up to us to not look any longer away.
This is an awesome blog Christopher. It is something I have always felt but not quite put the words to. I find it extraordinary how we as humanity respond to others in need, being fearful and elitist, and even more so how the national policy has developed to mis-treat these people in the ports, from what I have heard. It is not an issue that I come into direct contact with in my everyday life but I totally support re-thinking our approach from the perspective of a one brotherhood humanity.
Our media do not help in this regard. So much is made of refugees being islam. I asked my Islam security guard today why there is so much fighting in the middle east. His response was very interesting because he said it actually had very little if anything to do with Islam, and much more to do with the infighting between tribes – that went back generations. And yes, they use religion as a scapegoat or a front for their hate. But in truth, such hate would be there whether they were muslim, christian or atheist. The reason I am moved to mention this is because our view of refugees today is tainted by the stereotypical lies we have been sold about their background.
One of the reasons the Middle East hates the ‘West’ is because we have never understood their tribal nature. We Brits have ridden rough-shod all over other people’s countries, just as we ourselves had been invaded hundreds of years ago, and America has continued the policy. Our ability to respect indigenous people and their cultures was a non existent thing – they were simply seen as savages as, especially the Christians, trampled in with a superior attitude of ‘We know best’. We, in the name of religion have killed millions and now our interference has consequences and we are at a loss to know how to deal with them.
Thank you Carmel for sharing this part of history. What stood out what was Christopher also mentioned in the blog the missing link between all cultures and nationalities to see each other as equal no matter what language we speak or what clothes we wear (if we do). And to question this still existing “superior attitude“ in our western side of the world and understand that a certain level of technology or education does not mean anything really. We just need to look at the situation in our society the lack of connection between people, the violence and rise of illness and disease.
You are so right Adam, the media are grossly mis-representing those from the middle east. It plays into our separative outlook that we are good and they are bad. It is not personal at one time it was the Germans then it’s the Russians, then it’s the communists, the Jews always seem to cop it. We want another people to be the bad guys to make us feel better about our society and to justify it. There is nothing in the groups we say are the bad guys that is not also in our society- if we are honest about it. It is treating other people as separate or less than us that is the problem.
It is great to build relationships with people from different cultures as Adam has done, the lack of judgment allows trust and people are open to share the truth. You learn what is real and personal rather than what we have been fed in the fiction of movies or the fiction of the news.
I agree Bernard when we connect with people from different cultures than we can learn and inspire another and that is very beautiful.
The way the newspapers and media report the ‘problem of refugees is often so full of hatred. I feel so sad when I read a feel the energy behind such headlines. The media is responsible for inciting so much conflict, hate and discrimination.
I watched a programme where 100s of people had made a perilous journey on rafts and landed on a Greek island. Here were people with just the clothes on their backs who walked into the nearest town – a very popular tourist destination. So side by side there were tourists out enjoying themselves and people who’d risked their life to leave their homes to go somewhere with a greater chance of survival.
I couldn’t get over how these two experiences could meet and nothing much change. So I asked myself what is it that I’m being asked to change? I feel starting to really acknowledge the areas I like to keep off limits from the responsibility I know is there. So all the little pockets of comfort: the indulgent food or 30 mins of TV to switch off to how extreme and mainstream abuse is and being honest about the ways I add to it. Being honest about the vague panics when my ideals of a utopia look under threat (my fantasy of living in a perfect village where harmony pervades). Deepening my understanding that actually life is about us all. Choosing to stay present and not shy away from all I see in the world and go deeper to the love that is there whatever may be going on.
“Choosing to stay present and not shy away from all I see in the world“. This is what I am learning too Karin. I haven’t read any news for many years. Now being in contact with refugees from Syria i started reading articles and it is so very confronting and challenging to feel what is going on in other parts of the world. But it is important that we don’t just look away because we have a safe and comfortable life here in Europe. If we ignore what is going on in the world we support the hate and war to continue.
Give anyone or any group of people a title and suddenly you have reason to see them in a different light to yourself. After that, anything is possible….
Yes, Adam all sorts of abuse can be inflicted on those that others consider are lesser. The world is showing us that everyday. Titles and labels dehumanize sections of the population, a very dangerous thing.
Yes Adam very true, the word migrant and refugee has been used to induce separation, to insinuate they are something different to us, even suggesting they are lesser. How much more appropriate and real it would be to talk of them as our equal brothers not as something so very different from ourselves.
This week I read an article in the newspaper about the refugees and there was one sentence which said: what do with them? It gave me this feeling that we are not talking about human beings but some objects. We distance ourselves thinking oh it is not me and it is far away and then we tend to forget that we are talking about our fellow brothers here.
I agree Mariette. Yesterday i was looking for literature about Syria. There was one title of a book “ what do with them“ and it just didn’t feel right the approach to write in this way about refugees. Really we find ways not to deal with what is going on and what is needed now in a crisis where so many people leave their home countries. And what is needed that we start open our hearts and meet them as equal. And drop all the images and prejudice we have allowed and which the media is feeding us.
Recently there have been reports of sperm whales washing up on European shores around Germany. Nine more were found just yesterday, dead with no apparent reason why.
Energetically we know that wales beach themselves to offer a clearing. I find it very interesting that they are all washing up on the shores in areas they would not normally swim.
At the end of the day we are all the same, and we are all innately connected, and we will keep on getting hints that this is the case until such point that we embody it.
To consider ourselves separate is ignorant, and the world will continue to send us messages to confirm this is not the case.
Dear Christopher, Your blog should be spread around and be actually on every news channel as this is exactly how it is and what we as fellow human beings should consider…it is, as you say, so horrible what happens to our fellow human brothers in this that many of us choose to ignore it and just concentrate on their narrow surrounding, just their family, their home and so on. This is such a big thing that they fear to go there yet is the only way,it is worsening as you write, it is increasing as you write, it is coming closer, therefore there will be no other way sooner or later for each and every country and for each and every one of us to do exactly what you express here to look at it as a one community thing that is happening on our planet, and really start supporting each other with all the love that we are – we are all equally so and come exactly back to this. Thank You so much for writing and expressing this.
Human beings have been on the move for centuries, either fleeing a grim existence, hoping for a better life, or trying to conquer and extend their territory. The result has been a diverse mix of cultures that some communities do not enjoy, and they close ranks, build walls, draw boundaries to keep unwanted intruders out. Birds on the other hand know nothing of borders and walls – they are free to fly across continents all over the globe. They live in harmony with each other wherever they are. We could learn a lot from the birds.
“Birds on the other hand know nothing of borders and walls – they are free to fly across continents all over the globe. They live in harmony with each other wherever they are. We could learn a lot from the birds.“ Beautiful example you give Carmel of the quality birds reflect to us.
‘We do not own this planet, though many think they do. We are all one global community so anything that happens on this planet is for us all to consider. We are all custodians of this planet – and this crisis of refugees is on our watch.’
Well said Christopher , it is so easily to isolate terrible happenings on this planet the new divide it into borders. Nothing happens in isolation, we are all part of this globe.
This is something we really have to start considering Jenny” Nothing happens in isolation, we are all part of this globe.”
As a topic that is close to my heart it also amazes me how we see another person first as someone separate to us rather than the same in essence. We look for differences rather than what unites us. When we do this we act far worse than territorial animals, we fail to see the world is one, we like the comfort we have in our “protected” area of the world and see someone else’s issues as their problem. I love however the fact that through the very fact we have refugees we are being forced to accept we live in one world. How we truly deal with it, long term, the support we offer will be the real test.
Great point Susan, when we label people, we dilute the fact they are human beings, and we make the label the problem, we then don’t deal with the problem in the same way as we would if we acknowledge them all as human beings from the beginning.
Christopher, it’s brilliant you’ve picked up on the fact that refugees are called a ‘problem’ before they’ve even considered to be people and how this constructs the reception they receive. The media seems to reflect/propagate society’s’ notions of scarcity – the need to ring fence resources for fear of nothing being left- like nation’s fear being ransacked or sunk. How different to welcoming fellow people and working together to build a community that inspires. Thank you for a much needed expression of choice of action given all the negative fear mongering.
To readily people become numbers or ‘masses’, and are de-humanised in this way.
So true Jenny we become desentitized to another’s pain and overwhelmed by the sheer mass of suffering it only adds to the dehumanisation.
“How different to welcoming fellow people and working together to build a community that inspires.” And we have to choice anytime to not accept that refugees are a problem and to do what you share here with us Karin.
Christopher, your blog focusses on an issue that many of us would like to pretend is not happening. It’s great how you remind us that ‘refugees’ are fellow human beings who have been forced by circumstances to leave their own country and that we should treat them as fellow human beings and not as something to be fearful of. Mass migration has been happening ever since history began and the more fixed are our national boundaries the more of a problem it becomes as our ‘us and them’ mentality brings up fears that ‘they’ will harm us or reduce our comfort. Though it is a logistical nightmare for government, were we, as you say, to approach the problem from the point of view of one humanity, not separate nationalities we may find an easier way to deal with the problem. In a world that is fast becoming a global community this may be one factor that is pressing us to let go of national boundaries and see that we are all human beings on this earth with the potential to work together in brotherhood.
There seems to have been a dehumanisation of those who have come to be called ‘refugees’. These are people who are fleeing war, and have decided that it is safer to put their children into a boat and brave the journey to another unfamiliar land than it is to stay where they are.
This is something that cannot be considered a decision lightly made. As the headline quoted at the top of this article says, it is a dangerous undertaking to make the journey to Europe, and no mother would wilfully place her child at risk if it was not risky to stay put.
Our place is with those who need help in these situations of desperation, to put out a hand and pull them out of the icy waters, not stick out our boot to say, ‘you’re not coming into my country’. For as has been beautifully pointed out, there is no such thing as ‘my country’, only the one planet that we share.
We can never know what it is like t walk in another’s shoes.
The wisdom of your warm heart and compassion in this blog truly speaks about how you are embracing brotherhood. What you are presenting here is deeply touching and so important to become open to. I feel that we can look at the world community in the same way, as we are looking to our own body and life, the fact, that there are still refugees in this world is reflecting us on a grander level, what we inside are replacing and don’t want to become aware about. Every refugee then confronts with a kind of awareness and responsibility, I didn’t take. The typical reaction is to get angry about the carrier of the message or “kill” him/her in the figurative sense, as separation and judgement is a kind of “killing” equalness and brotherhood. The more we are willing to take responsibility for the “refugees” inside us, displaced and ignored feelings, we are able to become open to not “call the real refugees a problem before we even meet them”.
As you share here Christopher – we do not own our planet . The fact is we are all from everywhere – what is now considered France was not there a thousand years ago – and yet someone will claim they are French – but this is simply an area colonised by people, divided by politics and not by nature.
We live in a world where borders and visas are seen as so critical – and yet – if we trace back our ancestry we are a complete mix. How ignorant we are to confine humanity into areas when really we are all the same. If we lived with the truth of this in our hearts, how many wars, how much politics, how much racism and culture would truly exist? None – because we are all the same.
Thank you Hannah for sharing i was very touched reading “How ignorant we are to confine humanity into areas when really we are all the same. If we lived with the truth of this in our hearts, how many wars, how much politics, how much racism and culture would truly exist? None – because we are all the same.”.
So this world crisis is self produced by us to avoid living as equal sons of Gods in unity. And we have accepted it for too long. And it starts right in your own home and community.
These wars and conflicts that are pushing our fellow members of the human race all over the world in search of safety is surely an outer reflection of the inner turmoil that is going on inside the human frame. As we all get called to be more loving with ourselves and with each other, the fighting becomes more intense, both on the streets in war torn countries, in which there are atrocities happening which I am sure we have yet to discover, and within ourselves as we try to wrestle with the fact that all this time there has still been more love to express and we have not chosen it.
What I have noticed over the Christmas period is that there has been little or no news on the refugee crisis, has it miraculously gone away or are we too concerned about having a good time at this time of year to be worried about anyone else or does the media think that all the flooding, fires, blizzards and tornados around the world is enough bad news for us to cope with?
You’re right, there is a call to consider more deeply what is really at play here and what is our responsibility or lack there-of as a humanity that sees this cycle play out over and over again. Without true brotherhood and togetherness we are destined to continue the cycles until such time that we come back together and, as you ask of us, consider more deeply what our true purpose is whilst we are all here on earth.
Society’s inability to see and welcome everyone as equal is one of our biggest issues. To have the view that these people who are escaping daily terror, have intentions to bring the terror to another country is absurd. If they were met with openess and equality, and reminded that they too are enough, and do not deserve to be treated the way they have been, the situation would be very different.
Christopher, everything you say here makes complete sense. Our willingness to escape responsibility is what has got us in this mess in the first place. And it starts with every individual making changes for themselves before they are of any true service to another.
It is disgusting what is going on in our world, and more so it’s disgusting what is going on in our own homes, in our own lives.
We have a choice, as you’ve clearly pointed out, to do things differently, it’s a matter of connecting to the fact that we are enough just as we are, getting ourselves out of the way and bringing brotherhood back.
I agree Richard we have to understand that we are all human beings and to label people is perpetuating separation.
What you show here Christopher is our lack of understanding and compassion for people that are no longer able to live in their own country. We still have the ‘not in my backyard’ mentality of not wanting people that are dis-placed from their own country living close by. Brotherhood is a long way from our society when we read the headlines. I long for the day when there are no borders and people move freely from one country to the next and we can live side by side in harmony. While this may sound like Utopia it is not impossible, it begins at home in our own backyard, not living in protection of our own possessions and the need to protect our ownership of everything around us.
There is a ‘refugee crisis’ which is exposing our ways of thinking about each other. The labels we come up with to define a person depending on their situation in life. And how we react to that situation, at times with judgement and other times with sympathy. Maybe it is time for a change of perspective, and find a new word besides ‘refugee’.
Even the word “refugee” is designed to pidgeon hole into a category that in part de-humanises them. When we think of a refugee, it conjures a certain image in our head. It would be much more exposing if we were to say “today 1000 people took to desperate decision to get on a rickety boat to try and make a new life in another country.
Agree Adam, and it fades away the us and them thing. It even fades away our man made borders…
Absolutely Adam! We love to paint a sensationalist picture. My god, does the media have no idea of the power it has to actually help change common perceptions.
Yes the word refugee is totally impersonal and paints a picture that most want to look away from.
While we hold so much mistrust and fear for the refugees, we cannot settle fully into our own selves and feel that they are equal in every way to us as that unsettledness on the outside won’t let us feel the truth of them on the inside.
“have we forgotten that we are all the same?” this basic point is something that not only have we chosen to forget but our entire media, systems, education, religions, cultures and political systems ignore and in fact promote separatism instead of a one unified perspective on life. Until we deeply accept the fact we are all the same many people will suffer.”
Christopher this is a much needed conversation to bring to the fore and I commend you on the grace and truth and absolute elegance you bring to this subject that have gone on to inspire the comments that follow. As someone reflected, this is something governments want to be reading. ‘Every drop, from the tiniest kind word uttered from a place of love to the grandest action, will help the world become a better place for us all to live in, together.’ This truth deeply touched me for this is all our problem, on our watch and we are all responsible for how this plays out.
Wow that’s beautiful to read Janina. It’s inspiring. The more I care for and deepen the love in how I am with me, the more I feel to do the same for others, from friends to those I don’t know yet. Treating all equally feels so grand.
Yesterday somebody shared with me how much support the refugees experience in the village she is living (in Germany). She visited a place and saw how many volunteers were there for supported and how beautiful the rooms were decorated she was very touched to experience that. She will be offering herself her separate apartment for a family from Syria for a few months to live in and is very open and inspiring for me to see that she holds them as equal and is willing to give her support (time and her seminar house to use).
Vey beautiful Janina, and immensely healing.
Nationalism is the real issue here. Without it our world would be a VERY different place.
Very true Kate, we have to come to the realisation that we are all one and take away the borders that seperate us.
Christopher this is a very beautiful and much needed article, thank you for writing it. It really made me stop and consider the complete illusion we are under that we even have refugee’s. What would it take for us to change our thinking and therefore our ways of being towards our fellow brothers and then easily rectify this tragedy. What is really tragic is the way we are treating these people, which in truth is just as bad as the abuse they are fleeing from.
Yes Susan, in reducing them to a title, it seems they are no longer a human being but some object that we loathe or are afraid of. It reminds me of a quote in a recent movie which said, You give a man a label, then you never need to get to know him. This is definitely apparent here.
Whilst ever we refuse to understand our innate connectivity with each other, the issue of refugees will continue to plague society, and the arguments will continue unabated.
The refugee crisis continues in Syria today, although it seems less and less we hear about it in the news. The press seems to only report on the terrible circumstances for these people when it is sensational. This is a dire indictment of our media, as even today many people suffer not only with the extraordinarily difficult circumstances they are in, but also with the lack of understanding from much of the world.
It is exhausting to treat people differently and as second class citizens and it is equally exhausting to have complex legislation that does its best to keep people out. Maybe if we all opened up our hearts and worked together on this issue, countries would then be able to relax their border controls. The other thing is greed. It is only because there is so much greed in the world that we have such an imbalance of resources.
Good question Richard. I know that I felt ‘all at sea’ in my life pretty much all the time until I found my way to Universal Medicine and The Way of The Livingness. They offered me a map that led me inwards to my inner heart and the truth of who I am, Love.
If it is brotherhood in our hearts, then the advice to wear our hearts on our sleeves is surely advice we should heed.
The protection afforded by the divisions of culture, nationality and religion are no match for an open heart.
Were a major news program to interview someone displaced from Syria on the experience, and what it meant to them, all of us would be in no doubt, these people are people just like us, but living in a country at war.
What Christopher is asking us to do is take off our blinkers and see this issue from the perspective of love. When we do this the issue dissolves as we are looking from the perspective of brotherhood where we simply cannot see nations, religions or cultures any longer as they do not truly exist other than in our minds and our beliefs.
I remember seeing some people interviewed on TV who were fleeing through Greece to Europe. It was clear that these refugees were people with normal lives who were now in dire circumstances. Everyday people like you or me, but living in a country at war.
Absolutely Helen, if we choose to view the situation from our hearts we could move mountains.
It certainly does expose the rot Ariana – If due respect was paid to all then possibly there would be no refugees in the first place!
It is very exposing of our ‘intelligence’ as human beings that with all this modern technology, we still all hold grudges, jealousies, judgments and live in emotional hurts, when we actually do know that it need not be this way. Otherwise why would there be so many self help and self mastery books and why would there be such an emphasis on changing our world for the better? Yet the consciousness still prevails of burying our heads in the sand and no doubt refugees, terrorism and mass shootings are only the extreme tip of the iceberg and as Chris said, the questions we are entertaining must become much more relevant to the whole human condition.
A superb and powerful blog Christopher asking us to dig a little deeper, not just into the refugee ‘crisis’ but to see the extent of the crisis everyone is a part of and therefore in.
There was discussion in my local community of the possibility of housing refugees in some unused buildings. One of the arguments made against this was ‘but what about the homeless, shouldn’t we house them first?’ On the surface this argument is compelling but it is more likely to shut down the discussion and neither the homeless or refugees end up with the housing. You point the way to addressing all of humanities woes Christopher, not just refugees and the homeless, with this line ‘It is obvious here that the issue is not going away, but worsening, and that we haven’t as yet got to the root of the issue nor to the truth of a response.’
I agree Deanne, with the root of the issue being our belief in Nationalism and lack of love for ourselves and therefore our fellow brothers.
This could be a global community project, but as you have pointed out, Christopher, the issue has become highly politicised and spun around to serve different individuals’ agendas, This could be a golden opportunity to recognise that this is a moment for us all to stop, help another who is in need, and also to ask ourselves what exactly is going on in our world that such a thing is happening.
Naren a great point – we have the opportunity to stop and ask that question, the real question about what is going on to allow this to be possible and how do we ensure it never happens again. We see the suffering so it is our choice to allow it to continue and repeat or not. But as you say political power and greed seem to once again get in the way.
“And why is it that this problem is worsening by the day and yet many of us are watching as bystanders? Or seeing the harrowing pictures on the news yet are not feeling to speak up or act in some way?” We live in ignorance and arrogance of what is going on in other parts of the world and seeing many, many people flee their country. We don’t want to know because it is too painful as it brings up unresolved issues within ourselves. Thank you for sharing Christopher giving me an opportunity to go deeper in observing myself and my relationship with refugees.
If refugees are seen as a problem, then add the already entrenched racism to the mix and we have an even bigger one.
I saw a news clip the other day about a couple who go down to the beaches and help the refugees by physically pulling them out of the water and then giving them food and shelter, but there were other people attacking the helpers because they don’t want the refugees to stay in their country. This is such a huge subject at the moment and sites like this are so valuable to get people talking and highlighting what’s really going on.
I agree Julie, much of the reality of what is really going on is hidden from public view.
The fact that these people we call refugees are just like ourselves with professions, families and homes they have fled are too often covered over with the media pushing them as a threat and something to fear.
This is a wonderful opportunity to drop our guard and recognise the equality we all share as one brotherhood.
EXACTLY Doug – very well said – why do we allow it and then complain that it happens?
Christopher you have hit the nail on the head when you ask us to “take a step back and look more deeply at what is going on”. How often do we do that. It is not just to do with refugees but with EVERYTHING. We call ourselves intelligent but look at what is happening in the world and with our bodies. We invest zillions in finding cures for cancer and debate the refugee situation but we don’t ask where have we gone wrong as humanity and what is going on that this is happening in the first place?
We really do need to stop and look at the world, re-evaluate, take stock if anything works and if not why not, and as you say Nicola, ‘where have we gone wrong as humanity and what is going on that this is happening in the first place?’
We don’t ask what is really going on, and how we got to this point. It seems such a HUGE question, and yet it is one worth asking as you say Nicola. How did we get to be a world that is separated by borders? Borders of country, skin colour and even sporting teams. How did we get to be a world where sport inspires vicious fighting in name of a game? It is time for all of us to start asking these questions, and one by one start addressing the root cause of our ills, for they are definitely all our ills, and not about one country, one race or one sporting team!
I am wondering if a lot of the fear and judgment around refugees is about defending our personal comfort and security. The comments I hear are often around ‘they will take our jobs, houses etc’. I find that when I am ‘comfortable’ in life I have the tendency to not want anything to disturb this, and will react to things that may disturb it. I wonder if this is the case for people, that they like things the way they are and don’t want to change. Unfortunately this doesn’t allow for any growth or discovery of how amazing these opportunities (like having refugees join the community) can be.
Yes Fiona, we learn from a very early age to defend our personal comfort and security. Just a small example is how most children are not willing to share their toys etc. and would fiercly defend it. Could it be a pattern we have already when we enter into life?
I suspect so Eva and it feels to be a deeply entrenched one.
Such a great point. The fear often stems from something seemingly to be taken away. Surely it is as simple as changing your mindset to look at everything that can be gained?
You have raised a couple of things that I had not considered in this way before. Why in this age do we have refugees? I had just accepted that that was where we are at. And it is quite telling of where we are at as a one species/humanity. I also loved your perspective of the one global community. Nothing can really be addressed in its entirety unless we start to think and work like this. Otherwise each separate country will look after itself and its interests before it thinks of the whole.
What you present here is so important Chris. It is time to reflect and deeply question why is it that in this day and age of such ‘advancement’ that families are driven to remove themselves from an abusive environment where many are experiencing atrocities that we would not accept in our country. That the risk of danger that may come from fleeing is a better option than remaining as they are. These crimes from which they flee are not foreign to us because they occur in another country, these crimes are against humanity which we are a part of whether we accept this or not. If they are not acceptable in our country why is acceptable in another? Why is it OK that we allow and permit another to live in fear of and experience repeated abuse and torment? As our bodies cry out in pain when something is not right when we pay attention we can heal that which become dis-harmonious in our lives. So too is the body of humanity crying out, reflected through the refugees we see and the pain is increasing, that something is terribly wrong and we need to look at it with our hearts rather than take quick fix pill to avoid facing and so numbing to remain in comfort from what in truth is going on and our responsibility in it.
The ‘refugee problem’ changes if we were to consider it as a community (e.g.worldly) issue where we are all part of. It changes the perspective. Tomorrow it can be us. Yesterday, it was already ‘us’. My grandmother, mum and aunt had to flee their home in World War 2. It was due to a loving befriended family they were unconditionally welcomed and stayed there. As a teenager two things always stayed with me about this situation: my grandmother in her 20s making the difficult decision of leaving her home with a baby and a young girl, including leaving my granddad behind. Not knowing for how long it would be. She thought a week. And second thing what struck me of this all, a family that hosted my granny and two kids for whatever time which was needed. It turned out for three years. What if we were just to see it as our grandmothers, aunts, friends fleeing? Or to take it one step further, a fellow planet earth ‘brother & sister’ fleeing? Do we stay as a bystander or do we serve by contributing in whatever way is needed?
That is a beautiful example Caroline, about how it can be any one of us, when you have an experience from people so well known to you as your grandmother, mother and aunt, that you could not but see how ridiculous all the reactions are about refugees being some different type of beings and treated as criminals. They are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, sisters, daughters and neighbours, each looking for safety and not knowing what to expect. So as you say; do we stay as a bystander or do we serve by contributing in whatever way is needed?
Realising we are all equal is a first step in truly caring for one another, to not come from sympathy or any judgement we place on each other.The moment a refugee is amongst us in a safe place so to speak, they no longer should be called a refugee, yes they have run away from somewhere they had to leave because of what is going on, but they are brothers who needs our care. We have decided to divide the world, we cannot divide people, we are all the same.
Wise words Annelies, we are all equal. There are always going to be times when we need support from our fellow man, but that doesn’t make us into a label, like a refugee, or a divorcee, or a cancer sufferer. We are always humans, and from that place of equality we can work together to support one another.
So true the label ‘refugee’ is very revealing of the way we choose to see certain people, rather than seeing them as our fellow brother first we see them as somehow alien or something to fear and then respond accordingly to this belief.
Indeed, whilst we need language to describe what we are talking about, labels can cause so much further separation, alienation from our fellow brothers.
You make a great point here Christopher, that we project our fear onto the refugees and make out as if they are a threat but if we were to “meet these fellow equal human beings with compassion, with love, honesty and respect …, perhaps they would no longer be the ‘problem’ we all fear.”
Sandra, you have expressed this beautifully. Perhaps what we also feel is the overwhelm of our lack of collective global responsibility? That in the moment of seeing and feeling the tide of refugees looking for safety we can see how irresponsible we have been to allow nations and fellow brothers to become this desperate. Perhaps, therefore it is easier to project negative responses back onto the refugees themselves?
“What is truly going on here that in our so called modern age …that we have ‘refugees’?” Christopher, this is a great question to ask and thank you for opening it up for deeper consideration. Part of the difficulty is our “us and them” mentality that brings in a fear that “they” will harm “us” so we then treat them as separate, either by deliberating excluding them or totally ignoring them. This is another area which highlights the responsibility that each and everyone of us has as a member of humanity and if we were to see ourselves “as a worldwide brotherhood”, as you say Christopher, ”we could act to make changes together”.
Everything we do, say and think is reflected back to us…so what are these people fleeing abuse telling us about ourselves?
“We call them a problem before we even meet them.” how judgemental have we become where we spend time creating a problem about other human beings who are going through the most extreme forms of trauma when we’ve never met them? The answer i feel is simple, we don’t want to truly address the mess we are personally in, the pain, the hurt, the lack of commitment to life – family and work. Instead we revel in the drama, in the pictures and want to ensure our comfort is not knocked, we want the debate not because we truly care about refugees or not but we want this because its a distraction for us. We are all the same. The real problem is that we are merely existing compared to the grandness of love we each naturally are. That is what should be taking up the news.
Well said David, we create so much drama in our lives to keep us in our comfort to simply avoid the grandness of who we truly are.
A gorgeous piece of writing Christopher. We are all one. My parents and siblings were refugees before I was born and as a family we experienced the power of people letting us in and treating us as as equals. We also experienced hostility and being unwelcome. They are such contrasts, yet we are all the same. We can shut out others and be separate to each other in various ways. It is not just through racism.
You have a good point here Annie, we can shut out others and be separate to each other in various ways which are not always so obvious.
I agree Monica that the refugee crisis is showing us that we have been living in a way that does not consider all of humanity equally. It is an opportunity for change.
Maybe our reluctance to accept refugees stems from our reaction to the fact that we know refugees only exist in the first place because we have allowed corruption, greed and abuse to thrive in world today. A lovelessness which erupts like a giant boil in the extremes of violence and exploitation that we see which creates refugees. When they come fleeing to our door we are forced to face what we have created as a human species.
Having refugees on ‘our doorstep’ certainly does expose how living in separation and being shut down to another can invite and allow such evil to be carried out toward another. And that this is presenting the opportunity to reflect on the way we choose to live and how much we are able to truly let people in can be confronting no doubt. But it also presents chance for us to heal, not only ourselves but also as a humanity, and as such bring love and stand up to the crimes that comes from the lovelessness of separation.
Life is so much richer when we embrace everyone equally and allow each other in and realise that there is only “we” and not “us and them”.
It’s so easy to look at a group of people and give them a name or a label. When we do this it creates distance from them. If we were to take a big step back and look at the world as a whole, it is possible to see that we are all inhabitants of the same planet. In truth there can be no distance from anyone. We are all stuck here on this planet together. Where else can we go? Will it take a huge world disaster to make us work together and take care of each other?
Absolutely Rebecca there are NO borders we just made them up to create further separation.
It is interesting how many otherwise peaceful citizens, confronted with the refugee situation become racist, simply because they fear for their comfortable little nest to be disturbed. It is easy to be tolerant and generous as long as turmoil and despair does not hit too close to home.
Great points you are addressing here Christopher. We feel save and protected in our pocket of the world until chaos and despair arrives a little too close to our doors and rocks our boat. Many of us are not prepared to face the turmoil that is going on in the world but with the refugee situation we are forced to deal with it.
Yes it really does rock our boat to be confronted with all that is happening. It threatens our comfortable lives and ‘perfect picture’.
Brilliant point Christopher, the same here in Germany we are confronted with this situation. The refugees are people like you and me and everyone has the same right as we all have. No one is less. The obvious reflection that they hold for us is something to not be proud of. So many europeans have landed in other countries to hide away from the world war. I always felt that there should be no countries that are separate to the other. What about we start to open the borders and allow us to see this as a big global problem, which we all have contributed our part to and therefor we have the responsibility too. I feel it is time to open our hearts and let people see how divine they are, just like you and me.
People are often saying about the refugees, “send them back to where they came from, we don’t want them here taking our jobs”. But no-one would ever contemplate doing what they are doing if they were happy and settled in their home country. They are in fear for their lives and families, and that’s why they are fleeing. We turn feral and go into a dog eat dog mentality when refugees are the topic of discussion, seeing them as the enemy which needs to be eradicated. We then don’t see this issue as something we really need to look at as a society together, not in separation and fear.
I agree Julie it is pretty ugly to see the ‘dog eat dog mentality’ so rife in our society today. Our protection of our comfort is still such a stronghold, one however that is clearly not serving us as we are being shown exactly what happens when we continue live in separation from our love and from others.
Christopher, thank you for naming what the truth is for our fellow human beings and providing the opportunity for honest discussion. This would not exist if people felt and lived as one brotherhood, but sadly just as the lines have been drawn between countries and those still seeing themselves as individuals claiming what they believe is ‘rightfully’ theirs – separation is allowed to exist and celebrated. As you have mentioned – ‘ this planet does not just belong to a select few but to Humanity’, so let us allow love to do the work and start by ‘Being’ and living that love in our lives and towards all others. Thank you Christopher for sharing your beautiful open, tender and loving heart.
Our attitudes in the west towards those suffering in non-western countries has been particularly exposed of late. As in not only the media coverage, but also national outcry regarding the horrendous terrorist attacks on Paris on Nov 13 of this year. We cannot hold our media fully responsible for the outplay and deeply-seated attitudes exposed here – when Lebanon suffered horrendous attacks just prior to Paris and we (in the west) barely heard mention (if at all). National capitals all over the west displayed their support and unity with France with the colours of the French flag over national monuments… What of those in Lebanon (& elsewhere in non-western countries)?
We have become accustomed to identifying and opening our hearts to that which is FAMILIAR – very much inclusive of western lifestyle, religious leaning and yes, ethnicity and the colour of our skin.
All of this is also exposed in your article here Christopher – for in truth we are all one humanity. The colour of our skin and our racial features is determined by the tiniest minuscule of of DNA. Beneath our outer appearance, we all bleed the same, we all suffer equally, the devastation of having someone we love blown to bits.
The re-establishing of our true oneness in the psyche of our world is something that is so deeply needed. Without this, we are lost to endless conflict, both on more micro personal scale, and then between communities and nations.
So true Victoria, there was another attack on Tunis, just two weeks ago, which got hardly any coverage, in fact I wonder if anyone heard about that at all. I only heard about it because I talked to a Tunisian woman the other day.
And reestablishing that oneness starts with ourselves, seeing ourselves as equal to every refugee. We all have hurts we have suffered in our lifetimes, some more traumatic than others and we need to rebuild trust in ourselves and each other and not accept the man-made lines drawn in the sand.
True Carmel they are all man-made lines – not from what we know inside to be true – that we are equal, precious and divine.
‘The re-establishing of our true oneness in the psyche of our world is something that is so deeply needed. Without this, we are lost to endless conflict, both on more micro personal scale, and then between communities and nations.’ – powerfully said Victoria. This is deeply needed and it begins with choosing to live with truth in our every day with everyone. This is the power we all have, the power of choice. And from where we make that choice every day is what will make the difference in the world.
Yes, for us to live in harmony with one another and for true brotherhood to be restored we first have to take responsibility and look at ourselves. Our hurts are the root cause of all our abusive reactions and until we address them, separatism remains between us.
It’s interesting – and worthwhile – to ponder on how such attitudes to refugees have been so readily accepted. Surely it shows how insular and protective of ‘our own patch’ we’ve become in the way we live. All that’s needed is the slightest hint of threat to our lifestyle and our safety, i.e. our clinging to keeping everything ‘just as it is’ and controlled ‘thank-you very much’… and we so readily buy into these hints of threat, regardless of their ACTUAL veracity and foundation in fact/truth. Namely because the falsified threat suits our personalised agendas – ‘don’t ask me to open up, don’t ask me to acknowledge/embrace/offer true support to those who have likely experienced hardships I can’t even imagine… No, I’d like my world to stay just as it is – my own ‘Truman Show’ – and please keep it that way.
In short, I don’t want to know that you are my brother. Perhaps I haven’t dealt with my own pain and I can’t bear to see-feel-hear of yours…
Another aspect is what responsibility we hold as a country in that how has my country contributed to peace in this world? I live in Sweden, a country that has always claimed to be ‘neutral’ but still we sell weapons and equipment used for warfare so when we now get ‘refugees’ from countries in which there are wars going on you don’t have to be a genius to see that everything comes back to you from what you put out there in the world.
Thank-you for your writing on this Christopher. In Australia, this seeing and labelling of refugees and also asylum seekers as ‘other’ – and not fellow members of the human race – has been appalling. The association with refugees and ‘criminals’, as you’ve also stated here was strongly made a while back – fuelled by politicians and media to a public who seemed willing in large numbers, to ‘buy it’.
And so, with these people who are genuinely suffering, we have conveniently labelled them as something ‘other’ or ‘lower’ (criminal) – which from the many reports I’ve read and am continuing to view and comment on, is reflected in the way people are being treated, particularly in our offshore detention centres. There is so much that can be written here… but suffice to say, I truly appreciate the foundation of your true call here: We are all one, and so what are we doing about it? And what are our attitudes? We are kidding ourselves here in Australia if we think we are truly open and embracing of other cultures, religious beliefs and suffering. More is coming to light, but the transparency required on these issues is not yet in place.
I do agree with you Victoria, although I live in the Netherlands I experience the same, that we are kidding ourselves by holding onto the belief that we are an open, embracing and unified society. How we react to the enormous stream of refugees that are coming to us at this moment shows us that we in Holland, but also in the European Union, are not embracing these refugees into our societies unconditionally, but instead we start to point to each other as individuals and are not able to work and respond to this call of humanity in a one unified way. We have a long way to go and all this has to be exposed and recognised as this is not the way we want to live with each other as human beings.
One thing for sure though, we are all brothers and in the face of such hardship and tragedy for so many love is the only true way to respond. Forget the fear mongering, forget conspiracy theories and political and financial agendas – just Love, pure and simple. The question we should all be pondering is what would love do with regard to refugees?
After reading your blog Christopher I felt how the media so powerfully and insidiously plays with our perceptions of events and that I cannot know the truth via their vehicles. The media have a lot to answer to with regard to our attitudes towards refugees.
Written with compassion and sensitivity Christopher. I have wondered for some time, like many others, how we can possible justify our stance here in Australia on the subject of Refugees, who also are our equal brothers left to such a hopeless fate . They are not only homeless but without a country to return to! I pose the question, what if it were us in this position, what would we expect of a so called free and rich country?
A Simple question could be, what are the refugees reflecting? Could they be reflecting that we are all refugees in some form or another for as long as we are rejecting love and not claiming/living the sons of God that we are, are we not all refudgees of the love that we innately are and come from?
How we meet refugees could very well be a reflection to how we are meeting all people. Do we meet people with openness and love, and a knowing that they are equal to us in that consistently? Or do we look out at others with scepticism and judgement? If we do this with anyone, we can allow it in all our relationships (including with ourselves). Starting to know and to feel that we are all equal in the love we innately are, and any issues or behaviours that are not loving are simply creations away from that is important. Knowing that each person has the capability to come back to love, when supported, is crucial in how we interact with anyone.
It is absolutely time to consider this more deeply by remembering that refugees are not just an issue, we are speaking about people, as you have said Christopher, our fellow brothers. I love the clarity and simplicity of what you have presented here Christopher. Thank you.
Yes I agree maybe it would make a difference if we refer to our fellow citizens as people and look at how we can all support them rather than categorising them or any other groups that don’t quite fit into society as we expect into a box and referring to as a ‘problem’ that needs solving.
I don’t understand how we can draw boundaries and say this is mine – I especially don’t understand some of the racism and generalisations that tend to occur, I see Australians and any nationals behaving as bad if not worse than the hypothetical behaviours attributed to refugees in general.
I feel most people have a sense of community but have reinterpreted that to mean their little community, be that immediate family, the local area, ethnic or cultural group or country. This habit of looking after our kin or like people and not caring about the whole community is a great cause of harm and reason why we often don’t work for the good of all.
I agree Nicole, I observe this too in Wales, U.K. It’s incredible what we do to protect the illusion that it is ‘our’ country or ‘our’ language etc, all because of our need for identification. We are one of the same and we are here to get along with one another; there are no boundaries, only those which have been created.
“We do not own this planet, though many think they do. We are all one global community so anything that happens on this planet is for us all to consider. We are all custodians of this planet – and this crisis of refugees is on our watch.” Great point you make here Christopher!
I am deeply grateful for this inspiring blog Christopher. I feel you cutting through the huge ideals and believes we have created to see see “refugees” as a problem. Something i also hold strongly. But i understand that there i bigger picture we have to see and understand that something is very wrong that we have ” refugees” in the first place. And that we all can contribute something to make a change.
Why do we always try to classify people into categories? Why can’t we just meet ourselves without judgement as equal human beings?
“There have been refugees in society for many lifetimes. It is obvious here that the issue is not going away, but worsening, and that we haven’t as yet got to the root of the issue nor to the truth of a response.” It is incredible and concerning that these situations arise again and again and the world responds in the same way each time to try and find a ‘solution’ to the ‘problem’ like it just happened and we act all surprised and don’t know what to do. so thank you Christopher for raising many questions and giving a platform for us all to consider what is really going on and our part to play and what beliefs we probably all hold onto or have had in the past around these situations.
So true what you are saying here Julie – we are acting all ’surprised’ every time this happens. It goes to show what a big game we as humanity are playing.
When we look at everything in our lives as a reflection that tells us something about ourselves, an opportunity for growth, than we would look at the refugee issue form a whole different perspective. Why are these people on our doorstep? What does that tell us about us, about how we live or have lived, about our present and about our past? We are all responsible for everything that is going on for the Human Race on planet Earth. Time to stop looking the other way for what we ignore will one day present itself at our own doorstep.
Very good point, Katinka. Could it be that we do turn the refugees into an issue of which we than can be afraid in order to not see our responsibility in it?
I love your question Katinka: “Why are these people on our doorstep?” That is something we need to reflect upon and learn what there is to learn for us, instead of trying to make “the problem” go away, so that we do not have to deal with it.
“We know that there has been refugees in society for many, lifetimes” but until we face the reflection of what refugees are presenting us with, we are always going to be faced with refugees on our doorstep; it is never going to go away trying to ‘fix’ the situation.
I find it hard to understand why we look at refugees as people that will cause us problems, that are lesser than ourselves, dangerous etc. It is a self fulfilling prophecy if we treat refugees as criminals and push them to the edge a bit further. These people have lost loved ones, have lived in fear and may have lost their dignity because of the horrific experiences they have been through. What arrogance we have in thinking we know anything about them. What arrogance we have when we don’t even bother to feel that these are real people, human beings like us, our brothers. We are all connected and it is time we understand that these problems will not go away until we ALL take responsibility and make this world and our way of living about love again.
Refugees are there and are to be looked and cared for, they are just as human as we are. That what we fear, I feel comes from the seperation from ourself, trough that we can’t see that they are also people, and they are in need of care.
Exactly Toni…..”….the right to say what land was theirs and which people are their citizens”!
Christopher this is such a brilliant article and a very important conversation to be starting. What I find interesting is that the people I hear complaining the most about the refugees are the ones that fled their own war torn countries many years ago in search of a better life in Australia. Why would we not want to extend this same hand to others experiencing similar atrocities? The sad fact is refugees can be seen as lesser beings and a threat to our cushy society, no matter what your religion, colour, or nationality everyone deserves to be treated with respect and dignity.
Thank you for writing this blog, bringing truth to what is truly going on here and how we can start to make changes about the refugee situation if we choose. You have really exposed alot here. Refugees have been through so much already, they don’t need anymore abuse here….they need love and brotherhood.
Chris, it is very deeply felt what you have presented here…this can present as a very overwhelming dilemma and the world community has gone into reaction, fear, with an attitude of scarcity – not enough for all…protect what we have…but the truth here is we are one world community, we are brothers and if can connect to that and come together as you say the creativity of what we can bring to this is not even realised whilst we are within the confines of very old beliefs. When we comes to war we organise ourselves quick smart and before we know it, there are planes in the air dropping bombs and it seems we are quick to destroy. When we have natural disasters, the community pulls together, opens their hearts and amazing support happens, so why are we not doing the same with refugees? Firstly lets get rid of the label – and see them as our brothers…who have experienced trauma that many of us cannot even imagine. As one community we can build a world we have not even imagined…and it starts simple as Chris has shared! We all know this!
When we label groups of people in whichever way we do, we start to build the division between us and the excuses not to relate to each other as equals. Soon enough there is a stigma attached to the label; a judgment we can use that lets us off the hook.
I love the clarity and simplicity of just getting rid of the labels and being left with the truth of equal, feeling, fellow human beings. It is not that we all have to rush to alleviate particular situations but that we get off our sofas of denial (avoiding responsibility) and comfort and stand alongside humanity with no attitude, arrogance or pity; no ‘less than or better than’. This would change everything.
It so would change everything Matilda. There would be a space where people can relate with each other, realise that there are no actual divisions aside from the ones we create, that we are all connected and can work together.
Have we forgotten that the refugee ‘problem’ only exists because we have created it as a global community? By selling arms, encouraging unrest and manipulating other countries’ politics for self gain, then turning a blind eye when things go wrong – just a few examples of how we have not been responsible in taking care of everyone on this planet and treating them all as equals.
To accept the facts about this cycle of creation is almost a ‘relief’ although that is not an adequate word here. There is not some random hand playing out the atrocities we see in the world. This is the reality of what we have been part of – ‘selling arms, encouraging unrest and manipulating other countries’ politics for self gain, then turning a blind eye when things go wrong’ – and we let this perpetuate, living comfy and unfeeling to what is going on whilst we can keep it at arm’s length. To be even considering going to war in Syria is an abomination – is it not time we learnt?
The whole refugee crisis or even the fact that refugees exist exposes the fact that international boundaries and countries create separation in humanity and feed us the idea that we are different when in fact we are all one humanity living on one planet which is our home.
Yes Andrew, that is definitely a contributing factor and not supportive of a one humanity and embracing them all.
Re-reading this another level of responsibility came to me. Like you say many if not all refugees are escaping from extremely abusive situations. Having experienced abuse I know that love is required for one to heal trauma still held in the body around these experiences. We may offer shelter, food, and education.. but are we offering love, i.e. are these gestures coming from love or at best do they stem from tolerance?
This question exposes something we may not really like to look at. Tolerance, benevolence, goodwill – all supposedly altruistic and worthy pursuits. All designed to provide solutions, to keep the peace. But what of Love? Emotional love will thrive in doing good of course. But actual Love – what we are all from and of might not fit the same bill …. worth contemplating, thank you Abby.
Indeed Helen where is love in all of this, all the goodwill, tolerance and benevolence has not been answer at all.
You make some great points Christopher. The only plus of the huge amount of refugees at the moment is that we can no longer ignore the issues faced by others on a daily basis. We can discuss and argue about what should happen to these displaced people, where they should go, who should support them, etc, etc, but we can’t close our eyes and pretend that this isn’t occurring (as we have done so for so long). Until we choose to live in love and brotherhood with all, we will have this constant reflection of the consequences of living the opposite.
So then I ask myself. What part do I play in this and what’s the solution?
For me there is not so much of a solution but rather a willingness to really connect to how I feel about myself and all others and then expressing it. In every move, every conversation and everyday. I must be the voice of change. We all must be.
Thank you Christopher. The way the world is is not okay. And the refugees are an outstanding example of this. Firstly that they are at the point when they have to flee and secondly for the way they are ‘received’ at the other end.
We are all equal. So then how has this got to this and why do we hold back from supporting others?
Reading your blog Christopher, I am wondering, if it isn’t about truly winding down the walls of our comfortable life, to see everyone as an equal brother, and what that truly means to me, and to us. What it means already in my day to day routine, because the walls are in my mind and of course these walls are protection layers on the heart. In the last year, I am learning, to not look away from anything. Neither inside, nor outside. It is a work in progress, but up till now I can say, that my compassion and responsibility grows with every step I take in direction of being deeply honest with myself. As any problem, the world community has, is a reflection of an issue, I am carrying in myself. Here I see also the reason, why people have no other solution but to get rid of the problem “sending the refugee back” as to not having to realize it as a reflection any more.
This is a great blog Christopher that makes it very clear. I see discussions and arguments from people that wants to get their point through in this matter, most of which is self serving, but in the end it all comes down to the fact that we are all one and the same, and we can never escape that fact. So if we look at this from a perspective, would this be happening if we haven’t been greedy and self centered in the first place when we decided that we had to have countries and nations? The answer is a very clear no. If we haven’t had borders in the first place then we wouldn’t have refugees would we? Some might argue that it’s natural for us humans to want to have borders and feel ‘at home’ with others and yes that is true but those others are ALL others not just a few. When we pick those few then the others become just that, others, that we don’t have to care for as much as we do to our ‘kind’. Nature is calling us back to be one again and this nothing can change, we can only stubbornly resist it which a lot do but many are also responsible enough to adhere to what is being presented before us. The reflection we are getting from the ‘refugees’ are actually a blessing we can learn from saying that the way we have constructed our world is not as it should be. It might look as if it’s working, but not really considering the tension that is going on in the world, so it’s with deep respect and a humble bow I say thank you to all those people that have chosen to move away from what is not working to show us all how it really should be. Let’s not ignore what these people are offering our part of the world.
The mass media is not reporting on the people who have gathered in London to campaign against bombing Syria. The people are calling out against the actions, as they do not want the Syrians to believe that the bombing is done in their name. Why is it that the media will only publish half truths, the things that spread fear, hate and mistrust? Who is it pulling the strings, and what money can be made from bombing another country – these are the questions we have to ask, to uncover the greed and rooting corruption at the highest levels of our systems.
It’s like we haven’t learnt anything from our history of war violence and aggression towards countries, states and people alike, there is greater media coverage and communication available yet it seems we are more desensitised to what is really going on in the world then when world war 2 was happening, does it have to be on our very own door step before we listen.
Very true Jaime, we have not learned at all from the past and it only seems to get worse. Now what does this say about us and the way we live?
We read about ‘refugees’ but it tends to keep an arms length to the reality that it is talking about people. Your blog Christopher definitely brings the humanity back to into the plight of this situation.
Fighting against the influx of refugee movements is a futile act. We cannot expect one part of humanity to live with war whilst another lives in relative comfort and safety. Borders are only there because we made it so, ourselves with perhaps much fighting to define them, but this in many cases is so long ago that we have forgotten our own sacrifices for the sake of security and freedom. Nothing has changed, expect that now we have the awareness and, with thanks to technology, we are able to look at the bigger picture much more easily, however with this comes a greater responsibility not only to picture we see, but to each other as a global community of human beings.
Thank you Christopher for starting the conversation about “refugee´s”. I delayed reading your blog for some days because it is confronting looking at all the ideals and beliefe i still have you which you nominate so well like “It’s as though they are not humans, they are something else – a burden on us, a nuisance, a plague of unwanted debris – and not our responsibility”. And also understanding how much suffering they have experienced in their own country and than they experience more and being really welcome in the country where they end up. So it is great to start coming out of our own comfort…
Love your honesty Janina – it is very true, it is deeply confronting and disturbing to feel our own judgments or indifference towards our fellow human beings.
Thanks Christopher, a powerful piece of writing that calls us to account as a humanity, as a country and as individuals, carefully (through silence) guarding our comfortable lives in a country we’ve taken ‘ownership’ of, as you so aptly point out. To treat people this way is very telling indeed… we have a long way to go before all are treated as equal by the divinity that is within each of us, and not by arbitrary measures concocted by educated ‘minds’ and then justified because the collective do not stand up and call it as it is.
I would love this article to land on the desk of every politician in the world, every policy and law maker, in fact everyone, so that we stop bleating about the ‘problem’ and consider the part we all play in its perpetuation and in resistance to opening up to fellow human beings, so that the tide of prejudice and division in the world can change.
Agreed Matilda – well said. When we begin to get honest with ourselves and consider that we are the problem, we then will begin to truly work on what is called for to bring the change that is needed.
What will it take for us to understand there are actually no borders, there is no my country and yours. We created this separation through greed. The world is not ours to own but a place for us to unite, heal and evolve.
I don’t understand why the governments think that the refugee people are of no use. They would work hard to ensure the safety of their family and a secure home, anyone would in the name of survival and gratitude for being given the chance to have a life by a welcoming country. So why not have training facilities to help them work, like the rest of us who get that opportunity? Why do we think they are incompetent or unwilling? I feel it would be the opposite and perhaps expose the comfort that some of us are in with how much effort and purpose we put into our day jobs.
Ultimately looking at true and total responsibility in our own lives is a massive healing for the planet.
And consider it more deeply I shall, thank you Christopher for starting this conversation. I have been without television for years and have not made it priority to know what is going on in the world, so I shamefully plead ignorance to this whole situation of refugee’s. It’s too painful to hear and see the mess of these people’s lives and how the rest of the world doesn’t seem to care if they live or die. It’s quite horrific and one that proves our evolution is not about technology advances since that has not helped the state of human welfare or living.
I have found I have ways of living in a way that has meant I do not know fully know or connect with what is going on elsewhere in the world. I skim the surface with news but in the past have stayed ignorant of all the facts because I haven’t wanted to see that nothing has really changed over time. There is now a responsibility in paying attention as we are all part of the necessary changes to come.
On the one hand we want to be considered part of a global society when it comes to trade and economics etc but on the other hand we want to play the individual, ‘what’s mine is mine’ game when it comes to refugees/people. Double standards galore at play here. As you say Christopher – we have created this mess and we all have a responsibility to play a part in challenging the status quo.
Well said Helen, “Double standards”, humanity seems to take second place to economics, politics, and so forth…actually not second place, but no place, it’s like humanity issues get in the way, its a problem…even our religions make their philosophy more important than people, its about the people ‘obeying’ religion….point being – it’s the systems in society that hold more value than the people in those systems.. the human being and their value is not held in the highest and that is reflected by the state of the world such in inequality, wealth and poverty etc etc, our attitudes of individualism and/or only caring for those that are part of our family, including our nation we will care for but that’s it, we even have many in our own communities that are feeling isolated and alienated…and even within our families and nations there are divisions between us… we all play a part in this. but this is a very simple way to start to change this and that is open our hearts to see we are all actually the same in essence… we all belong to one big family – humanity! This simple change in perception is what will change the world…
It is so true how we change our perception of things to maintain our comfort and security or even safety. We are all humanity but have so cleverly separated ourselves into nations, religions, races, economic classes to make ourselves better than another or at the expense of another.
Hi Christopher, I loved your description of us being a global community – as human beings we can be very parochial and reticent about being involved in anything outside our own community and yet our community is the world. Whatever is happening in any part of the world has an effect on us the rest of us wherever we live. The sooner we all realise we are part of a global community and take responsibility for the part we play, the sooner we will come together to support each other.
Well written blog Christopher shining a beacon of light on our choice to fear ‘refugee’s’ rather than treat them as fellow brothers who need support.
Yes judykarenyoung, have we really stopped and felt the horror of what is happening here and the irresponsibility of how we are ‘dealing’ with this with our fellow brothers….i ask myself, in this moment how do i become responsible to this global issue?
Spot on Toni. Seeing people from other religions, who speak a different language or who have a different skin colour keeps us in separation with each other. With this comes a protection, a waryness, a fear of who these people are, what do they want, etc…but they are just people fleeing atrocious situations in their homelands. My neighbours come from a different country to me, and are of a different religion, but if their house blew up, would I offer them a place to stay, somewhere safe? Is this any different?
It was really great to read this Christopher. We have become so separated in modern society – an us and them mentality that stems from white supremacy. And i agree that there has been refugees as far back as most generations can remember – so what is this with OUR ‘borders, OUR countries’? Why are we so afraid to integrate with others who have found themselves in desperate situations. How can we not recognise that to put your whole family on a leaky boat across treacherous waters is not the one last hope a family has of survival? There really does need to be a worldwide strategy of how to home our fellow brothers. This is yet another opportunity in time to work together, united.
Christopher, you make a great point when you suggest that the only way to deal with the current and indeed ongoing refugee crisis is to come together as one community. This is a global issue and we have to see ourselves as the global community that can deal with it. People are people and people all over the world are struggling. Let’s work together.
Yes, Elizabeth. The refugee crisis is such a strong reflection to all of us, of how we have allowed separation and difference to breed contempt in society. There is a lot for us to look at and change with respect to how we can learn to treat ourselves and each other with loving regard.
Working together it’s the only and has only ever been the only way
The so-called “refugee crisis” indeed is a global topic. One that offers us the chance to stop and have a closer look at what is truly going on in this world. It is time to make it about people and not about money or anything else.
I agree Michael – this is massive. Is it time we start to realise the world will never be ‘the same’ but that huge adjustments awaits? It is our choice to welcome the adjustments with an open heart or the opposite, to stay contracted and keep fighting it.
The Refugees are indeed reflecting how it is in the world – the lack of care, the separation, the closed borders, and the fights over borders, who owns what, who is taking over whom, we are not living the equality that we are, our doors and hearts are closed, we are wandering feeling lost, unsupported and homeless. And yet we are not alone, support is there, our home is within our own hearts, if we but open ourselves up to feeling and being who we truly are, and open up to all .
Very well said Carmel – in that strive for ownership, to be the best and identify with what we gain and our trimmings, we have lost the ability to connect on a deeper less superficial level. We look at these people desperate for a life and to survive, but they are no different to those big shot business people who are in the very same game of survival and desperation. We are all the same, just in different suits.
I love what you have said here Chris, and it all rings so true. The illusion of the division of humanity through having different countries, languages and cultures, has also compartmentalised our problems as a race. With the understanding that we are all one, and absolutely equal, there would be no discussion about ‘what should we do with them?’ as we will know that Us and them are the same and are here to work together in beautiful harmony as the brothers and sisters that we are.
Hi Christopher, a super important article in a time of great upheaval. What really struck me was how seperate we all are, doing our own ‘little’ things and not considering the world as One society. “Many generations ago many of our families were refugees in one form or another. We do not own this planet…We are all one global community so anything that happens on this planet is for us all to consider. We are all custodians of this planet.” Our defiant ownership on our land and on our personal boundaries, has made this a world where we have strayed so so far from any sign of Brotherhood. It’s time we open our hearts. Thank you for the reminder.
If we pretend to own something we can pretend to be allowed to do whatever we feel to with it.
Once we realise our responsibility as custodians of this planet we will also realize that the only way forward will be working together as one humanity.
Yes, Susan, staying in the comfort of our own small world is what most of choose until such time as something dramatic rocks our world and we are forced to face the bigger reality, that we are a part of everything and cannot avoid responsibility.
So true and so absurd at the same time.
But why do we so vehemently fight our responsibility?
I was an immigrant as a child, moving from one country to another with my parents. In many ways we were like refugees, taken in by another country, given housing and work for my father. I was aware at the time we were different, and at school that difference was accentuated and pointed out. As years went by a different nationality began to arrive in the country I lived in, they were the new immigrants, and new slang and belittleing terms made up for them. I can even as a child remember that I was glad the focus was no longer on me. It is time we stop seeing and judging people about their culture, their skin colour, their language, and start seeing them as people.
I agree Heather, it is indeed time to see and know that we are all the same.
The stark authority with which you speak, Heather, about the constant shift of our prejudice from one group to another makes chilling reading.
Your very humbling and enlightening blog highlights the depth of mess we are currently in and have been for longer than we care to admit. It is time we start working together as a one unified humanity.
Yes Jeanette, it does highlight the mess we’re in, and I love Christopher’s comment where he highlights the advances in technology, and yet, we still treat people like this. This planet is about people, and we cannot continue to hide our lack of evolution through advances in material things.
Whilst there is but one human being still suffering then we are all ill.
Very true Jeannette. This is why people can reach the seeming ‘top of the ladder’, or find another way to tick all the ‘happy life’ boxes and are never ever satisfied for long – because it is not about that. We are yet to admit the profound truth that we are all one and deeply connected. There is not one thing that any person on the planet engages in or experiences that does not have an impact on every other human being. Understanding this simple fact calls for a completely different relationship with life.
Thank you Christopher, definitely time to ponder more deeply. There is a reading here for those of us in ‘luckier countries’ about protecting our boarders, keeping ‘them’ out, ownership as you say Christopher, plus that “I have it good and I don’t want that ruined”, translated into an assumption that some refugees only want to come here because it is better than their place and they want what we have worked hard to achieve. So much separation in such beliefs, but listen to talk back radio every now and again, it is incredible how much people feel entitled to rave like this. Such protection, especially in men, keep them going to war and being aggressive.
Yes Lee and Simon, the head in the sand approach keeps us locked in our own prison. We now know we are bigger then that, and that letting go of our protective layers and allowing ourselves to be vulnerable and feel our fragility, is the way to open our hearts and feel how we are all one with everyone. Possession is such an evil energy, who can own anything? Where do we belong — have we the right to claim this country of ours is by right ours.? We were settlers here once when the ice receded, and then were overtaken by wave after wave of invaders. Eventually we have become an integrated, and multi race society. The refugees who manage to come here have much to offer in many, many ways that will benefit our society and the world. I have heard interviews with young boys of 12 to 16 who have gone through fearful and desperate experiences to get to Europe, (on their own) and they are all keen to be educated; they have their own wisdom and intelligence, and the purpose of make something of their lives. They are not slackers or parasites, in fact they could be inspiring to the boys here, many of whom have opted out and fallen behind.
Reading this Christopher made me consider my own views on the behaviour we (as a humanity) perpetuate to safeguard and keep ourselves secure from any possible harm. It occurred to me that we are all and would have been at some point throughout our many, many lifetimes been in similar if not worse situations and the pain and harshness of these ‘memories’ actually ask us to act in a way that will never ever repeat. At what ever cost. Essentially no responsibility – I just don’t want to hear, see or feel what is happening. Too many of us rely on this head in the sand approach and it has never changed a thing.
Christopher I really appreciate your blog it has given me a connection to feeling the journey of return we are all choosing , the refugees are an extreme example of the inner displacement we feel when we are not aware of our ‘true home’. On a practical note I am also willing to be of service as it presents.
‘Brotherhood is the real deal’ I am with you there! I agree our world is all of our responsibilities and this includes the wonderful humanity within it, some how we have defined it with borders, boundaries and lines in the sand so to speak but this are all for power, convenience and personal agenda. In truth we are all one and the same, one humanity. And we undo ourselves and others when we do not take responsibility for the whole.
Awesome article Christopher! Thank you for putting it all into perspective. I am guilty, very guilty of turning a blind eye to that which is happening across the world, and particularly on my own doorstep. Purely because I’m still learning to manage my reactions to the constant atrocities we are faced with via the news daily. But, I realise pretending to ignore these issues isn’t what brotherhood is about. The more we talk about it, express how we actually feel about what is going on, the more opportunity others get to share their own feelings. There are too many of us, myself included, shutting down because we don’t want to have anything to do with what we, essentially have been facilitating the whole time. There is no love in being shut down.
Christoph you raise a greta topic, what I am observing is that we have become so focused on our own back yards that the world around us does not always seem real anymore. We dehumanise the suffering in many ways and then cannot see the human being behind it anymore. Wether this is refugees or homeless people or mental patients. We feel we cannot do anything about it, it is too big to handle. But is this true, and does this not simply expose that the way we are living our daily lives now is not loving, harmonious and all-encompassing and therefor leaving no room to support those who are in need?
We often hear stories from people who came to a country as a refugee and build a life, in the country we know them to live in now, from scratch. We call their stories remarkable and admire their strength and courage. Yet we turn around and call others choosing the same path, unwanted and even criminals… This is absolutely beyond ridiculous!
Yes Diana, “ridiculous” and devastating that this is even happening in our world….where people are displaced, traumatised and there is nowhere for them to go to be supported and cared for…to get their feet back on the ground so to speak, the ground that have been given boundaries known as countries with restrictions and rules for entry…when in truth, the ground belongs to the earth to be shared by humanity not owned.
This blog Christopher, should be read to every government/political party in the world and on every news station in the world. This is what we all need to hear and realise how far from true brotherhood the world has drifted. All arguments against refugees are from fair and it is time that we realise we are all
In this together and responsible for the mess the world is in and the reason that there are refugees in the first place.
This blog has more intelligence than all the newspaper articles I have read about the refugee crisis.
I agree – it reflects that true intelligence is Love.
And also feeling what is going on for others and in the world without shutting down or becoming overwhelmed.
And it presents simple common sense that we can all relate to rather than convoluted, complicated policy that attempts to keep us all in the dark about what is really going on.
Hi, Christopher. What you brought up here touched the truth about all of us as one big family living on this planet.
This is shocking how we treat our fellow brothers. I find it deeply disturbing when visiting Russia I hear abusive comments about people from Asian republics of ex Soviet Union who came to work. We do live on one planet and all those borders and counties are such an illusion. Still people demand that their country or region is only for them.
As for me – I always had a problem with my family, I don’t feel I belong. The same with humanity even though I make conscious choices to connect and change it. There is still long way to go but step by step we will get there.
The way we carry on and lead our lives, we are all a bit like refugees in this life, running to hide from the aspects of the world and ourselves that we don’t like. We turn a blind eye to uncomfortable truths and harsh realities believing them to be impossible to resolve. But have we really asked why the refugee situation presents? This huge displacement of people who have lost and are desperate enough to risk all, reminds us of a deeper human condition we have not come to terms with at all. As governments and countries we can change policy and strategy, but what if the fundamental change that refugees illustrate is that we can no longer hide from the side effects of inequality, and the brutality of disregard for each and every human life? If every living soul is your brother, how is it that we are so cold to ourselves and one another? Until we delve into the root cause of this dilemma our society will continue to sink like the refugee ships.
Hi Joseph
‘If every living soul is your brother, how is it that we are so cold to ourselves and one another?’
The root cause must be addressed or else we will never heal.
Does it come down to reconnection with ourselves and others? And then our responsibility to live this connection in equalness?
The ships of humanity will sink until we take charge of our own responsibility.
Each and every one of us.
So very beautiful Joseph. We are seeking to fix this “refugee problem” at the wrong end. Making prisoners of these men and women, vilifying them and denying them care and true support is the tail wagging the dog.
Why are we so cold? So brutal to each other? Have we come to accept the brutality of oppressive regimes as our normal way? Do we think that human beings are just made that way, and so war and hardship are just part of the way it is as a human being?
It may seem to be far too huge to contemplate how to change this, but contemplate we must, for we have no choice as the displacement of people has become a problem beyond the management of any government.
A greater understanding of the situation is needed so that people are aware of the circumstances of these people. At the moment alot of people seem to be focusing on self and not really understanding the dire situation for these people. If I was fleeing these countries I would hope that someone would offer support at the other end.
That’s exactly is Heidi, we need to put ourselves in their shoes. How would we feel if it was us fleeing from dire situations, or it was our children that were starving, or being tortured or murdered. Unless everyone is OK world is not OK, and we need to have more compassion as a whole and not sit back on our laurels in our comfort thinking what is happening ‘out there’ does not affect us.
Not only an understanding of their circumstances, but an understanding that these people who find themselves without a home, or a community are not the enemy. They want to live a fulfilling life and have rights for basic health and safety like food, shelter and transport. Our own lives are not at risk because others want to be safe, and we should not act like they are.
Unfortunately, things don’t often change until we’ve experienced something for ourselves, and then we seem to have more understanding and compassion for others. And so, many people haven’t had the experience themselves or anyone they know having been a refugee, and so, it is unrelatable, out there for someone else to deal with and we keep going with our own lives because we are are not impacted in any way.
Well said Heather. It’s interesting to consider how we make comments and judgement on what is needed by refugees, from the comfort of our our homes and lives and being arm chair commentators on something that will have serious consequences to not only the wellbeing of other people, but also of our communities.
Your question –“have we forgotten that we are all the same?” is very apt given we are all equal sparks of the same God, how is it that we can so easily cast out our fellow brothers and sisters and not want to support them? How we are treating the ‘refugees’ highlights that we have separated from our true nature which is brotherhood.
Quite simply, yes this is true Mary-Louise. How far we have strayed from our true essence as sparks of God and separated from each other in a way that leads to division of cultures, wars, terrorism and abuse of all kinds. I put my hand up to playing my part in this separation, but know I know the truth of who I am I can begin to address the connection to myself, which will in turn inspire others and the return to brotherhood will commence and we will be one again.
Spot on Mary-Louise. We have separated from our true nature which is brotherhood. It’s the only explanation for why humanity is in such a miserable state of being.
In connection to our true brotherhood we have the opportunity to evolve our world, we are all refugees looking to return to our ‘true home’ so the journey needs to involve and embrace us all, refugees are not in isolation. For whatever reason these people have chosen to flee they have chosen to say ‘no’ to their current way of living and it’s for us to reflect connection and brotherhood to provide the foundation for their and our next evolutionary step. We are all on the journey of return together.
This is nothing new really. Those of us who are comfortable, have our basic needs (and way more) taken care of don’t necessarily relate to those who do not have this. And when we do, it’s in the form of ‘charity’ – I’ve got more than you so I’ll give you some of that, or a pity, or even guilt. This doesn’t change a thing. Until we can feel the truth of what brotherhood means, nothing much changes. And so, if one fellow human being is suffering in any way, then something is wrong amongst us all.
I believe it is time for us to consider this more deeply Christopher. I was looking forward to reading this blog when I read the title as it is a welcome change to read something that is in support of the refugees,and not complaining about them as is they are a pest to remove. As you say we are all human and all equal and if we were to all support each other this would not be an issue.
‘We do not own this planet’. Very true and something I do not feel we have learnt. ‘We are a global community so anything that happens on this planet is for us to consider’ hear hear. And maybe respond to and with instead of react to or ignore. I love what you have written here. This is a huge topic at the moment and yes, shows that no matter how far we have come with technology we still have a lot of work to do with regards to brotherhood.
‘Every drop, from the tiniest kind word uttered from a place of love’ – its this bottom down approach that makes our relationship with the world and its problems so much more accessible. Its not the big things and the grand schemes, but the daily interactions of the billions of people that shape the world we live in day to day. Its here that the work needs to be done – every day, in every moment, with every body we meet – making it about love.
Absolutely Susan, using a generic name dehumanises people and then we become desensitised or okay with the abuse that is happening. If the news said, ‘a Melbourne family were on a weekend boating trip when their boat sank off the coast, the whole family are now deceased’, it would hit or tv screens and many would stop and talk about it and feel sorry for the remaining family members. However, when we see the news of another boat has sunk many people don’t even really blink an eyelid as its now become ‘normal’ and also as you say, the wording has dehumanised the people on the boat.
In our desperate quest for individuality, we have indeed forgotten that we are all the same beneath the surface of our skin. Our hearts beat to the same rhythm, yet often we do not hear it over the self-created beating of our fists.
Yes Liane, one rhythm beats the sound of love, harmony and brotherhood and the other self-created rhythm beats the call for separation, desperation and destruction…
It seems so long since there was a time in history when people were not fighting for “their way”, and when people knew we were all the same. There are pockets of it in history we can all learn from, and thank goodness Universal Medicine is bringing that way back now through The Way of the Livingness.
It is so long since we were not fighting. The consideration of this is breath taking. The pockets when we lived harmoniously can serve as inspiration for today when another opportunity is on offer – Universal Medicine and The Way of the Livingness present a foundation of return to true brotherhood.
I am not sure that there has ever been a time free of fight and struggle Heather.
Back again – I love this blog. The line that stands out today is: “It’s as though they are not humans, they are something else – a burden on us, a nuisance, a plague of unwanted debris – and not our responsibility.” This is exactly how we have come to allow such horrific genocides to occur, by dehumanising the victims, for how else could we allow such atrocities to be? Not only do we have to dehumanise the victims in order to see them in this false light, we also need to dehumanise ourselves in order to look through such a distorted lens. To be human is to be love, and to be love is to not allow an ounce of abuse, in our bodies or those of our fellow brothers. If we cast people in need of care and support away as useless debris, the lesson will only keep returning and returning until we realise that we are here on Earth until we collectively understand that existing counter to love is not, nor has ever been the answer. We have a long and bloodied history to show us what we refuse to see yet still, we continue to make choices that lead us to the same horrific consequences. How much longer do we need to see that we are each responsible for the lack of love being lived in the world, as it is our responsibility to live the love that is lacking.
“To be human is to be love” – so simple. Casting of people in need of care and support away as useless debris – is something we see in our society quite often. We have created the world to be loveless. Being love is not a choice, it is our responsibility.
“Have we forgotten that we are all the same? And that despite our circumstance, no one person is better than another” – this universal truth you express here Chris changes one’s understanding of the refugee crisis, and also its embodiment would change the entire world where there would be no refugee situation. A refugee is a person not a stigma, they are equal members of our evolving family – the human race. Family looks after or loves each other, and so if we were one big family of the human race, then we’d all be looking after/loving each other. The fact that we are not doing so on a macro level (because of upheld divisions between races/countries/borders) highlights how we’ve not truly looked after each other at or on a more personal and immediate level. The refugee migration situation is a thus a call towards rectifying such imbalance, unifying our family back towards the love of all, not select.
I agree Zofia most of us do not even treat our families and friends with love how can we possibly treat the ‘refuges’ with the care and support they deserve when we are not even doing this with the people close to us…. We all need to start taking responsibility to live love.
A great point, Zofia – what we are witnessing in the refugee situation is reflective of what is happening in a micro scale. It is no brainer to me when we do not have love as foundation of our life, we simply do not have it to offer, and what we come up as the ‘emergency, rescue plans’ would be a paper-thin, short-sighted stand play with no true measure for sustenance.
Closed down and focused on only feathering our own nests, leaves no space for the big picture and all humanity. Opened up to love as our foundation – and this is not wishy washy picture card love but the real deal, practical and all-encompassing love that is our true nature – there is space for everyone and every situation that needs attention.
‘Collective creativity knows no bounds when we open up our hearts to these societal atrocities’. Many boundaries are imposed when the head is involved and the heart is lost. The creative spark that comes from love has no boundaries, incredible solutions could absolutely be made when love, truth and brotherhood are felt.
Christopher, I love that you have written about this as you have mirrored so many of my thoughts and feelings on this topic. Exactly what you have shared……why is it we are sitting back in complacency when these people…..YES, people, are treated in this appalling way. They are not second class citizen, although that is exactly how they are treated, as criminals and absolutely less than who we are int he west. It is quite disgraceful. I am by no means saying that working this issue out is not complex, but there ‘has’ to be a better way. One where as you say, there is more responsibility from all, the community and changing the way we look at this and the word refugee, changing refugee to fellow man, woman or child, our equal.
I so agree with you Raegan about changing the word refugee to fellow man woman child …our equal brothers. To be honest with ourselves too…what is our expression on this? Cause it will have impact on us all.
There can be an assumption that the life lived in one area is pleasant, and that the introduction of ‘outsiders’ will have a disruptive and damaging effect on the stability of the socially acceptable status quo. But the real question is to ask, just how pleasant is the live we are defending? When we have obesity, poverty, corruption, domestic violence, women struggling with low self worth, men struggling with prostate cancer rates soaring through the roof, teenagers so checked out and numb on gaming sites. It all makes me question what are we actually welcoming people in to?
Christopher in answer to your question ‘Surely with all the technological advances etc., human atrocities like refugees should be long since extinct?’ I would say that yes indeed they certainly could be, however technology is simply a tool, it can of course be a miraculous one but none the less it is at the mercy of whoever is using it. If we had brotherhood on earth then technology could be used to transform the world very quickly but because the culture of separation still prevails then the true value of technology to a large extent lays fairly dormant.
Christopher, this is an incredible blog of love, brother and the power we all hold in our hands if the truth is lived that we are all one.
There is about to be a vote in the British Government as to whether to go ahead and join France in bombing Isis groups in Syria as a solution to the problem of refugees, led by the Prime Minister who is claiming it is getting to the root cause of the problem. This is repeating the same old patterns of reaction and is just yet another sticking plaster that will fail. Your timely article Christopher, has exposed the true root that needs to be addressed by every human being.
The first time I travelled overseas was to an an Asian country and the first things I noticed was that the people were different to me, different appearance, different way of dressing, different food, different, ways of doing things, but then after being there for a while I could feel that they weren’t really that different at all, they had the same feelings and emotions as me. Acceptance and respect for each other is key to letting people in. Imagine the shocking atrocities that these refugees have had to endure to come to the decision that they have to up and leave everything they have known behind to face the unknown and then to feel like a problem and a burden wherever they go. When are we going to realise as a human race that we are all equal? We are one humanity.
Chris, this is a very beautiful piece of writing and clearly one that is sorely needed. I can feel your love for humanity in this piece, which is most inspiring. Do we have the answers, NO, Do we know that brotherhood and love must come first (in all situations in life), YES. So what does that look like with the refugee crisis, because it is indeed a crisis.
For me it is not the refugees that are the problem. But the ongoings in the world that lead to us having what we have termed ‘refugees’. War, famine, rape, abuse to name a few are all reasons why ‘people’ flee their countries in the hope for a better life and opportunity. The problem is we don’t see them as ‘people’, but instead we have as you point out here given them a label and judged them for it.
This judgment for me is equal to the behaviours that created the situation in the first place – all stemming from a lack of love and brotherhood in society. And so, we have our answer, and something that will unfold and take time.
Yes Anna, it’s all about brotherhood! Nobody truly owns anything, who decided that we should divide up the planet into countries and ferociously guard our nationality and our borders, in many cases actually laying down our lives to do so, for something that is initially created in a battle of greed, to own empires, to be great, to be historic. How can this system work in the present with this kind of energy and the foundations that are built from avarice, uncontrollable desire, hate and meglamania, all emotive, irrational and self destructive. When the system is put under stress, it will collapse into disorder and confusion, squabbling and fighting, as is now happening in many countries around the world because of the strain coming from the stream of people, human beings, displaced by wars, wars enabled mainly by the western “civilised” countries, that produce and sell the weapons fuelling the conflicts, making huge profits but simultaneously creating the tide of displaced humanity that we are all responsible for because we accept that this happens, in the least by way of our indifference to it. We are all responsible for everyone.
What if people from one of the more modern countries were displaced and had to flee so to speak with little money or food? This is very unlikely to happen of course but it would expose so clearly the fact of human judgement and prejudice. With little wealth in our world today, little can happen and as soon as others see you as ‘poor’ you are suddenly second class.
There is always so much emotional hype thrown around when looking at situations such as refugees – both sides trying to hook people into their own views and agendas. Thank you for introducing a conversation that takes us to a bigger view and asks more profound questions about humanity, brotherhood and responsibility. We need to reflect deeply: how come on our watch we have so many people so desperate that they will go to such lengths to become a refugee in the first place?
Treat your neighbour as if you would wish to be treated – I know many refugees and we have family members who fled other humanitarian crises. They are extraordinary people and their stories are horrific. My questions is if was in their shoes how would I wish to be treated, what do I hope my fellow more resourceful human being might do to help me?
Sadly many people are lacking in compassion and understanding, and driven by fear, and judgment.
Very true Fiona, the blaming of everyone based on a few trouble makers makes the perfect excuse to be irresponsible and selfish.
It’s time we understood that in truth there are no borders – they’re an illusion to further foster the illusion of separation amongst us all when in truth we are all one.
Christopher, this is an awesome and truly needed article and thank you for sharing it with all of us, and bringing to our attention many points that need to deeply be pondered upon.
What I took from it today was this – “the smallest things can move mountains as our collective creativity knows no bounds when we open up our hearts to these societal atrocities.” – Yes, the smallest things can make such a difference, and if everyone took that on board and acted upon it with an open heart, much could be addressed and many could receive heart-felt support.
This is the real atrocity isn’t it? The fact that we have forgotten that we are all the same, that we are one big community, one humanity. It is indeed time to stop and start asking what has happened to us as a society when those who have been abused, tortured and run out of their own homes in search of safety, are turned away or if received, received with anything less than a welcoming and acceptance of them as our fellow brother worthy of love, respect and a safe haven at the very least.
Absolutely Penelope Scheenhouwer – an atrocity indeed.
Very important points raised Ariana, deep reflection needed by all of humanity on the questions you poised here.
‘We are all custodians of this planet – and this crisis of refugees is on our watch.’ Thank you Christopher for exposing the comfort of so many of us in our own homes watching this crisis unfold and feeling powerless to do anything. We are not powerless and there is much that we can do from practical support to challenging the not-in-my-backyard thinking of so many who see refugees as a threat rather than as fellow brothers fleeing untold horrors and requiring our love and support.
You present a very needed simplicity to this political hot potato Christopher in bringing it back to equality and love between people, now matter where they come from. However, I feel there is more needed. We, in Australia, don’t have the infrastructure or services to support the number of refugees who are coming to our country. These people have witnessed atrocities beyond that which the average middle class Australian will see in this lifetime. Hence if we welcome them into our society and expect them to follow our rules work within our systems, etc we need to provide adequate services to support them to do this. Our government health and mental health services are already imploding under the weight of so many people in need. These services are already spread so thin as to only be able to offer a modicum of the total support that people who enter the services need. We don’t currently have the services to support the average Australian let alone the refugees with more involved support needs.
Our capacity to support refugees also needs to be considered and the associated systems reviewed.
Often in life I find when I am annoyed with being put on the spot and try very hard to find the answers to resolve the situation because I have to, the answers will just not come, in effect I am shown that I was right all along because there just is no answer. There are other times when it looks unlikely, but something from within me is aligned to a possibility which is far more expansive than the problem, me or even humanity – and then as if by magic I start seeing glimpses of how things can unfold one step at a time. The question is: How were our systems created when they do not support us to look after ourselves, let alone others who seek our assistance? I bet they were created under the energy of the first example. Perhaps we need to review it all.
Well said Golnaz – it is time to review our systems, we all know they are not working.
Yes, services and the systems that govern them are based entirely on containing the current problem. Infrastructure initiatives around Australia don’t seek to identify the root cause of traffic congestion and build and refine infrastructure to address this they simply seek to put out spot fires in the most politically expedient way. However state and federal budgets will only stretch so far, which means that infrastructure decision making is limited anyway. Then governments attempt to realise the infrastructure needs of their cities and states by partnering with private corporations, this often leads to further complication. This is only one example, the health and wellbeing services are under similar pressures and only able to provide services to address the most basic of needs.
So, in reviewing these systems perhaps we need to zoom out and look beyond the systems themselves to the real cause of our current systemic problems.
Absolutely fantastic that you have opened up this topic of conversation Christopher. This is a subject where most of us have had an ‘I’m all right Jack attitude’ (me included), and if we’re comfortable then everything is ok, for US. This ‘problem’ is becoming too big to be ignored and it is everyone’s responsibility to view the plight of refugees in a different way, that they are all equal and this is not something that can be swept under the carpet anymore.
‘We do not own this planet,’ this line really jumps out at me, when did this become our country? or that country become your country? There is so much ownership currently, where people are only considering themselves, what if these people truly need the support of their fellow men? But instead of getting support they are labelled ‘refugees’ and countries close their borders to them, we forget that we are all the same, no matter what country or nationality we are from.
Great point you make Meg, since when do we own a country and who decides who has and who has not the right to live on certain pieces of land on this planet?
Super article Christopher one in which the world should have access to. I loved your question at the beginning; ‘How we actually meet them’ – ie the refugees which I felt to ponder on further. It could be asked how do we actually meet anyone in our life, what reception do we give them will depend how we are living. How do we meet our newborns of this world? How do we receive them? Will depend on how we are living. How we are all living as a humanity is how we meet all others or not…. How can the world truly meet and support refudgees when we cannot meet ourselves, when we are still in the habit of rejecting (for many lifetimes) our most natural essence which is love. Perhaps when we stop rejecting the love that we all are, the refudgees will no longer be met with rejection but instead with love, and maybe then there will be no further need for the reflection.
Super article Christopher one in which the world should have access to. I loved your question at the beginning; ‘ How we actually meet them – ie the refugees which I felt to ponder on further. It could be asked how do we actually meet anyone in our life, what reception do we give them will depend how we are living. How do we meet our newborns of this world? How do we receive them? Will depend on how we are living. How we are all living as a humanity is how we meet all others or not…. How can the world truly meet and support refudgees when we cannot meet ourselves, when we are still in the habit of rejecting (for many lifetimes) our most natural essence which is love. Perhaps when we stop rejecting the love that we all are, the refudgees will no longer be met with rejection but instead with love, and maybe then there will be no further need for the reflection. And perhaps when our newborns come in, they too will no longer be met with rejection and can be met, be welcomed with the love that they have come from and know. Thus, our newborns will no longer be refudgees. The responsibility all of a sudden comes closer to home as the question arises, how will I be met next time around…..could be in how I am living right now either in disconnection and separation (refudgee) or in connection and brotherhood (love). Yep, the word responsibility takes on a deeper meaning….
I agree Susan, using the term refugee does de-humanise and it makes it easier to carry on with our daily lives and not see them as our brothers and sisters – it makes it easier to look at another country and see it as their problem. What stands out most to me when I see people being displaced from their homes and other family members is the imbalance of the situation, those who have and those who have not.
‘How we actually meet them’ is the question to ask. The desperate flight of refugees from war torn countries raises many questions. It is not what others are doing, but equally what we are doing. How does the world’s response and treatment of refugees reflect how we regard, welcome and greet our fellow human beings on a daily basis. What about the sifting we do between those we warm to and others we feel less drawn to. Are we equally welcoming to all? How many of us would open our homes to a family fleeing torture. It is one thing to speak words of brotherhood, another to truly live it.
Beautifully said Christopher “We do not own this planet, though many think they do. We are all one global community so anything that happens on this planet is for us all to consider. We are all custodians of this planet – and this crisis of refugees is on our watch.”
A standing ovation Christopher – a super, super powerful blog that reaches the very core of how we, the general public, view the ‘refugee problem’. Even if we don’t consciously think about them in this way “It’s as though they are not humans, they are something else – a burden on us, a nuisance, a plague of unwanted debris – and not our responsibility” the fact that we don’t take a step back and look more deeply at what is going on prevents us from seeing that it is our responsibility to do something to help, no matter how small – it would make a huge difference.
You’re right Tamara – we don’t take a step back and truly open our eyes and hearts to what is going on, not with the refugees and not with any fellow human being that is suffering from traumas or illnesses unless they are family or close to us – they are merley parts of a statistic. And yes, this is preventing us from seeing that it is our responsibility to treat everyone with dignity, knowing that we are in truth all the same.
This whole crisis, and every conflict before and still to come is from mans lack of understanding that we are all one. Why can’t we adhere to this universal truth that what you do to another you do to yourself?
Beautiful Kevin – what we put out just comes right back to us, one way or another
Agghhhh!! Why indeed? What it is about self responsibility that we are so eager to avoid, even though it is the absolute key to setting us all free. When will we truly understand that we are not living our potential, and that we have so much more to offer.
It is so easy in our bodies that seem so very separate to other bodies (as our eyes tell us) not to know we are all connected, and that what you do to one, you do to yourself. Time is showing us though that this attitude is not working, and so the door is open to learn about energy and true responsibility.
A very good point Kevin, and one that stems from humanity not taking responsibility for themselves first and foremost. With self responsibility comes the understanding that what we do has a ripple effect, no different to when we are in water – such is the way of energy. Studied for so many many years, proven by science (for the skeptics) and yet not adhered to in reality. The time is now if there is to be any true change in the world.
Brilliantly shared Kevin. What we put out we get back twofold.
Kevin I love your common sense here, this is not an old or a new problem, this is the continuation of the same universal problem of the way we treat each other.
Doug I agree why do we have refugees in the first place? There is no doubt that people are worried and dislike having other fellow human beings come into “their country” or “their city” for fear of disrupting the comfortable life that has been setup but how is it possible in the first instance? For as far as I can see so long as their have been re-interpreted religions there has been war and with that we have had Refugees. But the interesting point is, as you’ve shared, why do we allow a handful of people so much power to do this? And the hard truth is we are the ones giving them the power – for if we all stood up for truth they would have no power in the first place.
Christopher once again it has been highlighted that our common understanding of a word affects how we feel and therefore how we act as a result. Because so many people have negative connotations with the word ‘refugee’, this then flavours how they react to news of ‘refugees’. If we substituted the word ‘refugee’ for ‘you and me’ then we would see a very different response to the refugee problem. When we see bodies floating in the water like driftwood then if we felt that it were ‘you and me’ then there would be immediate uproar but they are ‘refugees’ so it’s not felt to be the same.
I agree, Alexis, because there are people who do not belong to our blood family or close friends most of us do not bother. If we would open up there would be another commitment to be with the people coming into our countries and if our countries would not have any more borders it would not be anymore our countries but Our Country alltogether.
What a set up of strangerhood we have through our borders.
Christopher, this is a great blog. I also felt like you and seeing and hearing now of the fear of people concerning refugees I realized that most of us are refugees, choosing to be checked out and fleeing our innate love by staying in our comfort. Like you have shared, we need to take this one step further and see our refugees as equal. brothers and sisters.
This is line is brilliant; “We are all custodians of this planet – and this crisis of refugees is on our watch.” Thank you for taking the time to write this blog showing your care and responsibility for this planet and human race of ours.
This line stood out for me as well Caroline. This crisis is on our watch – every day is an opportunity to move closer to brotherhood by not rejecting our extended families that are desperate to find safe homes for themselves. A basic yet fundamental part of life that we take for granted.
This blog is great for reflection on our own attitudes to Refugees – we can tut tut over the way they are being treated, but how many of us have opened our doors, or would consider opening our doors to complete strangers? Our suspicion and mistrust are rife and serve to keep the separation going. This is indeed a whole-humanity problem and it is not going to go away until we do something to change it.
So true, Susan. Name-tagging is a very convenient way of tidying up, piling up in the corner and dissociating.
Christopher, beautiful questions. Recently I visited the mainland China and there were many beggars and I met one in the train station. He was limping and was coming near to the people waiting in line to get tickets and asking for coins. When he approached myself and my friend, suddenly he darted past us and ducked down to snatch something on the ground, a $100 banknote that my friend dropped, and disappeared. After the incident, many people who witnessed this made comments of judgement on this person. To have such behavior from the both sides in people in general shows a lack of trust between us. In separating ourselves into different categories of human beings, can there ever be true trust? It is one of the deepest tragedy for human beings to hold back our love and connection with each other and with God, and this tragedy we are living every day as if it is normal, we have reduced our stupendous love to mistrust and we have accepted this as our normal human experience, what kind of intelligence are we in?
‘It is one of the deepest tragedies for human beings to hold back our love and connection with each other and with God. This tragedy we are living every day as if it is normal, we have reduced our stupendous love to mistrust and we have accepted this as our normal human experience. What kind of intelligence are we in?’ Brilliant comment Adele, and yes what kind of intelligence are we living and moving in?
This is a great thought provoking blog Christopher. This attitude of seeing people, or groups of, as a problem not only relates to refugees but to other ‘groups’ within society too e.g. drug addicts…in fact anyone who isn’t perceived as ‘normal’ is seen as a problem, and lumped in a group of the same. Its like putting people in the ‘problem’ box somehow relieves us of any responsibility and it then becomes someone elses responsibility to fix ‘the problem’.
This idea of protecting a way of life feels poisonous. I hear people talking about protecting this when they talk of the refugee problem and letting people into this country, Australia. What are we protecting? Our away of life is leading us to higher illness and disease so we must be talking about our possessions. I know life can be so amazing when I let people into my heart. Life could be equally amazing if we share it with our equal brothers who need somewhere safe to be. Why do we fear change so much? I feel like we are clinging to the comfort of what we know and this is causing so much more grief in the world. Our comfort is suffocating our love.
Thank you Christopher for your blog addressing this issue we have on a world wide situation. This is not a fear or neutrality situation, but one that we all, as part of the human race have a responsibility for. I love these words, ” Every drop, from the tiniest kind word uttered from a place of love to the grandest action, will help the world become a better place for us all to live in, together.”
Powerful words Ariana – it is due time to look at our own part-taking in the state our societies are in. By turning a blind eye we are not escaping the fact that we are all part-taking.
“On considering this further I wondered – have we forgotten that we are all the same?” – This line gave me goose bumps, this is what we as humanity are here to learn, that we are indeed all the same. Nothing will ever change until we understand this fact and start living it.
The space is there and the lesson that we are one family. When do we let go of different languages and cultures, all means to keep us under the illusion that we’d be different.
Some countries exist because people sat in a room with a map and a ruler. If that happened to us now in Australia, would we consider those in Melbourne any different from those in Sydney? It exposes how ridiculous borders are.
Thank you Christopher for this powerful blog – it is opening up for a very much needed discussion on a topic most people avoid. It is true what you are saying, it is time for us to consider our own view on our fellow brothers – the refugees.
I agree Eva, I know for myself this situation has brought up a lot for me to reflect upon, especially what boundaries and walls I have put up that creates separation. If we took a deeper look we might find that it is ones own fears of getting to brotherhood that is the problem
Fantastic blog Christopher, one that would serve to be published more widely. How many of us in Australia (and beyond) have actually considered the points you raise? Would we drive to the nearest port, collect them and offer them dinner. If that was a family member, friend or even friend of a friend would we treat them this way. If we knew a friend has been through war, famine and abuse would we then give them the same treatment. Countries were a creation and with having had borders for so long we have allowed the separation to permeate deeply.
Absolutely Nikki, when put into prospective as you have we all know the answer, as we share our love with family without hesitation. This in itself shows the separation we feel within. This blog is very revealing on many levels.
There is a crisis and the expression of this is displayed in the news daily. The crisis is a severe shortage of responsibility and understanding. There is an opportunity here to really work together as one and as a world group unite.
Great call Matthew…bring back loving Truth and worldwide harmony will reign.
Love this Susan.
The refugee situation in the world is asking us to go deeper with ourselves and to see that in the end we are all one humanity and that we have a responsibility to care for and love each other.
Wise words Elizabeth Dolan, to which I agree….The refugee situation is a call to go deeper with ourselves and to ‘be more love’. Once we stop rejecting that we are sons of God and fully accept our birthright, there will be no such concept or reflection such as ‘refudgees’, because the reflection will no longer be needed.
I agree Elizabeth – an opportunity to deepen our love for each other and realise that nationalism and borders create separation and division and this is not our natural way or a way that our hearts would choose.
So true, Elisabeth. The refugee situation exposes the lack of true brotherhood in the world as we are not feeling or living universal equality. This is so exposing for us all especially on a personal level. I can feel in myself that I am not taking ownership of this issue as I am not fully living brotherhood in my own life- how exposing is that!
Beautifully sad Ariana
Thank your Christopher for expressing through the written word as you do – this line jumped out at me as I read this before going to bed – ‘On considering this further I wondered – have we forgotten that we are all the same? And that despite our circumstance, no one person is better than another.’ I will be coming back to this blog for sure.
Agreed Sally this is a great line, “have we forgotten that we are all the same? And that despite our circumstance, no one person is better than another.” We may at times act different to smoke screen the fact that we are all the same but at the end of the day when tragedy strikes our hearts open to another, it is just a shame it takes a tragedy to open up our hearts.
You are a good and kind man, thank you.
It is true Sarah, the depth of genuine compassion is what we can feel.
Well said Ariana
The topic of refugees is not something I have thought much about…but what I do know is that treating a refugee any differently than anyone else is inhumane. Everyone deserves respect, common decency and love.
I like the points you raise here Christopher, especially the fact that we are all equal human beings and no-one owns a country. Imagine if we did all work together and embraced refugees, rather than treating them as aliens?
How do we reach a point where we victimise, blame and even hate people for leaving a violent war torn country? Given that the reason why they left was because of the violence, war, atrocities. For them it must be like the war continues. It also feel important to know that these countries were not always this way. All the countries in our media’s view in the middle east were once those that lead the world with innovation in any ways, began many things that we take for granted and were a far cry from what we see today. So what has happened that once beautiful countries have turned into the absolute opposite of what they once were and what is the reflection for all of us? The saying ‘evil triumphs when good men do nothing, weighs heavily here. Perhaps what we are seeing here is the result of this. Humbling learnings for us all.
Agreed Jennifer. Many reports coming out of our detention centres here in Australia for refugees and asylum seekers are relaying the horrendous fact that the experience is often seen as worse than war – that one may die quickly in a strife-ridden country under a brutal regime, but in mandatory detention as a refugee, the fate is the same, just the death much slower…
The torture goes on – and it’s under our watch.
I always felt that cities were becoming the multicultural hubs that they are, so they we can live together and come to understand that we are all in fact the same. We may look different, eat different things, have differing beliefs and so forth, but really so what? All decoys that stop us from deeply connecting to the truth that we are one.
If we were to see and live from the principle of ‘energy first, matter second’ then we would all know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are all the same.
Well said Christopher. Fear and lies have taken over this issue. Having travelled through Syria and surrounding countries many years ago I was met by very warm and hospitable people. It saddens me incredibly to hear how people talk about them, when they have never met them, let alone connected to who they are. If we did we would understand that we had no difference, only the thin surface layer, which is a disguise only to the truth of what is contained within. We have so much more in common than we will ever have that creates difference and that which creates difference is not who we are.
“We have so much more in common than we will ever have that creates difference and that which creates difference is not who we are.” Beautifully expressed Jennifer.
Well said Jennifer. It is deeply exposing, isn’t it, just how readily we buy into anything that promotes ‘difference’ or indeed something ‘to be feared’…. When all of this is a complete load of codswallop.
People are people. It is but the minutest part of our DNA that determines the way we appear with racial features, the colour of our skin… Anyone suffering the loss of a loved one feels the same as another, regardless of heritage, religious belief or other seeming difference.
We have so much more that does truly unite us than separates us. I applaud your comment, for we cannot have enough of this said – and clearly for a long, long time to come, that we can put our conveniently chosen mistrusts aside and get on with truly loving, caring for and respecting each other.
Thank you Christopher, this should be the story told in everyone’s paper, it should be printed everyday until we get it!
I also really appreciate Christopher expressing this on behalf of us all. Why is this not the leading story and questions being asked when it comes to refugees? How far away are we from a one global community?
Agreed Samantha, now that would be a news story that serves us all.
I agree Samantha, there is so much for one to feel in this blog that it would take many reads for most of us to feel the depth of what we are allowing to run.
The world is in deep trouble – we can no longer bury our heads in the sand and expect it all to just go away. The refugee situation I feel is clearly another indication of how much we all need to work together – creating boundaries, using weapons, fighting and wars have not worked in the past.
Thank you Christopher, it is definitely time to ponder this issue more deeply – to actually stop and take stock of what is going on. Sure it hurts to see the ugliness, greed and devastation at play in the world, but it hurts even more to turn a blind eye and try to ignore it.
Very true Hannah, we turn a blind eye and think it is not impacting on us whilst the whole time we are unsettled because we live separated and isolated from each other a pain so intense no matter how hard we try and cover it up it never goes away. It is no wonder we are more addicted, harming and ill than ever before.
That’s a great point you make Susan, when people are gathered collectively under the one label such as “refugees” and the term is used again and again and again, we become desensitised to the fact that these people are men, women, children, husbands, wives, sisters, brothers, cousins, grandparents, etc. We can begin to view them as a faceless mass rather than our equal brothers. I feel it is not about finding a solution to a problem, but simply choosing to see others as our equals – when we connect and communicate from this place, the way forward becomes clear.
We live in cycles, the refugees that are happening now are no different to the refugees we have been seeing throughout history, just another era and another country. Maybe what these cycles are showing us that it is time to open up our borders and recognise that brotherhood is the only true way forward.
Very true Alison. It’s very convenient that the history of how people have moved around the world has not ever been told. Other than Captain Cook came to Australia and Christopher Columbus travelled to the US, there is much more depth here that could be explored and presented to humanity. It seems ok to freely choose to move to another country, no one blinks an eye lid, but having to move through circumstance and in number is a whole different kettle of fish.
I love your open and inspiring approach to ‘the refugee problem’ Christopher – which as you say need not be a problem when we begin to see the truth of the matter. We are so insecure and frightened about anything that may impinge on our own little world that we have become blind to the fact that refugees are other brothers, who require support to begin life anew. In our anxiety we forget that they bring with them great warmth and a wealth of understanding, and the richness of sharing this with us as equal partners on this planet. It feels that the real ‘problem’ is our insecurity and lack of understanding and compassion.
I agree Susan! There is already a judgement or classification on the word refugees for many. They are all fellow brothers, that need support. Together we are strong and caring for each other is the most natural behavior we know deep inside in our bodies.
This is true Steffi, I have started connecting with a group from Syria and it is so beautiful and natural to be with them. Except the language difference we are all equal and just have to learn the language to communicate better.
I really appreciate what you write here Christopher! So needed to consider all of what you shared! This needs to be printed on the newspaper to remind people what it is really all about.
“On considering this further I wondered – have we forgotten that we are all the same?” This is such a powerful line and I feel that this is key in dealing with the huge issue here for all of us. The reason the refugees are here is because of lots of wars and unsafe places in the world where people also have forgotten we are all the same. It is quite making me squirm when I feel how we here in the more ‘modern’ countries treat these people as dirt and objects, a nuisance yet as you say they are the same as we are. You gave me a lot to ponder on thank you Christopher.
You would think that by now that after all the conflicts over the ages mankind would have learned its lesson, but alas we haven’t, and with more bombing it’s not only creating more refugees but also more hate in the world. The problem is not the refugees it’s the hate, greed, separation and the crazy religious aspect that is creating the refugees.
Well said. By focusing on the “problem” of refugees we can put so much into that we forget that the real problem is war.
Exactly Kevin – especially the crazy and totally ridiculous aspects in the name of ‘religion’, laced with all that hate and separatism – that is partially the crux of it all.
This is important to understand Kevin “The problem is not the refugees it’s the hate, greed, separation and the crazy religious aspect that is creating the refugees.
It is a great reminder Christopher that a few generations ago a great many of us were refugees of one form or another and the only way we survived was to work together and support each other. These are very transient times and we will all have to move as things change and how welcome we are will be a reflection on how welcoming we have been.
“Short Memories” Bernard. Very convenient.
Yep – very convenient indeed!
The wealth and stability of our society is based on our ability to live with each other for the benefit of all.
If we treat refugees like they are a problem we are morally destitute, if we treat everyone like they are equal we are prosperous.
“The wealth and stability of our society is based on our ability to live with each other for the benefit of all.” Wow Bernard that is absolute gold!
The world and people on it is a fluid place. Universal Medicine is an example of this. Are there any continents that do not have, be one in some cases a student of UM? In this small sample of the 7 billion of us, who is not an immigrant from somewhere in our past. After all we started from the first continent Pangeea!
I love what you have shared here Christopher. I have lived all around the world and have been invited and welcomed in no matter where I am from or what colour my skin is and I would hope that everyone else is treated in that same way. My feeling is we need to treat the refugees as we would our brothers or sisters.
We are all the same, all sharing the same planet it seems crazy that we are divided by borders and nationalities.
Rosie, it does seem bizarre that we all share the same planet and yet we have boarders and nationalities that separate us and keep us entrenched in this separation.
I completely agree Rosie. We are all sharing this planet, and are all equal. Since when do borders matter more than brotherhood?
Christopher, this so needs to be brought up and discussed in our lives. The down right racism and fear that exists in most people around refugees is horrible to feel. It is also very raw. Sometimes I feel that this is because as you say, many of us were refugees a generation or two ago and the feeling of loss and the unknown is still held deeply in our bodies. This engenders the fear that if too many more come into our countries that our lives may again be in threat. There is much that we have to crack through in our society, with bringing to the fore that refugees are people just like you and me and today they are in need of our support and care. And this can only begin, by discussing the reality openly and with care for all concerned.
Thank you Christopher for starting this conversation. “We are all one global community so anything that happens on this planet is for us all to consider.” Love is the missing link and until love is not missing then humanity will have crises. We are all accountable, all equal and all deserving of respect and dignity.
It’s true Christopher that “there have been refugees in society for many lifetimes.” The situation has escalated with the world having many, many war torn countries – and far larger populations. Atrocities have become sophisticated and we have made it easier to affect more people with one horrific act. Fear and suspicion increase as our coffers dwindle, turning the world in on itself in self-protect mode. Yet “What if the ‘refugees’ became an equal part of our society, as they all truly deserve to be, no longer mirroring the hate and mistrust we project onto them?” Knowing that we are all equals in essence, and accepting each other as this, will rebuild trust and understanding – to the point that makes war impossible.
This really exposes the madness of the human psyche. Really, after all we have been through in the history of mankind, there are still wars, countries putting the highest priorities in defense (= investing in weaponry), people killing each other, and treating each other with mistrust and disrespect, or ignoring as if it’s someone else’s problem – surely we can do so much better than this?
Christopher this is an important article and sharing with such love and understanding for us all to share. Thank you for bringing the clarity and highlighting the true facts that we don’t want to see and avoid doing anything about hence condoning it all. The world refugee situation deserves a true brotherhood approach and understanding to make the changes needed and honour the oneness of us all.
I agree with you here Tricia when we don’t want to see something we are in effect condoning it. What Christopher has written is amazingly clear and common sense.
We are all the same on this one planet.
This blog calls everyone up and out, to work together in full responsibility for the parts we all play in this global atrocity.
I agree Shami, it asks us all to step up, let go of all judgment and live true brotherhood.
Christopher, yes this is a much needed conversation to have. But I guess most of us feel ‘what can I do?’ Having asked myself this question it seems to me that the first thing I have to do is to ask myself – ‘do I feel rejection?’ Could this be the ‘ice-breaker’ to refugees? Could it be that we don’t want to face our own rejection – that we rejected our Divine self and created a self in separation? It seems to me that refugees are rejected by their country, their governments and ultimately by us. What a huge karmic opportunity this could be to change this separation and rejection of ourselves and thereby of everyone else.
For me it feels like the simple act of understanding and brotherhood what this is all about, and so more an exercise in trust for us all.
The topic of Refugees is kicked around like a political football, and they themselves are treated in a similar way with no regard or humanity. Its like the label makes it easier for us to forget that what we are talking about is people. But you put it beautifully here Christopher, that deeper under the news headlines, this asks us to truly look at what is happening in our world when there are human beings with souls willing to hurl themselves and their families on a boat rather than remain in a country they grew up. Doesn’t this speak volumes for the current way we are building harmony and equality across the world?
Solely focusing on the ‘problem’ of refugees misses the crucial point that we all have a responsibility in making sure that there are no pockets left in this world that desperate people have to flee from and that there are likewise no individuals who are so lost and desperate that they blow themselves and others up in the forsaken pursuit of some kind of twisted justice.
We have made it about the refugees, but why do we have refugees and why is that not a screaming problem in the world? When we talk of the problem of refugees, it becomes about them and not the why.
Absolutely agree Gabriele- this is what we need to start to look at, I have never seen this discussed in regards to this issue.
Some great ‘what ifs’ posed here, each themselves a key piece in the food chain that gets us to the nub of the problem – which is that we do not yet live worldwide as brotherhood, accepting that we’re all equal as our starting point. If we did, there would be no unrest, no civil war, religious war or any other disharmony that would cause such exodus in the first place.
Agreed Cathy. Whilst we clearly cannot ignore the pressing issues that need attending in regards to treating refugees from Syria (and other countries) with the respect and dignity they deserve, the ‘nub’ of the problem most surely comes back to us.
We should never feel any of this is too big to take responsibility for, for we can make true change in our own lives – taking responsibility for any conflict we experience whatsoever. In short, all of us are called to deal with our own hurts, that we do not create interpersonal unnecessary conflict, let alone societal, community and national-scale conflicts.
The buck stops with every one of us when it comes to restoring true equalness between all and brotherhood as you rightly say.
Yes Kathy and you have expressed it with the simplicity that it is and as Victoria has mentioned below that we can start this very practically with ourselves and from there with others.
One of the big wake up calls for humanity is to see that despite all the technological and infrastructure advancements we as human beings have not evolved, we may have even regressed. We have hidden behind technology and advancements of modern society believing we are moving forward, but we have a lack of understanding, compassion and mercy for our fellow human beings. This is not just with refugees. Perhaps all the so called advancements we have made in the world have only served to hide more deeply the fact we are not truly evolving. It’s an important question to ask – “Have we as human beings advanced or has just the world around us shifted and changed?”
I like how you have described that theres actually may be a rather simple approach to welcoming ‘refugees’ that are coming from war torn countries, they are after all our brothers. I know I have though that it doesn’t concern me, and I just want to get on with my life, but considering the fact of what these people are actually going through is very big! Not to say I have to save the world, but there needs to be more openness when dealing with these global circumstances. It is a reflection of the micro we live everyday, we don’t let people into hearts, we don’t make life about love, so on a macro scale this plays out as “the refugee situation” and all the other problems that are dividing mankind.
At this present time, this piece of writing is very well needed. Thank you Christopher. Your care is felt and actually encourages me to open my heart and live with much more care and understanding of others. True compassion is needed in this world and maybe then we would truly unite.
I agree Shevon – this article is very needed indeed, and for me also it has opened something for me to consider and reflect on deeply.
Beautiful beautiful conversation. I am so glad we are talking about this from a more responsible way. I can feel my responsibility in taking care of everyone (not literally) but I have to make sure that I welcome every human being with my open heart.
The tiniest separation is calling us for more trouble, hurts and pains. We cant not let our human brothers down, even not by ill thoughts, fears or emotions. We have to stay strong and trust our hearts. We have to look at the source and root of why we are so reject full to people? (as deeply inate no one wants that, yet we choose).
Why are we not letting all people in our hearts and countries? Why are we stagnated and focused on our own little lives? (and forgetting the whole).
What makes us feel that we are different then any other person that comes in a country (called refugee). I think it is time to ponder too. Thank you Christopher, lets open more and more discussion.
‘If its not in my back yard, then it doesn’t affect or concern me, right’, wrong this is the belief that I and many people live with around issues such as ‘the boat people’ or refugees, its over seas, my family’s alright, ‘they” (meaning the government or someone else) should sort it out the problem, and as long as it doesn’t directly impact on my life, I shall ignore the problem or issue. Why do we live in this way, separate to one another, I even witness this sometimes in the student body, dare I say, that there is separateness, a kind of them and us mentality. This feels like it comes from fear, separation and protection, and that deep down we all hold a belief that we don’t want anyone or anything to take away or shake up the comfort we live in.
When we make people into problems, issues to be solved, therein lays the root of the problem, we have separated from them as fellow brothers on this planet who are the same as we are, that have the same basic rights and needs as we do. We as one humanity need to approach the situation with refugees not from politics and fears and ideas about these people, but from warmth, understanding and equality, and a knowing that there is a strong possibility that we to may have experienced being a refugee in another life and all the atrocities that entails, maybe then we would not be so heartless and disinterested in our fellow brothers and sisters?
“What if the ‘refugees’ became an equal part of our society, as they all truly deserves to be, no longer mirroring the hate and mistrust we project onto them? And in this they could start to feel ‘safe’ again.” This alone would make a huge difference, we have a lot of fears about people from other countries and when they arrive in the country we live in, we have mistrust, suspicion and we go into protection and separation, this creates a tension for them on the other side and they then react in the same way. Its no different to any other relationship whether its one own wife or husband or a refugee, we can choose love, understanding and brotherhood and that will come back to us.
Beautifully said Thomas. We all know what it feels like when we are met with separation and mistrust. And what does this say about ourselves when we are meeting people who have been through a huge amount of suffering in this way? Perhaps we are being asked to love. Applying the old saying, treat others as you would want to be treated is a little exposing.
When we are posed question of a shipload of refugees coming to the country we live in (which in truth is not our country, although most refer to it as such, with ownership and arrogance, for we are one brotherhood so how can our be our country, with the exclusivity of all others?) what really is at stake is our level of comfort and life style going to be changed, are we going to be safe Etc.? Rather than meeting these individuals openly as brothers embracing them with love and understanding and the recognition that they are the same as us, and that they to want to receive love and love others.
Christopher – I love how you state here ‘we do not own the planet and we are all one global community’ – but as you say we seem to forget this in times of conflict.
Just the other day I was having a conversation with a friend of mine about how we are all immigrants, we are all mongrels with a mixture of pasts.
For us to lay claim that we are from one particular country is arrogance at best.
The fact is – it is only culture and war that has imposed the system of countries, of cultures and of languages that ultimately divide us as a human race;
If we trace back our ancestry we discover this to be true – and it feels like something many of us should try to understand.
I agree that in the situation of the refugees – many of us in 1st world countries have no idea what they have been through. Should the situation be reversed I am sure we would be asking for help.
Yes religion gets in the way, but this is merely another way we have bastardised the meaning of words to allow them to divide us rather than to get back to the understanding that we are all the same.
For me this is an opportunity to redefine the way we have on so many levels separated ourselves in the world.
Hannah, I love your beautiful comment and felt to write further on the countries, nationality, refugees, we are all refugees. From my personal point of view, I am a refugee, here I am living in Norway, I was born in England and carry a British passport. My father was from the Republic of Ireland(refugee, looking for work after the second world war) and my mother, never knowing her biological parents was an orphan born in Torquay(who knows where her parents were from?) on the south west coast of England but adopted by Irish immigrants(refugees, also escaping from the extreme poverty in Ireland in the 1930’s). I am made up from refugees and moved to Norway(legally, but nonetheless a refugee), to have what I thought would be a better life for my family and myself.. I hear and see people with similar backgrounds to myself, in many different nations, claiming their nationality and expressing everything from mild distaste to abject hate for refugees, how can we be so blind? A little exercise in tracing our ancestry should be obligatory before anyone utters words of disharmony directed towards the tragedy of refugees..
Australians have been notorious in their treatment of refugees Christopher. We have set up offshore “detention centres” on Manus Island and Nauru. People are held here as prisoners, living under appalling conditions. Many are held for prolonged periods with no sense of when this might end – a torment in and of itself. Many suffer from mental illness, and it goes untreated placing everyone held in those centres at risk of violence. Rates of sexual assault are appalling, and this includes the sexual assault of children.
There is so much to be said that you could write forever and not touch the sides of this problem.
Have we Australians forgotten that we are refugees? The first white settlers were convicts, the overspill of criminals that the English, desperately overwhelmed by their numbers, and no longer holding control of the US, shipped away. Even the free settlers were men and women leaving such hardship that they were willing to risk the uncertain future offered by this far away land.
History is the story of the human being on this planet throughout time. When we open our hearts to learn its deeper truths (not just dates and the names of Kings), we learn that our stories are interwoven and that a common thread binds us. There are no strangers. There are no experiences that we can find ourselves in – indeed we can all say ‘there but for the grace of God go I’.
Thank you for writing a blog on refugees, I struggle with the way we talk in the media about helping them as if they are helpless. They are extraordinary when we consider that these people seeking asylum have survived the most appalling conditions to reach a country where they are asking for shelter and support. We have an opportunity to meet them, ask them what support they need and walk beside them as they rebuild their lives. I hope at some stage people in influence will stop using them as political pawns and speaking about them as a threat to national security. We have much to learn.
Thank you for commenting Lucy. I agree entirely with all you write and would like to add, that it is not only politicians using them as political pawns but the national press inciting fear and hatred with untruths and scandalous reporting, just to sell more newspapers, not caring about the damage they are causing..
I agree with your sentiments here Christopher – there is much to be held truly accountable in regards to our media.
And yet are we not all responsible for what many of our politicians and much of our media promulgate? This couldn’t be so if we all expressed our true outrage over such appalling misrepresentation of people, who have commonly experienced hardship and travesty many of us cannot imagine…
What I have been discovering and connecting with also, is those working in our media who do call such false representation and fear-mongering to account. There are some good people out there, and our connection with them and support is a part of addressing this enormous issue and the falsities which are being promoted as the zeitgeist of our times in regards to refugees (so much of which is plain wrong, as you’ve well expressed here). This, and blogs/articles such as this is where we also become our ‘own media’ – all needed, and very much so. Thank-you for your expression here Christopher – it is deeply appreciated.
Christopher, this blog post brought tears to my eyes…what an epic display of consideration, wouldn’t it be amazing to strip away prejudice from hand-me-down beliefs or media sensationalised sympathy and look practically as a community at what we can do together to take responsibility for this…deep in me I feel that if we took charge rather than let the governments manage this through a PR driven agenda even the “terrorists” might want to drop their AK’s and consider a warm welcome. The possibilities are endless as to what this kind of global mindset shift could offer. But it does start with us, individually, I feel it starts by taking responsibility for the true interpretations of community, brotherhood, and family, I feel it starts with taking responsibility for exposing judgement for what it is and offering everyone we meet a welcome that gives worth to their being as we would no doubt wish for from others. Everyone is the same and comes from our global community and because we don’t yet believe that we leave fixing it up to someone else. Great contribution to that shifting mindset.
Love your comment, Phil, especially “I feel it starts by taking responsibility for the true interpretations of community, brotherhood, and family, I feel it starts with taking responsibility for exposing judgement for what it is and offering everyone we meet a welcome that gives worth to their being as we would no doubt wish for from others.” There are incredible judgments being made by people who are being driven by fear in our country now. There is such a fear of muslims , people are equating a few radicals as representing the whole of the muslim community. I totally agree, “it starts by taking responsibility for the true interpretations of community, brotherhood and family.” I feel such a sense of brotherhood with these so-called ‘refugees’, they need our help and understanding and we need to come together in this world, to help them in the best way possible.
This blog is an important foundational document for all of us to read and very deeply consider. You ask us to explore the refugee problem from an entirely fresh perspective, one that has love as its starting point. For all too long we have tried to fix things. But it is to no avail. In fact we make more problems that we resolve. A large element of the direness in the Middle east was created by Western nations pushing and shoving boundaries to suit their own ends. They then walked away and washed their hands of the ensuing catastrophe.
You are asking us to go deeper than that though, to explore the boundaries that we draw upon the earth and between each other in the first place. You are asking us why we have shut our doors so firmly against our Brothers whose hearts beat as ours do, who are as vulnerable to the same hurts and fears
I love too the way you have stated we are all refugees. History is a nothing more than a collected story of our atrocious way of treating each other from he very beginning of time. Forever we have had to flee each other for whatever perceived superiority is running the show at the time.
Oh yes. We have our technology. We are so advanced with our massive telescopes that peer deep into the majesty of the space we cannot even begin to fathom. Yet our home is besieged by torment and hatred.
Let us be honest about this dire lack of progress before we exclaim over another image of the galaxy and congratulate ourselves on another new version of smart phone.
Let honesty be our starting point.
Great points Rachel- I love the comment you make of ‘why have we shut our doors so firmly against our brothers’ and that we have forever been running from each other- nothing has changed on this front. We really do have a lot to look at.
I love your comment here, Rachel, and endorse all that you have said, especially what you said about the way that the Western nations altered so many of the boundaries between these countries, creating artificial boundaries between people. I too see so called ‘refugees’ as our fellow brothers, we are all Sons of God equally within and it really hurts me to see how they are so often referred to now in such derogatory terms. So-called good people are demanding that they be kept out of our country. Fear reigns now about these refugees, partly of course due to the fact that many of them re Muslims. All Muslims are now being lumped into the same basket by many, believing that they are all radical, dangerous people. I saw a little cartoon recently, with a picture of a group of Ku Klux Klan people, with the comment, do we feel all Christians are like this? It was beside another of a group of Muslim radical fighters, with the words, do we think all Muslims are like this? It really made the point. So many equate the radicals within these groups as representing the whole of them. Fear controls so many in our country now. Brotherhood is extremely important to me, these people are brothers to me, and we need as a world to work to welcome these people in, whether temporarily, or permanently. And of course in the past, many earlier ‘refugees’ returned to their old countries when things had settled down sufficiently for them to safely return.
Well said Rachel and Beverley.
The fear-mongering is off the scale… Just watch some of CNN’s (U.S. News) recent behaviour and news coverage towards people of the Moslem faith post the Paris attacks of Nov 13. e.g. One anchor interviewed a mayor of a city in the U.S. which had a large Moslem population – the first question asked (in relevance to the large Moslem population) was: “Are you afraid?”
We have allowed this fear-mongering. We have allowed large quarters of our media and those who would seek to divide and ‘protect their own patch’ to falsely label all people of one faith as terrorists…. As the cartoon you mentioned featuring the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) demonstrates, what if all those of us with predominantly Christian heritage (whether practising this faith or not) were put in the same basket as the KKK or indeed the horrendous genocidal acts of the catholic church in past centuries? How would the shoe feel if on the other foot, and those of us with Christian heritage were spat upon and abused on our streets for simply appearing, possibly of a particular faith?
We have a loooong way to go.
Beverley and Victoria, we are fooled by our eyes that focus on the surface traits, and their points of difference. Whilst our eyes lead our thinking we will always be pulled into the trap of ‘otherness’.
The topic of refugees really one deep consideration of how we look, how we see, how and why we measure each other, and how much we are willing to let go of millennia old techniques for making hatred the predominating way on this planet.
It sounds an easy call to ‘let honesty be our starting point’ but honesty, as in ‘absolute honesty’ isn’t easy or even possible for most of us. I, like most people believed that I was a very honest person, I believed that I was particularly honest about myself and my own shortcomings but I wasn’t, in fact I was embroiled in a life of deceit and lies. That’s not to say that I was involved in anything illegal but to say that I was aligned to a consciousness that is dedicated to keeping people from the truth and so whilst aligned to this consciousness it was almost impossible for me to be honest. Slowly over time I have migrated to the other form of consciousness, one that is borne from truth and therefore one that supports us back to truth and so being absolutely honest is much easier with this form of consciousness impulsing me.
I was once talking to a mother who had recently arrived in a refugee camp. She had got a letter that said she was being relocated to another place. She couldn’t read English so asked me to read her the letter. She stood there with her young son as I read her the letter. When she realised she was being moved she was terrified as she thought she was being put on another boat. She started crying and shaking. It took me a moment to realise what was going on then I realised she was terrified of going back to sea. I shared with her that her and her children would be going on a plane. I found a picture and showed her a plane.
I had known a bit about her journey, her husband had died on the boat and was rolled into the ocean, also on their journey sharks were circling the rickety boat and ramming into it causing some wooden beams to bend.
This made me have a better understanding of what she must have been going through and running away from. Imagine as a mother choosing to put your whole family onto a boat not knowing if in this action, they will survive. It is horrific that the world is in such a state that people need to do this, that life has become so brutal that you have to make a life or death decision to escape it, such as this. Then when you escape it, its not over, the trauma and tragedy doesn’t leave you. To experience this and then in addition to this to be ostracised or to face further isolation or racism for many years, having to justify your right to be in a country along with still dealing with the trauma of your experiences and the guilt that some people have of leaving friends and family behind- I don’t wish this on anyone.
What a delicate and tender sharing , thank you so much Jet. I cannot imaging their fear or what it must have been like to put themselves and their family in that much danger and to then believe that the trauma was going to happen again. How wonderful she was met by you and you were able to support her to understand.
Your sharing Jet really made me stop and feel the vastness of this worldwide situation. How advanced are we as a nation when our fellow brothers are having to go through such traumas and isolation. After all in your words Christopher “We are all one global community so anything that happens on this planet is for us all to consider”.
Thank you Jet for sharing this – you have brought a real life example to the table that allows me to see that there is so much more going on than we can even imagine. Leaving one’s homeland would bring up so much to deal with , let alone not knowing what you are met with in the transition to hopefully a better life. A great reminder that we are all people with feelings and doing the best that we can…and in these situations a little love goes a long way in supporting another.
This story is deeply appreciated. When a person is labelled by a word like ‘refugee’ they and their situation are reduced to a problem, to be dealt with by any means.
When you hear the stories of sustained risk and ongoing horror you know, beyond doubt, that these people are not a word, not a problem. Rather they are people experiencing a degree of suffering most cannot imagine.
What would it be like to live under a regime that is likely to try to kill you? May have already killed your family members?
What would it be like to walk or more likely flee from your home, leave every single thing you have worked for behind?
What would it feel like to step of a boat that may not be seaworthy to sail to a place that may turn you away?
What if you were ill? High blood pressure or diabetes for example with no access to medications or medical care?
And as you have pointed out, so beautifully Jet, to walk into a setting that has no compassion at all, whilst dealing with the guilt and pain of walking away.
Who would we wish this upon?
This is so, so true Christopher, ‘as here on earth in truth we are just one big family’. If everyone deeply felt this, claim and live in true brotherhood so many of our world issues would not exist.
Thank for this deeply thought provoking and much needed blog Christopher. I was a refugee myself when I was a baby. I was too young to remember the experience. For a long time I never felt I belong anywhere and I felt less for many years because I felt judged. I didn’t have a place I felt at home, but I truth my home is the entire planet. We seem to have divided and claimed parts of the world as ours and drawn boarders to keep people in and out. The way we treat refugees are like you say almost not human, like they don’t belong and we make excuses to reject our fellow brothers and sisters. It’s a deeply sad state of affairs how much we celebrate separation of people based on where they come from and their circumstance. If we open our hearts and see that everyone is equal and that we have no borders then we will not have issues like this but be able to lovingly open our arms and hearts to receive everyone as equals. It’s very clear from your news worthy blog that we have a long way to go. Like you shared every loving action counts and makes a difference. So, what are we going to do about this? About how we treat others as less?
Thank you Chris for bringing this topic up in such a loving way for us all to consider. Your piece should be on the front page of the news as far I am concerned.
I agree Monika. It would be great to see some compassion on the news for these people who are literaly running for their lives. I only ever hear negative things about them.
This is a topic rarely talked about in this light Christopher so I greatly appreciate your offers here. The issue that lays in many peoples minds is that if refugees start coming to a land or country and start living there then we may bear the burden or the cost as a nation if they are not going to contribute to society. This is simply not true at all because is it not about all of humanity and the cost for us as a race not just a country?
Thank you Christopher for your confronting blog filled with truth. I agree that when humanity unites, miracles could happen. ‘Even the smallest things can move mountains as our collective creativity knows no bounds when we open up our hearts to these societal atrocities.’
I agree iljakleintjes – the world would look very different, and much more harmonious if humanity were to unite and stop fighting one another.
A great and very needed sharing, Christopher. We tend to think refugees are a government problem but you are so right, that is a cop out. Every refugee is one of our brothers and so we all have a responsibility to care and look after them. I, too, find myself sitting in comfort and have felt disconnected from this issue. This is living brotherhood – not just words but the reality. What am I doing about it?
I love what you share here Anne. I too have sat in comfort and been dissconnected from this issue.
I have thought that there is nothing that I could do about it, but this is not the case.
“We do not own this planet, though many think they do. We are all one global community so anything that happens on this planet is for us all to consider. We are all custodians of this planet – and this crisis of refugees is on our watch.”
With all the blaming and keeping the people out of our houses, lives and countries and holding on to comfort we are not willing to consider the truth of this and work together in allowing ourselves to feel we are all the same and we are brothers..
Christopher, your blog should be the news of the day, front page news, on every newspaper in the world.
Beautifully expressed Christopher and well needed to be shared/highlighted. Too many negative walls have been built to suit several peoples own insecurities and needs with a quickness to blame others (refugees) this type of conduct does soon build and spread unrest. Time to bring this to a halt – brotherhood is the only way forward, we all have a responsibility and have a part in making those changes big or small. Love will eventually crumble those blockading walls. As Christoph shares Germany has made a start.
Thank you Christopher for starting this conversation. A conversation that is very much needed. It seems that with all the attacks going on we have ‘forgotten’ about the refugees as they are no more front page news. But what is not on the front page, does not mean it’t not there. It is very much there and we are all responsible.
Thank you Christopher, you raise the bar here in the quality you bring to the global refugee situation.
If we were to simplify the ‘problem’ even further.
Everyone knows a kind deed is deeply felt, however a kind deed done out of duty is cold and distancing when received.
The issue will not go away as we are an ever connected global community.
Do we open our hearts from the beginning and let our fellow human beings feel our resentment as we drag our feet?
“What is truly going on here that in our so called modern age (with all the technology and infrastructure that we have) we have ‘refugees’?” This I feel is the true question that we need to be asking and addressing. As you say there have been refugees for centuries and I feel it is symptomatic of the issue that we are not, and have not done so for lifetimes, is taking responsibility for the consequences of our actions and choices. The refugees are all part of the reflection that we can no longer carry on how we have been doing and that this is a huge wake-up call to change.
Well said Jonathan, in the make up of our world today Responsibility and owning the consequences of our actions is not something that many are up to living with. For those of us that are beginning to do so, it is up to us to accept the responsibility that we hold to show the world that this is the only way we can engender true change and to begin to address the many hidden beliefs and ideals that keep humanity separate.
Great point Jonathan. Responsibility for our actions is definitely needed here as this issue is in front of our face to see, clear as day. There is no hiding from this.
Thank you for posting this blog Christopher. I have not taken much interest into the refugee situation, although I know it is topical and has been for many years. What became more clear to me as I read through your words was that allowing refugees to stay or not is not the answer. The answer is love. Regardless of who these people are, where they come from and what they have experienced, regardless of wether they are criminal or not WE ALL DESERVE TO BE TREATED WITH RESPECT, DECENCY AND LOVE. There is a loving way of dealing with tensions and issues in relationships and our responsibility in this starts in our homes. The fact we are not united as a nation on this matter is showing us that the majority of us are not living this level of responsibility in our homes yet.
Too True Abby.
If we are unable to live together, accepting each other, in full in our families and able to support and encourage each of us to live to our full potential, than how can this be the lived way of a country, or a planet.
Exactly Leigh, how can we – if we don’t manage this with ourselves or family first?
Thank you Christopher for bringing this blog us all. The refugee ‘issue’ has been bothering me for a while now particularly here in Australia – I’ve felt appalled at how we are treating people who are fleeing war and violence in their own homelands. This issue will only continue to worsen for as long as we do the ‘them and us’ rather than seeing that we are all part of the same family – humanity.
As you say Sandra, this issue will only worsen until the time that we will rediscover the fact that we are all the same, one family and one humanity. Realising that nobody is any different to us is a key in that and will help us to restore a harmony an rhythm into our world that will have no place for wars and other atrocities that harm people in their existence.
The refugee ‘issue’ is painful in my heart. The way it is presented on t.v. and in newspapers, like we have a problem, because they are on the run, is without true care and equality. We are one humanity living on planet earth and should make this the base of looking at what is going on and how we can handle it together.
I come from a country that was built on and continues to be built on refugees. Indeed, in the country I come from, everybody has a refugee or immigrant in their family line at least one over the past 4 or 5 generations. I am talking about Australia. Yet even in this country, who you would think should know the true value of refugees and immigrants, we still take a staunch view against refugees in particular. It is a view that is not embedded in any fact or true common sense, but rather a view that is born out of a resistance to understanding that underneath nationality, culture, race, religion, we all bleed the same and have the same wants and fears in life. And that resistance comes from not wanting to have our little niche of paradise challenged – simple.
the points you raise are very valid, and questions we need to start asking – these people are just that, people, and they do not deserve the ire or mistrust of those in a position of safety.
Our indifference to our fellow man and woman is a disease that starts in our own homes. Is it any surprise we are hostile to those in need, who want a share of our cake, when we can’t even live in harmony with our nearest and dearest.
Great point Josephine, something really to consider and reflect upon. Have to start at the home front first to let in love and express it equally and then expand it out to all others doo
VERY well said Christopher. I wholeheartedly agree with what you’ve shared – ‘the refugee crisis’ has turned into a refugee crisis, in the sense that people have begun to blame the refugees themselves for the situation, and instead of looking at the fact that they are moving because of the war, famine and abuse occurring in their own countries, politicians, the media and a lot of other people have begun focusing on the ‘damage’ that is caused by the refugees seeking refuge in other countries… We are all the same humanity, and if the situation was switched, I wonder what people would be saying then.
Perhaps we have resorted to blaming the refugees themselves Susie because their situation is asking us to take our blinkers off and question our “comfortable” lives, start sharing what we have and realise we are all equal, no more and no less.
It is indeed Christopher, a much wider issue here than just the refugees – those who had the wherewithal to pay the traffickers (often their fellow countrymen) for a place on the over crowded boat or in the container. What about those who don’t have those resources and are left in the war zones?
If I was writing a travel brochure for energy discerning space travellers, doesn’t seem like there would be much to recommend earth.
It feels like an even bigger call for us to each be responsible for our own energetic output, given that the micro does indeed affect the macro.
We are all equal souls and every effort should be made to try and achieve unified humanity
Thank you for opening this important conversation Christopher. I feel Liane’s words “For in-truth, we are all refugees when we refuse to live the love within our hearts” sums the situation beautifully – we have to abandon our hearts and our shared humanity to be not moved by the pain and suffering that is being endured. Incarceration is an unloving way to treat people who need to be embraced by the community at the earliest opportunity after arrival.
Thank you Christopher for your alerting and truth filled words.
I love this line ‘and this crisis of refugees is on our watch.’
This speaks volumes. It is the issue that needs looked at and we as one must look together on it because as you put it – we do not own this planet and this is a global problem. We are all on this globe so we all have a responsibility to support or contribute with looking at it and rectifying it.
This is not only about the current refugee crisis, it is how we treat one another on a daily basis in every interaction we have.
Very good point Gyl. It is just a representation on a grand scale of how we treat people on a daily basis. Are we open to them or closed?
Exactly Gyl, big or small, ‘refugee’ or family, makes no difference at all.
Absolutely Gyl because our behaviour towards each other is then magnified for good or bad thus bringing the responsibility for the current situation squarely back to all of us and how we treat each other.
I agree with all the points you’ve raised here Christopher – it’s never about us and them – it’s about we, we as a human race, in this together. As we reincarnate lifetime after lifetime we’re going to be many different races and live in many different societies and our biggest lesson is to learn how to come back to the love we innately are so that there are no more divides, as in essence we are all equal.
Beautifully said Deborah. It seems crazy then that we should judge or hate another because of an apparent difference, when we ourselves have probably come from the same back ground at some stage in our many past lives. This really highlights that what we do to another we are also doing to ourselves. There is such a level of responsibility here…are we ready to see it?
Love how you have expressed this and reminded us that we do come back in different countries and nationalities and the like, so it is really important to connect to the love we are and emanate that out to all others too, no matter where they come from; it is just to remember like you said, that in essence we are all equal.
The separation from our inner essence and hearts is so clearly reflected in all the conflicts around religion, nations and minorities. When there is no us and them we can truly know we are living from our inner hearts.
The refugee crisis seems like a great stop moment, an opportunity for us to see the mess we have accepted, with the arms sold by the west to terrorists and unstable regimes, to the deep rooted racism and prejudice that keeps us separated and living in fear and dislike of other cultures. Everything in this situation seems spherical, the knock on effects of our behaviours creates the unrest and the need for people to flee desperate situations, and its a golden opportunity for us to bring us all together and breakthrough the illusion created by the supposed differences in nationality, culture and religion which are constructs that are meaningless when we are willing to look deeper and see the person that is really there. Thank you Christopher for your beautiful writing.
I love that you have brought this topic to the fore to be contemplated from the perspective of love and compassion. We are indeed custodians of this planet and are one global community… and yes this is happening on our watch. Yet when it comes to responsibility many want to stick their heads in the sand and hope someone else deals with it. But human atrocities do not disappear without being addressed lovingly let alone when met by further atrocities as they currently are…. For any true change our response has to be from a globally loving foundation that see us all as equals and treated as such or we are just adding to the ill.
PS – Today (the day this blog was published) I walked past the sign that features in the photo with this article. Someone had repaired the ‘welcome’ part of the sign at the bottom and filled in the gaps with a silver marker. Beautiful confirmation of the power of our expression Christopher (from opposite ends of the world). I would love to post a new photo!
Hi Leonne, I would love to see that photo!
Awesome…
This is powerful Christopher. We are all the same and yet we live in fear of one another, something is very, very wrong when people flee their homes is desperation. Thank you for sharing your views here – everything you share makes absolute sense to me, in fact, it is the best article on the refugee crises I have read.
Hear hear Leonne – I second that-best expression on this very important subject.
An Awesome, deeply inspired, thought -provoking (heart opening) blog Christopher. Your writing that needs to be brought to the front page of every newspaper, shown on every TV news channel, shared on every social media platform and placed face up on every government and politicians tables worldwide.
We are all equally responsible for this mess that has been allowed to continue for aeons of time through power, control and greed – worse still is how it is accepted as a normal way of living. Are we be so numb to this shocking oppression because it is not actually happening within our own family – “I am alright Jack, so it is not my problem” attitude. In essence, we are all the same, equally so, and it is time to stand up be counted and begin to re-store true brotherhood and compassion back to the human race.
We are often aware on a superficial level of the problems in others areas of the world, wars, famine, dictatorship, corruption, slavery etc causing mass suffering for other people through the news but on the whole we stay in the comfort of thinking everything is OK because ‘my life is OK’. After all we can always turn the news off or turn a blind eye. Is it possible that one reason we do not like refugees coming to the countries in which we live is that this puts the problems still facing humanity right back in our faces? It is because they appear to threaten that layer of comfort in which we live when we choose ignorance of the bigger picture. We don’t want to be brought into the bigger picture as this brings responsibility to us equally for what happens to all of humanity so we see them as a problem. Is it also possible that part of the reason that refugees are coming to countries where people are living with the ‘my life is ok’ attitude is to awaken those who are choosing to think that these issues are not theirs, that we are not one humanity jointly affected by everything that happens to each other and that brotherhood is not our true way of being? It feels to me that this is a reflection of how the truth will always be shown to us so we cannot deny or hide from it – the ‘refugee crisis’ is actually another opportunity to bring love and understanding to situations within humanity which are currently ignored and pushed away by so many seemingly ‘OK’ members of our race.
People often treat refugees or other people who are not from the same country as them from a place and an energy that is deeply abusive and separate to God and themselves – what we know collectively as racism and nationalism. I would say these are two of the greatest evil’s in the world, in the purest and truest sense of the word, as they keep us separate from our truth and our Soul. The fact that deep down we all absolutely know this is not how to be and live with one another, that we are all one, and come from the same all loving one Divine source. There’s more here on the true meaning of evil – http://www.unimedliving.com/unimedpedia/word-index/unimedpedia-evil.html
The word refugee is one we can hide behind. It dehumanises the individual, and we dont see them as another person. The refugee label allows us to detach and bury our head in the sand. We are all the same, and the truth is when we see others suffering it does not feel good, but we are good at ignoring that.
That is a great point how we use language to diminish a group of human beings just like us to ‘us and them’ groups. Whilst it is necessary to be able describe the situation of another we have become desentizied to the perils that others endure.
This is great Debra and it places labels on us and moves us into camps of ‘better than’ and ‘less than’ to avoid taking responsibility for the fact that we are not living the love we are.
Christopher I feel your deep love for humanity through your blog. I know for myself, being a bystander is all too easy and the fact you have written a blog and started a discussion is a great thing. The fact we have this problem in the modern age, which is worsening is a global problem and as such we need to find a way of working together to resolve it. My great grandparents were refugees who settled in the UK and it took only one generation for the family to assimilate into the British culture. We need to keep our hearts open to the current global refugee situation.
And to not demand assimilation in the way we currently do. What if we could allow people the space to be themselves, embrace them for that rather than demanding a particular compliance. For that is the breeding ground for resentment.
What we need to understand is that we are all refugees on this planet. The mythical “white” Australia was nothing more than a refugee settlement, made of escapees from the UK – prisoners, military and risk takers. So many nations are the same – built on people leaving one place to make a fresh start elsewhere. How sad and strong that once we become entrenched we do not allow others the freedom to do the same.
It’s interesting how nearly every act of terror that is occurring just now is blamed on the people arriving from Syria into other countries – everyone is tarnished with the same brush, that they are terrorists, which creates a mass hysteria of hate, and a way to avoid looking at the part we play in this. Often these individuals who do commit the hideous and evil crimes have actually grown up in the country they are attacking. We have to ask the question what’s really going on – How awful must your life be that you risk everything, the potential of dying, loosing your blood family, to travel in tiny often very unsafe boasts and risky journeys to look for a place where you feel safe.
In light of the comment above regards a place where ‘you feel safe’ – how many of us have this in our lives? – a home, a room, a partner, family, a friend, somewhere we feel we are warm and safe – yet there is a huge percentage of the worlds population, not just refugees who do not have this safe place or space, it may be children who are abused, a domestic violence case, a single parent, a child growing up with depression or other mental health issues, it may be someone who has lost their job using a food bank to eat, an alcoholic, it could be any one in your street. It may be easy to sit back and say yeah life is great, but in truth is this really the case when the world in such a mess even in our own homes, and not see this as part of our responsibility.
A strong and honest call to worldwide self-responsibility Gyl…there are many things in this world that are just not going away, and or worsening – such as people fleeing their countries which has been happening for centuries, and slave trading has moved on to be called human trafficking now – one and the same thing; domestic violence and alcoholism, and the list goes on….so when do we each take responsibility for this mess we have collectively created?
Collectively we’re responsible for everything and everyone. We are One Unified Consciousness and there is nothing outside this. And so it boils down to our moment by moment alignment. A commitment and dedication to be aligned to the consciousness of God no matter what because it is only by restoring the consciousness of God on Earth that we’re gonna truly sort anything out. Sure we can chip away at things here and there but to truly sort any-thing and everything out, we have to re-align ourselves to God so that He is re-instated on Earth. Then and only then sorting out all of the problems that we currently have won’t be hard, it won’t be hard at all, in fact it will be a living joy.
A powerful expose of modern society Christopher. It appears we have become more inhuman, less intelligent as a species. During and after the 2nd World War the world opened its doors and arms to welcome and house Jewish refugees fleeing persecution. Fast forward 60 years and we have to ask what has happened to humanity, compassion and concern to our fellow brothers. I wonder if race, nationality and religion has a place to play here? Would reaction to refugees be the same if they were European? Many still refuse to accept the truth that we are all one, equal and the same. I have always found national boundaries to be artificial creations. Perhaps what we are witnessing is the beginning of the end of national boundaries, in time they will become irrelevant as we move towards One World and no boundaries at all.
“We do not own this planet, though many think they do. We are all one global community so anything that happens on this planet is for us all to consider. We are all custodians of this planet – and this crisis of refugees is on our watch.” I agree Christopher. Seeing the various leaders in government and countries making awful comments about refuges is horrid. Closing our doors to others is like closing our doors t ourselves. We are all one people. What we do to others we do to ourselves. Let alone the fact that many countries have consisted of ‘refugees’ and immigrants from the get-go.
Germany is currently making a big effort to bring brotherhood into the refugee issue and so far they are managing well.
and they are really coping it from some other countries. I feel very inspired and deeply touched by the way that Germany has approached this.
Front page news please.
I agree. This blog cuts through everything that is out there around this issue.
Definitely Gyl, this is what I thought too.
Thank you, Christopher, for getting out on the table for us all to consider the common attitude that if it’s not happening in my back yard then it is not my problem. How did we get to this point of separation and indifference? By bringing it back to love, we cannot avoid our individual responsibility in the way we treat one other, be it with our families, our work colleagues, or groups of people from overseas needing support.
And there it is again – responsibility in all we think say and do – it affects everyone all of the time, stranger or family, friend or colleagues, like you said Janet – everyone,
“… that even the smallest things can move mountains as our collective creativity knows no bounds when we open up our hearts to these societal atrocities.” And time it is to open our hearts, thank you Christopher for bringing this dire subject to our attention. The big question you pose is why one Earth, in the 21st Century with all our whiz bang technology and so called advances are we still facing this age old problem of refugees? And so the next question is how are we using our technology? Are we using it to carry out more atrocities or are we using it to truly advance mankind? So while we make every effort to take care of the people pouring out of war torn countries, deeply in need of safety and love, surely we should also be looking at why we are still supporting and feeding war by making the Arms Trade a major part of our global economy.
I agree Rowena. What are we using our technology for? Another fancy computer game, the next smartphone with even more fancy features, more weapons to kill and mame one another, while people are being denied the basics they need to survive. We can all do something, even if its just to start the conversation. Thank you Christopher for bringing this subject to the table.
It’s crazy that we have such issues today with as you say our ’21st century technology ‘. If people made life about people then perhaps all our advancements in technology would be used to support the health and care of all the people in the world. The one world that we are all part of.
As a humanity, we have to date got it very backwards.
This is a great point Rowena. What are we using our technology for. At this stage, it is definitely not to enhance and support mankind.
Are we indeed focused on improving things such as technology and our material comfort rather than focusing on brotherhood and living in equallness where the suffering of another is also our concern.
We do tend to be by standers when problems of such a huge scale exist. Where do we start? We also tend to be ruled by fear that tells us not to trust or be open. But ultimately we are one humanity on one planet. Where else can they go? If it was us who were in desperate need we would be begging countries to open their boarders. Why should it be any different the other way round?
Exactly Rebecca. Perhaps we in the more fortunate countries should do just that – turn the tables around and imagine what if it was me who was in that situation? How would I like to be responded to?
So true Rebecca, if we were in this situation we would be begging other countries to open their borders.
Question that pupped up was: are we actually by standers? Or are we actually full members of society, and so ; do we all have a responsiibility and equal part to play? Is fear a way to protect ourselves from deep old hurts? When I ask these question I can actually feel that I have not taken responsibility for the part I play, and my role (whatever that is) to me more truthful about what is going on and what I can do. It is beautiful to feel that we actually do not need any form of desperation , with having in mind that desperation feeds the evil and lack of love that is so present. We need to fill those spots with love, brotherhood and so our human society.
There is no difference in nationality, we are all human, we are all love and we all deserve 100% respect and trust.
Yes Rebecca,
In conversations that I have had recently on this subject, there is no connection to the fact that there are families, Mums, Dads, Children, Aunts and Uncles in dire need of support. The hardened response is that they are possible terrorists that we are letting into our countries. It is almost like we want there to be a reason to not open our arms and let them in, for if we do we might then begin to feel how we are truly living our lives, hardening ourselves to even those that we love. What would we do if this was exposed, maybe we would begin to change how we are being with each other and then with the wider communities in which we live.
Its like the ostrich burying its head in the sand…feeling overwhelmed with the ‘refugee problem’ so toughen up laws to keep people out so we don’t have to ‘deal with the issue’ – which is a total lack of responsibility when we all have a part to play in all that goes on in the world.
Christopher, this is an article that needed to be written, what you have written is very true ‘It’s as though they are not humans, they are something else – a burden on us, a nuisance, a plague of unwanted debris – and not our responsibility’, the media and governments treat refugees as if they are criminals, countries are closing their boarders so they cant enter, citizens are saying there is no room for you here, and yet these are fellow human beings, we are equal, all the same, they are simply looking for a safe place to live, somewhere where they will not be tortured and abused and yet we in our comfort do not want to know, this feels very sad that we get caught up in what the media says and close our doors and our hearts to people in this awful situation.
It drives home the level of comfort in this world. We do not want to know about the problems that exist ‘over there’, until they knock on our shores and then we usher them away, not wanting to be disturbed from our comfortable little lives.
For as long as abuse and refugees exist in this world, we are a part of it, no matter how separate we pretend to be with our eyes and ears closed to our responsibility within this world.
I feel the media hugely influences what people are exposed to, they portray the refugees as threats yet so many of them are children and families who are in need of shelter, support and a safe place to live. Through fear, so many of us seem to have accepted so much of what is not true or loving. But really, fear will only create more fear. How we treat others has a ripple effect on us all.
Wise words well said Chan…and how we treat ourselves has a ripple effect on everyone as well.
I agree Chan the media has a huge responsibility as do we for allowing them to behave in this disgraceful separative manner. Make someone a threat and you have a story. We are all threats because we belong to one minority group or another be it: teenager, refugee, cult, Jew, black, gay, dole bludger, car salesman, brain surgeon, drug addict, generation x y or z or whatever!
Why are there refugees? Because human beings are still abusing and committing atrocities on other fellow human beings. This fact is a tragedy in and by itself. It is happening again before our own very eyes. This is not, however, the only reason why this is tragic: the indifference of the many that could do, could have done, something to stop the tragedy from deepening is also really concerning. And, now, we have refugees and a general unwillingness of rich societies to share space and resources with them because they do not belong to the same political-cultural-ethnic community. It is all about difference. We kill the different, we reject the different, we mistrust the different. Yet, in truth there is no difference. We are all Sons of God equally so.
Very well said Eduardo. One of the reasons I believe Governments and countries are being so resistant to accepting refugees into their borders is because it would mean actually taking responsibility for the state of our world to a degree. As you said there are only refugees due to how we have been treating one another and operating as a whole humanity, and people will do anything not to see that.
So beautifully said Eduardo. There is no difference between us. The only difference is the difference we create through the degree in which we connect or separate to the love we are and can live together. As it is through our separation to love that evil runs rampant.
Thank you, Christopher. You raise here many points that make me realise how we so conveniently define our community, our kind, our problem in our attempt to avoid responsibility. It is a painful, sobering realisation. Thank you for bringing it to our attention.
I agree Fumiyo – it is very sobering and for each of us to take a honest look at our own response to this call. Is it a wakeup call or is it just indifferent?
It’s five years since most of us have read this blog and I would say that outwardly it might look like most of us have done nothing in response to it. Most of us won’t have cooked a meal for a refugee and I’m pretty certain that none of us would have invited a refugee to come and live with us but……..but many people who have commented on this blog have been working on their own livingness, which is the same as saying that we have been working on our alignment. Two forms of consciousness, one true and one bastardised and we have been working on changing our alignment from one that is bastardised to one that is true. And what this means is that every single issue in the world gets addressed by our re-alignment to a consciousness that is true because it is the bastardised form of consciousness that has set up everything that is problematic in the world, pull the consciousness and you pull the plug on the world’s problems.
Convenience is a key word here. A main reason Governments are so cautious and unwilling to accept refugees into their countries is because it is a supposed ‘inconvenience’ that may affect their comfort.
For all the great humanitarianism work that goes now (not excluding that for it is indeed much needed in the world) to then have wealthy countries turn around and mistrust and promote hate towards people fleeing from dangerous situations sounds completely crazy. There are so many more sides to this ‘Refugee Crisis’ that is not spoken of in the very limited media of ‘welcome them’ or ‘mistrust/avoid dealing with them’ These are people no different to anyone else regardless of what country they are from and if the same happened to one of these western countries would the people not cry out and ask for help as well? Why should it matter where they are from when people are fleeing from such atrocious and dangerous situations is it not even more disturbing to then have them be met with distrust, hate and abuse from those able to support them?
“We do not own this planet, though many think they do. We are all one global community so anything that happens on this planet is for us all to consider. We are all custodians of this planet – and this crisis of refugees is on our watch.” This brings in a much bigger understanding to the word ‘Refugees’ that we have a responsibility here, we are a global community that needs no borders, we all live on the same planet and brotherhood is our responsibility, for each and every one of us. When we see refugees, when we label them, give them a name, then suddenly they are no longer part of society and should be treated differently. Thank you Christopher this needs to be said we are all human beings living communally on this planet and the way Refugees are being singled out and treated is not Brotherhood.
I appreciated this too Alison as Christopher very clearly calls us all to account at the plight in which the world is in and the fact that we are not acting like a global community nor taking responsibility.
The thing is we’re not a ‘global community’, we can’t even live harmoniously with our own family members and work colleagues. We bitch, criticise and moan our way through our days, we have to bring harmony into our own lives before we can even consider bringing it into our communities, let alone globally.
Thank you Christopher and this is a conversation that deserves to be opened up. It is interesting how we see certain people or situations in our world as “problems” and detach from us being responsible for them in any way thus then can easily avoid taking any responsibility to step forward to bring a change to how things are dealt with. Perhaps now our own and collective responsibility is the only answer left as you rightly say refugees have been part of life for years so it is time to look at and question ‘what is really going on?’ and consider our own actions. This is a beautiful place to begin “Every drop, from the tiniest kind word uttered from a place of love to the grandest action, will help the world become a better place for us all to live in, together.”
This is a great topic to bring awareness to Christopher and one that I have always found disturbing, with regards to how dismissive people are of others who are fleeing a crisis. Many times you hear of reports where people have been found dead in a cargo container or drowned during a sea crossing, and as I see it these are extreme measures to escape a life threatening situation at home. How desperate must they be to put themselves and their children’s lives at risk.
Great blog Christopher and some very valid points. How do we expect refugees to behave when we treat them with such distaste. The problem comes when one of them does something wrong and we tarnish them all. But if the same number of ‘western’ people were massed together there would equally be the same problems. The problem is each country wants to look after itself and in reality does not care about those outside of its borders. They have aid and humanitarian projects but these can cynically been seen as ways of trying to the keep the peace so they do not get attacked in any way. The more we start to see the world as a one world without borders the more harmony and unity we will have not as a nation but as a world working together not constantly jostling and fighting.
Extremely well said James. ‘The problem is each country wants to look after itself and in reality does not care about those outside of its borders’ – this is very true; I’ve noticed from reading the news and hearing about the ‘crisis’ that no countries seem to be coming together in the realisation that this is a GLOBAL, WORLD-WIDE problem – not just for Germany, or Hungary or Italy. As you say every country is so focused on keeping their ‘borders’ intact they have forgotten about brotherhood.
Hmmm…this has a similar feel to the saying ‘every man for himself’ except this is ‘every country for itself’ Both ways are all about self, with no brotherhood in sight!
There is little brotherhood in sight except perhaps Germany who are receiving so many and are overwhelmed.
The thing about refugees is that they are just normal people looking to escape the turmoil and atrocities that they left behind. The last thing they need is to walk into water cannons and tear gas after such a perilous journey ,which is what they are facing on some of the European borders.
So true Kevin. They are just trying to leave complete abuse in their own country. They are not intending to exploit our country- they just want to feel safe. We all deserve that!
Indeed, Kevin, just like Chris wrote: “have we forgotten that we are all the same? And that despite our circumstance, no one person is better than another.”None of would want this for themselves or our children.
You’re absolutely right Kevin – they are NORMAL people! Refugees are not aliens, or criminals, or disease-ridden – they are all simply people, just like you or I. To judge them based on their home town, religion or ethnicity is wrong and should not be tolerated, however Governments seem to believe it is okay to do this.
We are all refugees as we all migrated away from our true home many eons ago. The difference is that we walked away from love and the current flow of refugees are fleeing from terror and conflict. Much of this conflict is caused by one group of people fighting to have control over others and impose their own particular ideals and beliefs. The suspicion of host countries to the refugees fleeing oppression is that they fear the newcomers will bring their ideals and beliefs with them and disturb the comfortable existence that they have carved out for themselves. How many of us, faced with war, torture and brutality would not seek to find a safe haven where they would be welcomed with open hearts?
Yes, the wider picture is presented here and something to ponder deeply – it is a chilling thing to realise we are ALL refugees having chosen to leave the absolute truth of Love we all are equally so. Aeons later, thanks to the Ancient Wisdom Teachings presented by Serge Benhayon since 1999 we are finally beginning to re-awaken to see and feel how far we have fallen from grace and true natural living.
There is no doubt there is the greater Plan to be re-stored on earth for Brotherhood to come back fully into being once more.
How beautifully said Mary: “We are all refugees as we all migrated away from our true home many eons ago” – yes indeed we have walked away from our essence of love and created a huge disharmony which is showing up as a war in our bodies. We are all one and what happens in the world and with our health is a reflection of a very deep sickness in our society and way or rather waywardness as human beings. How far will it need go before we start to question what is really going on and take some responsibility for both our individual and collective actions and inactions?
Christopher, thank you for expressing this, you bring clarity and order to a matter in the world where we choose fear and chaos instead. You are opening up our view by opening up our hearts. The beauty that you see and love in nature you have equally for your brothers your equal fellow human beings around the world. It is so easy to get stuck in our own little and safe world only wanting to participate in the world’s affairs to a certain degree. With your words you are opening a conversation where our hearts are asked to come alive and bring love into our communication and view on the world.
This is a beautiful piece Christopher, it is a very important topic and you give lots of food for thought, why do we see refugees as a threat, while they are just as much Human as we are?
Thank you for writing this blog Christopher, someone needed to. The government in England has just added 12 billion pounds to the defence budget over the next ten years taking it up to 174 billion for the decade ahead and this doesn’t take into account the money needed to replace the Trident nuclear submarine. How many refugees could this money house and feed and how many new doctors, nurses, schools teachers, housing for our homeless could this money provide. We live in a very sick world and it’s only getting sicker in more ways than one. Its up to every individual to make a stand or a statement in someway, saying it’s not Ok and we are indeed one brotherhood and becoming a refugee could happen to anyone of us.
Kevin, I felt the same when I heard that £12 billion is to be given to the defence budget. Stunned to say the least. Western nations have all the resources needed to heal every person on this planet, instead governments choose to feed the arms industry not people. It’s a disgrace.
Very true Kevin. We spend so much money world wide on things that are ridiculously unnecessary but do not manage to live a life where the most basic needs of everybody are met. There is a great imbalance in this world.
Kevin I have been staggered at the ‘war at no cost to great’ mentality that is being touted by the government. We have been having the same war cycle with the middle east for 50 years, this particular one with terrorists for 25 years, to carry on blindly doing the same old thing as always will see us another 20 years on with even more of a mess, with millions dead. The only place the £2billion pounds given this week should be going is to youth services supporting integration and connection so they feel they have a purpose and belong to all, going to war will alienate and destroy communities and give young people the ammunition to justify their barbaric acts of terrorism. No one blows themselves up unless they have been utterly bereft of love. We are at a point in history where we could make a different choice… unfortunately it seems the government can only see one way the old way and repeated way. More reason for those of us who know love to our bones and beyond actually live this to inspire and show there is another way to live.
And as long as there’s an enemy ‘out there’ to fight, true problems closer to home can be ignored.
Oh we’re masters at looking the other way, in fact our whole society is built on ‘looking the other way’. Distracting ourselves is our national and in fact international pastime, which is why we’re all in so much strife. Ain’t nothing gonna get sorted by looking the other way, we have to turn our gaze inwards and get honest, really, really honest with ourselves.
Vanessa when we uncover so ‘called war cycle’ with the Middle East for over 50 years, you find there is method and pattern to it. Wars are often created to keep things exactly as they are, the public from really knowing the true background story and the arms industry in business
Exactly so Kehinde.
So well said Kevin, my parents grew up being very familiar with talk of war, my great aunt and grandmother experienced war. Being a refugee is not exclusive to class or gender, nationality or religion it could happen to anyone of us.
If people are committing genocide, gang raping children, torturing others and doing all the things they are, the answer is not to say ‘oh let them do it, better to spend money on doctors’. Imagine if Churchill had just said ‘oh let the Nazis gas all the Jews, I am not a Jew, better spend the money on our roads’. If you consider that at essence we are all one and from the same Divine source then the question really is; how far have we fallen and what is going on that we have wars and refugees and need weapons?
I love the level of responsibility you address here. We can’t behave in such a way, that the topic refugees has nothing to do with us. The refugees are a great reflection of – something is still not right on this planet. If we would have only love, then we wouldn’t have refugees. So where do we still behave lovelessly, that something like this happens ? Your sharing is a great reminder, that we all have a global responsibility to be able to live true brotherhood.
I agree Alexander, I feel we certainly do have a responsibility to live in true brotherhood. It is something very natural in us all but we have managed to deny this part to the extent where we feel so separate from others and to a degree where we are turning people who are in great need of love and support away so easily.
Succinct and to the point – “we have a global responsibility to … live true brotherhood”. So the question then cannot be: what are we going to do with this problem called refugees? Rather, it has to be: what are we doing that creates pockets in the world that desperate people have to flee from? What is our shared responsibility here? What are we missing?
‘If we would have only love, then we wouldn’t have refugees’ – Very true Alexander. The ‘refugee crisis’ exposes so much for the whole world… Before, many Governments/Countries were able to ignore and avoid looking at the destruction in Syria and countries nearby that our lovelessness and separation has caused, but now a reflection of this is literally turning up on their doorsteps. They can choose to either address it and make an effort to change, or push truth away and go on with ‘normal’, ignorant life.
Thank you Christopher for opening up the conversation on a much debated topic. To open up our shores, our homes first requires us to open up our own hearts and perhaps that is the issue in the first place. What if the politicians deeply connected to their inner-most heart what would they come up with?
Right now, living far away from a refugee camp, I am left wondering what I can ‘do’. What dawns on me, is that I can open up my home to my community as a place to be where everybody is welcomed and everybody feels equal. We can garden together, cook together, wood work together, in the knowing that these activities stem from love, harmony and equality, qualities that when chosen, spread like wildfire.
I love how you point out the term ‘refugee problem’, when it is not a refugee problem we have, but one as large as our humanity. If there are places in the world that people cannot inhabit, this is everyone’s responsibility. It is time enabled people that need homes to have better access to them. Yes this may lead to some societal chaos for a period of time, but is this not better than the many unnecessary deaths we see?
Instead of ‘refugee problem’, we are witnessing ‘ gross inhumanity towards those who are seen as different from us’ and ‘abject failure by governments (apart from Germany) to respond with love not fear.
Well said Amelia Stevens.
” If there are places in the world that people cannot inhabit, this is everyone’s responsibility”.
It’s true, Amelia, there is definitely not a refugee problem but a problem with how humans are treating each other, that is the real issue.
Well said Amelia. ‘Yes this may lead to some societal chaos for a period of time, but is this not better than the many unnecessary deaths we see?’ – The fact that so many Governments and people are struggling and fighting AGAINST refugees coming into their country just exposes the comfort that so many of us live in. Is one more mouth to feed really a mouth too many, considering rates of obesity? Is one more home to be occupied in the town just too much when the population is growing so rapidly anyway?
This is a small but very relevant point Susie, given the fact that most of us eat way more then we need imagine if we all contributed the money that we spend on over eating to the refuges we would probably be able to feed them all. Same with money we spend on other commodities that we do not really need and holidays we do not really need to go on and all the other indulgences that we would be better off with out, all could go towards supporting the refugees. It would be a win, win situation.
So true Mary-Louise there is so much excess one one hand and then not enough to go around, but many on both sides are bereft in the heart.
I agree, I also loved how Christopher brought awareness to the term ‘refugee problem’ which wrongly puts the refugees into a separate box, less than the rest when the problem is a global and we each are responsible for our part.
So true Fiona, I was at a local meeting held by the mayor and the bishop of one of the churches. The meeting was to open the discussion on community. They were talking about what a great community we have as so many had helped the refugees settle and a so called ‘refugee’ stood up and said ‘how many years do we need to live here before the community stops calling us ‘the refugees’. This woman had been living in the area for quite some years and felt it was time to drop that label. I could see her point. When are we going to see people as people first.
What a fabulous experience Kathleen, and how empowering for this woman to stand up and claim she is part of the community. We do need to drop all the labels we have for and on people…we are all people, all equal!
We minimise the situation and cap the potential to actually put an end to it by referring to it as a ‘refugee problem’. It is an ‘humanitarian problem’. To rename this would mean though that every individual would need to see that the world is one, united, that people are equal no matter who they are, where they live, what they do, what they look like, how much they contribute, how much money they make etc. The current world view is not that we are a one united race of people, but that we are all diffferent, we come from different cultures and these cultures must be protected at all costs. People champion different cultures, and in doing so, prohibit and forbid people to live together in the same country. By protecting this idea of ‘culture needing saving’, we have a ‘refugee problem’.
Well said Amelia. Calling it a refugee problem allows people to shirk responsibility and claim it is not their problem. This is indeed a problem for all of humanity to take responsibility for and to accept that we all have a part we can play in changing the way we treat all human beings at home and afar.
Christopher I completely agree with you, there is truly no difference between a refugee and either of us or anyone else in our family or community. In fact as many people liken family to blood lines then the Syrian refugees at the moment are simply distant genetic cousins, all related. I do find it strange how two individuals in adjoining villages in Uganda can call themselves cousins when the rest of the world combined share more similarity in their DNA than the two individuals in Uganda. The fact is the world has always been full of refugees and as you say the real question should be why – perhaps we are being taught that we are living on one world – where until we let go of the illogical notion of borders and countries we will always have suffering.
Very sensible and lovely to know other people feel this way too.
So true Nicole, more people need to speak up and express the love that they have for others so that the minority and fear mongering of the media don’t have their way.
And you have started a change Christopher by speaking up and expressing what is going on. I put both my hands up for being one of the bystanders you speak of, looking at the atrocities and saying ‘what can I do to change it?’ and then going back to my comfortable life that has not been rocked. There is so so much we can do to support change, before you mentioned welcoming ‘refugees’ aka human beings just like us, into our homes, it came to me also and I wondered how until now I had not considered that before. It shows how it only takes one person to speak the truth to inspire others to connect and see the bigger picture as well.
Love this Aimee because you could be speaking about myself in your comfort. I ask myself how have I, how have we become so complacent with what is happening on our planet, our home?
I can relate to what you are sharing here Aimee. When I saw the title of this blog I was looking forward to reading a blog about love and true support for refugees and felt that someone has taken a stand for them, yet didnt ask myself why I hadnt done this myself.
I completely agree with you Christopher and thank you for writing this blog. I have the same perception that we tend to treat the refugees as being a burden and a danger for our ‘safe’ and comfortable societies we have created for ourselves. Sharing this wealth with our fellow humans is the way to go, and as you say if we for instance all would take care for one or two refugees and help them to build a new existence in in our societies, there would be no issue at all but instead a building of love that cannot else than to be equally shared with all of humanity.
Christopher a much needed blog bringing awareness to a very current issue. “If we stop to realise that together as a worldwide brotherhood we could act to make changes together, to meet these fellow equal human beings with compassion, with love, honesty and respect instead of the way we treat them now, perhaps they would no longer be the ‘problem’ we all fear.” This says it all. We get so caught up in our own little worlds that we do not see the bigger picture. The refugee crisis is but one example of this. There is much we can do but seldom little is done. It’s time to take off the blinkers!
not so much blinkers but great big blinds with black out backing! We really are much more comfortable with blaming and focusing on the ‘problems’ rather than take responsibility for our part in what has been created and bringing all of our love to everything, like Liane said early ” It is not the size of the drop that matters but the quality of the pool from which it was sourced. If this pool is love, we all win by virtue of the fact that there is nothing left to fight.” that drop with all the other drops creates a wave. A ripple of love that the world sorely needs to feel.
“Every drop, from the tiniest kind word uttered from a place of love to the grandest action, will help the world become a better place for us all to live in, together.”
Truly gorgeous words Christopher. It is not the size of the drop that matters but the quality of the pool from which it was sourced. If this pool is love, we all win by virtue of the fact that there is nothing left to fight.
Liane you are on fire with your comments – thank you for bringing awareness to distinguishing the QUALITY of the pool sourced from, is what makes true change possible.
“It is not the size of the drop that matters but the quality of the pool from which it was sourced. If this pool is love, we all win by virtue of the fact that there is nothing left to fight”.
I totally agree Stephanie, Liane is on fire with her comments.
“It is not the size of the drop that matters but the quality of the pool from which it was sourced. If this pool is love, we all win by virtue of the fact that there is nothing left to fight”.
Even the hardest heart would simply melt whilst reading these words.
“…even the smallest things can move mountains as our collective creativity knows no bounds when we open up our hearts to these societal atrocities.”
Such profound and simple wisdom in these words Christopher, thankyou. It is the love within our hearts that creates the space needed to do what needs to be done so we can all stand together, as One, once more.
I agree Liane, as Christopher says the ‘smallest things’ can make such a huge difference especially when we all work together and do them. When we unite we can do anything yet when we stay isolated and separate in our own homes not taking equal responsibility for being a part of humanity we allow suffering to take place. No one should suffer any form of abuse. I am not saying we should bail everyone out or void them of responsibility rather we should offer them a choice to take full responsibility for their lives by empowering them. Not doing it with the handout mentality of you can’t do any better, whilst at the same time somehow seeking recognition because you are doing good and ‘helping’ others. We are all the same irrespective of our skin colour, nationality etc.. and so are all capable of being truly loving.
We all are capable for being the love we are and showing this love to another human being in equality.
I am learning that in my own life Liane, if love isn’t expressed then I’m only looking for a solution and another issues will present in another way. Without love, its not it.
Beautiful! Thankyou for writing this. You have given us much to ponder on. What is our actual relationship with people outside of our comfortable little bubble? And do we consider that yes the fact is, we are all family and our issues won’t go away until we dress them with that in mind. Something is clearly not working if we have refugees in the first place, and there could be a better way to deal with it.
I wonder how we would all cope if it was us? It is so easy to stay in our own bubble and think it is not on our doorstep so we can’t do anything. But we can and this blog really gives us an opportunity to see how small things can make big changes.
Yes great point Lucy…what if it was us or our family/friends in this situation? Do we need to wait for this to happen to take action? Seeing everyone as our brother and sister would be a good start here…
Great point Marika – this is fundamental to the changing of the attitudes we all hold so stubbornly in our own corner of the world.
I agree – we have created a mindset where we don’t want to look at it or deal with it if it doesn’t upset our little bubble of life. But if there are wars and distresses and horrors occurring in this world, if doesn’t matter if they are 2 miles away or 1000 miles away, we cannot ignore them, nor the people fleeing for their lives and seeking shelter and safety. What do we as a humanity teach them if once they have fled their home which is now in the grips of war or unrest, they come across fear, hate, mistrust and separation. We cannot let the horrific actions of a few make us walk away from and forget out strongest weapon, which is not fire arms or nuclear weapons, it is not fear and it is not hate, it is our ability to stand as a united front and say no to the abusive and destructive behaviour, and keep loving in the face of evil – not just our family and friends, but everyone.
This reveals a deeper aspect of what we need to look at as a human race. The answer is not to give from a place of ‘I’m trying to help because deep down I feel sorry for someone less fortunate than me.’ The moment we feel sorry for someone we’ve cut off from love. Love knows and sees everyone as equal regardless of circumstances or any other difference. It offers care and support always in the knowing and holding of empowering the other to come to a place where they can see if they want to, that they are always responsible for their own choices. The ‘have’s’ and the ‘have not’s’ come from the lack of love, and from expectations and a drumming in of the idea that there are victims, losers and winners in a dog-eat-dog world. There would be none of this if the world we lived in was based on love.
Great comment Katerina, feeling sorry for people who are ‘less fortunate than ourselves’ doesn’t help one bit. The ‘poorer people’ will feel the sympathy and pity and because there is a deep knowing in everybody that we are all equal with one another, they will demand equality through human life – material possessions which as Mary has seen first hand is another ugliness. It is the lack of self love, self worth, ideals and expectations that have created a world without much love in it, and has indeed led to the winners and losers situation that is everywhere.
Having refugees in our countries is showing to us that we cannot turn a blind eye to this situation any longer. Everything we hold against it is showing our lovelessness. We have much to learn here and we can heal this with love for another.
Thankyou for opening up this conversation Christopher. There is a great power, wisdom and simplicity that you bring to this ‘problem’ of refugees. It seems that no matter what country we may live in, we make it a ‘problem’ so that we can busy ourselves finding solutions, all the while ignoring the real issue here which is that we are love and as a human race we are yet to live it in such a way that we cannot and will not allow such atrocities to exist in the first place. This ‘problem’ exists because we have conditions on love, such as ‘I will love you if I don’t get put out in the process’, ‘I will love you so long as my comfort is not disturbed’ or ‘ I will love you so long as you don’t ask for anything in return’ etc. We have war because we have borders and because we seek to own what can never be owned, only shared – our love. Bereft of this love, there is only greed; the perpetual drive to satiate the hunger of the ‘little self’ no matter what is going on for anyone else.
I love how you have brought us home to the truth that we are not owners of this planet but custodians of it. Love is our greatest responsibility and in this our every brother must be held as an equal point of light here on Earth in order for us to arise out of the darkness that humanity has slumped in for so long. For in-truth, we are all refugees when we refuse to live the love within our hearts.
I love and relate to all you have expressed Liane. There is separation everywhere if we truly choose to look, borders between countries, nationalities, gender, sexuality, generations etc. Seeing ourselves as one, and equal to all others is a needed step in addressing any issue.
“Seeing ourselves as one, and equal to all others…” We are after all, all human beings underneath, regardless of where we live, the colour of our skin, our religion, gender etc. It is this definitely that we need to remember and give more focus to…
“For in-truth, we are all refugees when we refuse to live the love within our hearts” resonates strongly in me Liane as that to me is exactly how it feels to me too. Feeling as a refugee, bereft and disconnected of all that we love and need that much in our lives. Missing the connection with the love we walked away from gives the same feeling as ‘the refugee’ shows us today. The reflection that the increasing numbers of refugees give to us is one to truly consider as it touches very deeply into our beings. To me somewhere we have the tendency not to go there and to keep it something that is outside of us. But when we truly consider that we are all the same, lost and bereft of the love we all know deep inside we belong to, and that the only way to return to the Oneness we belong to is to live in brotherhood, we have to start considering that all what is happening is because we live in disconnection with each other, while our origins lay in living in brotherhood, living together as one big family.
We are all refugees, yes we are as we are not from earth, but on earth and our true home is very far away. We are diverted refugees as we individualized by seeking creation and forgot our oneness and universality. Now we try to own a planet that is not ours and think we have the right to deny our equal brothers access to the “safe” spaces we incarnated in in this life forgetting that tomorrow we might be the once looking for shelter. We can only get back home to our divine origins together and in unity and this has to be first expressed on earth.
Beautifully said Rachel, we are not form here, but are here on earth. There is nothing to own anyway, only the responsibility to act as one group, as one humanity, to be love and return to where we come from: the divine.
Rachel I love the expansion of the truth of this situation, not only do we not own this planet we are actually all refugees on this planet which so lovingly supports us on our way back to reclaiming who we are – Love. Ironic that we have been spending our time squabbling and trying to own bits of the planet which is the exact opposite to the love and oneness we are from. The points raised in this blog and the comments shed important light on this issue.
Very well said Rachel! We don’t come from Earth, we don’t own the land anyway, it’s impossible.
Rachel this is so beautifully expressed. We are all refugees here, as we are living far away from our divine origins. To go home we need to be in unity and express collectively together for the consideration of the all. We are a long way from this as we currently live; choosing instead to better ourselves as individuals and protect our bubbles of safe haven by shutting out others. Where is our warm welcome sign to all on our front doors?
The welcome signs need to be on our chests not our doors, rather than the current placards that we have hanging around our necks saying ‘keep out, trespassers will be prosecuted’. In the last few years I’ve ditched my placard and replaced it with a ‘welcome’ sign, it feels so much better than it did before.
I love what you shared here Rachel. It is really showing us that borders don’t really work. We are all one people, all the differences of nationalities, culture and such are all man made. None of this exists when we are born. We come the same way, and come from the same source, with the same hearts. Boundaries are very old era, and we will really have to look at how we can live as a part of this Global Village we actually live in; to see each other, everywhere as our neighbour, friend, even soulmate.
Rachel lovely perspective of the fact it’s not our true home, we are all refugees searching to find our true origins.
Beautiful Merrilee forever seeking running from our hurts, looking to hide from the world and ignoring our true origins.
So very well said Rachel. It is but by a twist of fate that our homes are safe. We think we make them safe by locking our borders and denying people access, but all we are doing is in fact generating our own breeding grounds of hatred.
We do this on a national basis, and we do this at a very personal level too. We shut our hearts to people imagining we are keeping ourselves protected. The result is that we make a barren wasteland inside ourselves where once loved thrived in glorious abundance.
Life is about openness and care. That is what evolves us and develops our true intelligence – the intelligence of the soul.
To be otherwise makes small, mean spirited beings of us all.
So true, Rachel, we cannot pretend to be safe in our world of hatred by shutting people out. All we do is create a deep empty place filled with hatred and anger. I think it is time to really stop this behaviour and allow bigger community living, we all will have to live here together, so why not deal with our hatred and anger by allowing love and caring for another.
it is confronting to do so Monika. It calls upon us to be ready and willing to drop the fiction that we are “nice, decent upstanding citizens”, when all too often we are not.
We have the potential to be that, but first we must empty our pockets of their hazardous contents: hatred, judgement, racism, superiority, defensiveness and presumptive thinking.
They gather like lint in the corners where we don’t want to look, much less clean out.
There is nothing more liberating than seeing these things, for the end we do discover how beautiful we are, free of the loaded, lint filled pockets.
Beautifully expressed Rachel, we make ourselves so much lesser by the barriers we put up between us, metaphorically and very real. To label people from another country as refugees takes away from the undeniable fact that we are all made of the same stuff, we all come from the same place. When we connect to that fact it makes a mockery of the values we hold so dear, the culture and nationality that we devote our identity to and the religions we use to separate ourselves with. There is a deep rooted fear that gets spread that refugees will turn our world upside down, there will be crime and overcrowding and our quality of life will diminish, but what quality of life do we really live if we are so shut down to helping another human being.
We fear they will bring ugliness to our shores. Well, it is already here in the strident voice that says “go away, you are not wanted”.
Beautifully said Liane ” For in-truth, we are all refugees when we refuse to live the love within our hearts”.
Yes, this is pure wisdom, I love this.
And one day we will all come to know it as fact. All of the misery and creations of this world lay outside our inner hearts, and all we need do is return.
Yes that line stood out for me too…send that line to government and see how they respond!
Yes Elizabeth – this is beautiful indeed and truth in expression.
“For in-truth, we are all refugees when we refuse to live the love within our hearts.” Beautifully expressed Liane Mandalis.
Exactly! No child hates another child, really – unless it was imposed onto it. It is a form of protection keeping people out of our hearts, thinking we can protect us from getting hurt again, but the real hurt is the isolation and empty place inside that gets filled with hate and fear, not a nice way to live.
I am in full agreement with what you have expressed so beautifully in your comment Liane Mandalis. The gap between our ‘little self’ and the true Divinity we actually are in essence is very wide and we have much to reclaim to re-store true brotherhood on earth.
“We have war because we have borders and because we seek to own what can never be owned, only shared – our love. Bereft of this love, there is only greed; the perpetual drive to satiate the hunger of the ‘little self’ no matter what is going on for anyone else”.
I very much appreciate that Christopher has opened up this topic for conversation too because surprisingly, I don’t hear many people talking about it out in the world, and that may well be because in Australia we’ve placed refugees in remote areas – out of sight. I love what you’ve brought to this Liane when you say “For in truth, we are all refugees when we refuse to live the love within our hearts”.
I had the experience of living in a place where refugee boats were sent. Within this community there were mixed views. Some were very supportive of those seeking refugee and others didn’t like the ‘interruptions’ they saw that it had on their lives. In many ways the latter was perpetuated by some departmental decisions that were made that did not support the coming together of people and further perpetuated the tensions such as rise in rent and food costs.
However, one day when the seas were extremely rough and a boat full of refugee people was being smashed against the razor sharp rocks of the coast line right in front of local people’s houses, the true humaness of people started to show.
When you physically see the suffering of others its difficult to watch and do nothing.
People in the community had to work together in an attempt to rescue those drowning and being thrown against the rocks and killed as their boat was smashed to pieces. All prejudices and hate was put aside as many worked together to help others. It is sad that it needs to get to this level of tragedy before it opens the heart of people enough to take action.
Yes Jet, it is very sad, but true, that it takes some form of tragedy or a catastrophe to open our hearts enough to take action to help each other as fellow human beings.
You speak from my heart, why does it take this level of disaster to make people responsible and care for another. This natural in built quality we all have – to care for another.
Refugee: “a person who has fled his or her own country and cannot return due to fear of persecution”. What if, as Liane has shared, our true home is our heart and the love therein? Do we fear to return there? Do we fear being persecuted for returning to our most natural state? Love?
All of the indications in this world are that yes, we do. We play the games of racial/social/political/spiritual/religious/financial divide, pouring our all into differences that are less than skin deep.
Yet inside we beat to another rhythm. It the the pulse of our true home, the one from which we fled to fit into a story that leaves us all aching and yearning for its tender hold.
Whilst we have not seen that we are all indeed refugees, escapees from our one true home, we will never be able to extend a loving hand to the people who are fleeing atrocities in this world. How can we do so when we are not even decent and respectful to our neighbours our families and ourselves?
The refugee crisis is calling on to bring more than the usual clever bandaids. It is asking us to look deep within ourselves and the social structure we have made that keeps itself propped up but offers nothing of true love or evolution to the people who constitute it.
All that we are being presented with here, in the form of the overflow of refugees coming into the countries, is bringing up all the hidden and numbed lovelessness we hold for ourselves. It is so obvious that the world has lost its place, and people are coming to reflect to us what we are living, the lovelessness and homelessness but really from the inside.
Time to make a change, time to make love the way!
I so agree Monika. The refugees are bringing a reflection to countries, many of whom wanted to believe everything was fine, that all is not fine. Countries’ disharmony is being exposed and this is driving a fear that there aren’t enough resources to go around so a kind of hoarding mentality is becoming more apparent/ extreme. We are being asked to completely change our ways – no more looking out for oneself and family and friends; but looking after us all as one in complete respect. There is no divide.
Rachel I love what you shared in your powerful comment. As I live in a country which has taken already nearly one Million refugees this year I cannot ignore the problems that came with it. I agree” this refugee crisis is calling on to bring more than the usual clever bandaids.” Those clever bandaids would not stop that there are still more Million refugees waiting to find a new home. We have really waited too long to allow ourselves to see and feel that we are all responsible for what is going on in this world. We as human beings seem only to learn it the hard way . . .
I cannot imagine how confronting this is Ester, although I live and work now in a town that has received a steady flow of refugees since the 1950’s, and continues today.
The sense of “mine” comes up when we see so many people not raised here – “my” land, “my” home, “my” resources, “my” economy. They are “my” birthright.
What shallow right that is to exert. Perhaps we need to look again at those photos, first taken of the Earth from the moon in the 1960’s. That is “our” home, “our” resource, “our”only home.
Let the borders and that style of ownership be exposed for what it is when we place ourself in the context of the one we truly are.
“For in-truth, we are all refugees when we refuse to live the love within our hearts.” now that is the truth Liane, beautiful described! When we really connect to what we have left behind for some house on a street on this planet it suddenly feels quite the opposite of something to want to protect but rather to pull down and let all boundaries and boarders go that exist between people.
Brilliant – “we are all refugees when we refuse to live the love within our hearts”. And some of us live this out in relative or a lot of comfort and others in atrocious circumstances. But we are still the same, regardless.
Indeed Gabriele, it can look so very different in the circumstances but be exactly the same energetically, living in exile from our true home.
Beautifully put Liane, the world is becoming smaller so we had better learn how to live together.
Absolutely agree Liane, “the real issue here … is that we are love and as a human race we are yet to live it in such a way that we cannot and will not allow such atrocities to exist in the first place.”. Conditional love is not love at all – it just provides us with the illusion of safety and comfort and keeps us blind to the truth of what is going on. Bravo to Christopher for drawing back the curtains and starting the conversation.
Bravo indeed Hannah and so true when you say “Conditional love is not love at all – it just provides us with the illusion of safety and comfort and keeps us blind to the truth of what is going on.”
I do welcome all the refugees and support providing them the love and respect they deserve, holding them as equal brothers and sisters. They should see and feel that unconditional love is possible and that we can support each other in many ways. I would love to communicate and connect with families coming as refugees. I am very inspired to take action.
I agree Hannah, conditional love, is not love at all. We are born of love, pure, without conditions and totally innocent, then taught to not be, until as adults we are so far away from that innocence and honesty that we don’t know(remember) what those things truly are, and, we don’t know who we truly are because the truth of who we are can only be found in the innocence we once had, the innocence that is still there buried beneath all the hurts of lives lived. We are all taught to be individuals, that we are different from everyone else, which is a complete lie, we are all the same, the same value to society, we are all brothers and sisters of the one brotherhood called humanity. This focus needs to be turned around, we need to focus on becoming a true brotherhood, all equal, and equally valuable members of a global society. Learning, re-discovering, giving and receiving true loving communication, meeting everyone as you would be met yourself without any form of judgement or jealousy and with true appreciation. Absolutely everyone!
We in the West have become so individualised, so identified with our possessions, comfortable lives and political system that it is difficult to reconnect with our humanity. The idea that borders and nationalities have to be preserved against possible ‘invasions’ shows our far we have strayed from the brotherhood that we all come from.
So what a divine blessing it is that we have the opportunity now to take care and hold them in the unconditional love we know inside. It is our great chance to get it right this time. No more hiding and ignoring, but holding them in equal love and not judging them. There is enough space for all of us.
Brilliant Liane..
‘Love is our greatest responsibility and in this our every brother must be held as an equal point of light here on Earth in order for us to arise out of the darkness that humanity has slumped in for so long.’
Reading this I can help but to feel love is inclusive of all, always – letting each other in is our greatest power.
‘For in-truth, we are all refugees when we refuse to live the love within our hearts.’
Love it Liane, powerful statements that show the true responsibility we each hold to be and live the love we are.
Beautiful Liane. “We are all refugees when we refuse to live the love within our hearts’. These words have resonated through and through — because they are so deeply true. When we refuse to live our love, we live with the enormous pain of not doing so instead, and we try to numb it in whatever way we can — sugary foods, starchy foods, entertainment, alcohol, possessions, and creating a space for ‘me’ where no one can hurt me ever again. And perhaps the pain and desperation of another reminds us of our own pain that we’ve tried so hard to bury and numb out, so we’d rather shun it from our sight and reality and say that this kind of person does not ‘belong’.
A very powerful sharing Liane, this needs to be a blog in its own right and the foundation for the United Nations Agreement.
Beautiful Liane “For in-truth, we are all refugees when we refuse to live the love within our hearts.” Lack of love is the problem and love is abundant as this is who we are. The world situation reflects just how crazy the whole set up is.
True Liane, and the war in the world is a reflection of the war within ourselves, and the holding of the world to ransom because it has not loved us in the way that we have refused to love ourselves. Anything other than true love will only escalate and add to the misery of the world, and so the responsibility for all of us is to allow all the love that we are to be and hold every other in that equal love..
Liane, we are all deeply loving beings at heart, yet living a long way from this and in our political systems love is never allowed to prosper. It is disingenuous our readiness to go to war always as our first solution, yet this never considers that in order to not have future wars we need to bring more equality to our planet. If we truly wanted there not to be another war, another refugee crisis, suffering, misery, pain, children dying, we could make this happen, but to do that we would have to deconstruct the systems of governance, our ideals and beliefs surrounding our culture and religion, and remove the identities we so strongly hold with being so many different types of people on the one planet. We are not different really but we won’t enact change until the illusion that we are is broken.
Liane, it’s very exposing what you’re sharing, and therefore so very needed to be heard. We cannot deny that we do live in a lot of darkness here, with a lot of hurt and pain and disregard for ourselves and others. Refugees is another reflection of that, so we can not ignore the fact of this lovelessness any longer. And it will just get bigger, it’s not going to go away, so we do need to address this situation of so many people feeling they don’t belong, and that they are not safe, always remembering that we, all humans on this planet, are absolutely equal in every way.
Liane this is so powerful – the world is a refuge for the lovelessness we have chosen over the truth – the fact that we are all from love, divinity and God.
I love all that you have expressed Liane, and I feel to reprint these last two sentences for the love, truth and wisdom held within. “Love is our greatest responsibility and in this our every brother must be held as an equal point of light here on Earth in order for us to arise out of the darkness that humanity has slumped in for so long. For in-truth, we are all refugees when we refuse to live the love within our hearts.”
Yes so true Liane your every word and yes ‘ For in-truth, we are all refugees when we refuse to live the love within our hearts.’
Indeed we do have war because we have borders. Because people are so busy guarding their own patch of dirt. But I keep coming back to if people knew they were more than the human body they stand on that land with, would their be such a need to ‘own’ something? People are severely missing something and that is themselves and their connection to every other person, every refugee, every person of different religion. Finding that connection again is imperative to solving the refugee crisis.
‘ For in-truth, we are all refugees when we refuse to live the love within our hearts.’ Powerful, true and beautiful Liane.
Beautiful Lianne, “we are all refugees when we refuse to live the love within our hearts”.
I love to repeat your words that resonate within my heart “Love is our greatest responsibility and in this our every brother must be held as an equal point of light here on Earth in order for us to arise out of the darkness that humanity has slumped in for so long.”
Absolutely Liane, I agree, “for in-truth, we are all refugees when we refuse to live the love within our hearts,” which is an energetic choice and when we choose to be love, everything that is not love, starts to be dealt with.
Could it be by showing love, true understanding and reading the situation so there is no judgement or imposition, we get an understanding of what each and every situation requires? Maybe this is the only way to help us all evolve.
You speak true words, Christopher. We all are asked to face our attitude with this matter. Even ignoring it is a way of dealing with it. In this case it is obviously saying “I’m fine with it as long as it is not concerning me”. An active support can be done in many ways. That is true. And one is for sure addressing the fact that we are all one big family. A family of 8 billion sharing one home: mother earth.
This is so true Christina, we are one big family sharing one big home.
Ignoring what is going on with these ‘refugees’, our family, is probably the worst thing we can do, to chat about them as if they are not are sister or brother. If we all see them as our relative, we would never be ok with this situation and never sit back and not act.
That’s it – back to separation again. When you put it like this ” If we all see them as our relative, we would never be ok with this situation and never sit back and not act.” .. it puts a real perspective on the whole thing, because we would move heaven and earth to make a difference.
well said Laura. You are correct when you say that if we all could see them as our relative we would never ok the way these people are treated or spoken about.
That is a great point made Christina that ‘ignoring it is a way of dealing with it’ the fact now is we cannot ignore it, we have been for 3years or so with this particular war, it is now in our face and we can’t ignore it! Which is a good thing as it is forcing us to look at our part in it all.
Ignoring these situations is just another solution which only ever works for a short time. Just like aggression through war acts or peace making agreements are only ever temporary resolves.
Big time – and we all have to look at this huge issue now, we cannot ignore it any longer.
Christopher what you have written here is so very beautiful and insightful. It is true, what if we did meet these refugees with love and care particularly after the experiences you mentioned. Reading in summary the attitudes in society around refugees that you captured so well … gosh, it doesn’t sit well. Nothing about that treatment feels true or loving or supportive. Thank you for sharing.
Many of us stand up, donate money, clothes or food, that is as good as it gets, but next to no-one meet refugees with openness and love. We can help as long as we don’t have to feel the situation, staying within our own comfort. We need to take this a step or two further, out of our comfort and see it from a global community perspective, that we are all the same.
Ouch Christopher! It is so painful and shameful to feel the truth within your words. We bandy the word LOVE about so freely but do we truly understand and actually live it? Me thinks not.
A great point made here Christopher- “…see it from a global community perspective, that we are all the same.” Just goes back to brotherhood, how can we love one and not the other…
We all can start practising equality in loving everyone the same as we love ourselves, our best friend or partner, mother, father, pet or our children. Every human being has the right to be loved from another without being judged. Once this is lived we can all enjoy brotherhood again. Back to the original way – brotherhood can be restored, as we all come from the one same source.
Hi Christopher we cannot give another what we can not give ourselves.
We have to stop the self abuse and learn to love our self openly and lovingly first. This is our responsibility, to love and care for ourselves so that we are abundant enough in that love that we can share it with others.
Too true Kathleen, when we cannot love ourselves, we don’t have it in us to open our hearts to others, and to see that we are all equal, coming from the same source.
When seen like this Esther it is understandable that the refuge situation is really only exposing the level of separation and blame that is taking place worldwide. The way we treat refugees, personally or on a national level, is a direct reflection of where a person is at or where a nation is at in their acceptance of brotherhood and harmony.
Indeed to not come from the foundation that we are all the same in essence we inevitably do not treat others equally and put ourselves above or below another.
I agree Kathleen, the change that is required in the world today can only come about through our taking responsibility to stop the self abuse and learn to love ourself openly, allowing us to see and feel the truth of who we are, all of us equally, and living this truth and love in our day to day lives with all whom we encounter.
Just adding to my last comment. Having said that we need to love ourselves so that we can truly love another does not excuse us to treat people as they have been treated as refugees. It is inhumane and totally loveless. We need open our hearts and our borders. It is a situation at that moment that should call for us as an international community to rally together and address whatever needs to be addressed.
I love you phrase open our hearts and our borders Kathleen. So many of us have had a border set up around our hearts for too long, filled with mistrust and holding on to hurts from a few select people.
Yes Kathleen, we must start with a strong foundation of care and love for ourselves first, ‘we cannot give another what we can not give ourselves.
We have to stop the self abuse and learn to love our self openly and lovingly first.’
It’s taken me many, many years to wake up to the fact that I was living in separation from myself. There was my true self like a constant metronome ticking away in the background and then there was the made up me running around here, there and everywhere being this, that and another. So if most of us are living in this separated way then how on earth are we are going to see others as part of the United Whole of Us All if we can’t even recognise ourselves as part of that same whole? Not possible is it?
A very good point you highlight here Christopher, money clothes and food is all good and needed on one level, but what good is that money, clothes or food when given out of guilt, judgement, resentment, pity, obligation, to recognition?
What does it then come laced with and how supporting is it to these people?
Labelling someone as ‘refugee’ as if that is what they are and what they will always be and all the negative images that come with that is not going to support them one ounce if we are giving money, clothes, food to the refugee. People can change when supported and when approached as who they truly are and not a label that keeps them down.
Yes I agree Christopher. It is shocking and cold and loveless. There can be no excuse for treating another fellow human being in this way.
What this reflects to me is how disconnected we are not only to ourselves but as an international community. Where are we that this is allowed to happen? This needs to be a world wide discussion.
Great point you have reiterated here Christopher. We are great at “doing” – giving money and signing petitions etc. But when it comes to just “being” with another – actually meeting with another with “openness and love” and feeling what it is like for them, it seems there are fewer of us willing to be involved.
I am blessed Christopher to work in a community with a high proportion of refugees from around the world. I have met and worked with many Syrians lately and what a privilege it is to do so. Because I work in an area that is rather intense and provokes fear for many people (dentistry) what I have come to know is something very simple. For all of our cultural differences, we are all the same in body; we fear pain and we yearn to be treated tenderly.
A great equaliser is my profession, and a great joy it is to are for people in all of their vulnerability, knowing that they are my brothers and sisters, whatever their religious and cultural differences may be.
Yes Maree that is what struck me too. It is shocking how little we see what our actions reflect. To meet a fellow human being with the same horrors that he is trying to get away from is not what we would consciously choose but yet it is exactly what the majority of us is doing. Thank you for making that so clear Christopher.
Do you remember Germany meeting refugees with welcome and open arms recently … inspirational, but because it was new to the general consciousness of humanity, the rest of the world just watched and is still watching to see how this ‘approach’ will work in the longer term. It is to be hoped that the willingness to adjust (on both sides) will continue and evolve everyone and, by default, the rest of the watching world.
If we don’t have a depth of true love for ourselves we cannot love another — we can only share and give what we already have for ourselves. The attitudes towards refugees reveal how little true care and self-love there is in our society. Instead how we feel about ourselves en masse, whether we wish to be honest about this or not, is insecure. Hence the feeling of being ‘threatened’. If we had a foundation within us that was solid and built on love, we would simply not feel threatened and we would see another fellow human being in the need of loving support and care and offer this easily because it is simply how we are with ourselves. Love is a natural extension from self-love.
Spot on Katerina we cannot give another what we haven’t given ourselves.
Absolutely Katerina, you have summed it up perfectly with the following sentence. ” If we had a foundation within us that was solid and built on love, we would simply not feel threatened and we would see another fellow human being in the need of loving support and care and offer this easily because it is simply how we are with ourselves.”
So true Katerina and Rosemary as an international community, as individual countries and as everyday people of the world we are getting totally exposed for lacking this very foundation.
If society is unable to meet these refugees with open arms and open hearts then it is simply reflecting what you are so wisely stated Katerina: “If we don’t have a depth of true love for ourselves we cannot love another ” and until we know ourselves as being worthy of this love then we will continue to struggle to treat others with the equality we all innately deserve.
I know many people who would send the current refugees back again, I always remind them then of the same situation when Europeans where looking to escape from their land because of world war 2. Something is coming back until we have moved on with love and in unity.
Beautifully said Katerina, all the current news coverage about refugees is very exposing of the lack of self-love and respect we hold for ourselves and each other. It must start with us first so we can share with others.
That’s a great point Katerina, feeling threatened and protecting our little patch of what we call our country will only change when we feel secure in ourselves. This is like a play out of the protection we hold ourselves in and then there’s no room to open up to others.
What an insightful blog and at the end of it all, everyone needs love as that is what we are! As you said Maree, it doesn’t sit well when we read about attitudes in society.
I see the world protecting it’s own ‘plot’ so to speak; it’s like a giant monopoly game, where it always turns into fight over properties, who has the expensive ones like Mayfair and who has the cheap ones like Pentonville station. People are so full of protecting their material possessions that care of fellow human beings goes out the window and we end up with disgraceful situations of millions of people living in camps and detention centres for years. The system as we know it is not working, thank you for drawing attention to it.
True Suzanne – the world as we know it is definitely not working in the harmonious way it could! It’s time we all as part of humanity began to take responsibility for this, realising that what one does affects us all, and if we all considered this, we would certainly be treating ourselves and others much differently.
Its interesting what we see on a global scale is often also a reflection of what plays out in personal relationships. People often defending their views, their ‘turf’ and this creates issues within the home. What plays out on a grand scale is a reflection of how we all live individually and what we are prepared to accept and not accept.
When we don’t look after ourselves or can be cruel, cutting or dismissive to a partner or loved one then we have no issue holding this view towards those we don’t know. However when there is a foundation of love in ourselves and in our relationships we also then see things like this differently.
Brilliantly said Kristy – how each and everyone of us are in our personal day-to-day relationships is directly related to what happens on a global scale. There is no separation – we are all one and the same.
A great point you make Kristy, and I agree with you Tamara- that the way the refugees are treated and seen all comes down to how we are with ourselves and the beliefs we hold.
Great point that you have made Kristy and this goes to show that self-care and self-love are paramount and the first step in addressing global issues. If only the politicians knew that it could be that easy. Address how people treat themselves and the bigger issues will naturally take care of themselves.
How we are with ourselves in our relationships with self and other people is the reflection for this actual refugee situation. If more people would get out of their comfort zone and opening up their hearts the fear, anger and hate could go, making space for the love we equally hold for another. This is the kingdom of God inside of us. How it all started and the root issue of the separation from our connection within, where we have left ourselves to stay safe and comfortable on the expense of truth and true love.
I totally agree Kristy and Tamara, you have expressed perfectly how I feel but struggle to put into words, so what you are saying is that the whole world reflects back to us how we are living in our personal lives and how we are in our relationships. which all comes back to the lack of connection to the love we have for ourselves. We are indeed one and the same, but are choosing not to see it because we would rather stay in our comfort and continue to bury our heads in the sand so we don’t have to accept responsibility for our own lives, never mind the lives of the many, who are also part of the whole.
A gem delivered here Kristy and Tamara – It is the separation that we have lived that keeps us away from all being one and the same. Once we begin to return to being a Son of God and thus Love, it is impossible to live in any other way but in harmony and fully embracing all equally.
You have raised a really important point here Kristy. If we can be cruel or dismissive to someone close, then those we don’t know don’t stand a chance. In the end all of these behaviours only really reflect the relationship we have with ourselves. When we take it back to this, it also allows us to see why we may be acting this way or why others may also be caught up in this way of relating.
Beautifully said Vicky. One thing is for sure this situation isn’t going away. We will need to start having more open discussion forums and communities will need to rally together to find homes for these people who are just like us, except that they are, as Christopher says, “in a state of total desperation”. We can help by starting, in our own relationships to be more tollerant and accepting.
Irena, I hear what you are saying but i don’t feel it is a matter of tolerating something, but it is a matter of accepting. Accepting others into our hearts – but first, like you rightly say it is about accepting ourselves and the grand love that we are, then everything else falls into place, including the plight of the many disenfranchised people of the world who are all part of our family whether we would like to admit it or not.
Yes Vicky, it helps to understand the situation much clearer. Also I am asked to accept that people are having to face and to really feel the creation in separation and all of that what we really are underneath it – that we are all the one and the same. This acceptance can get us out of this refugee situation, the learning like with every challenge. This here seams to be so big that ignoring it does not help any longer. I really can see the big opportunity here – to learn and grow – our evolution, and it is all just our own creation we get presented.
Gosh so true, we don’t stand a chance do we. The more we separate ourselves from each other, the more dismissive we can be. Quite often people talk poorly about other people and then when they are caught out / or overheard they feel bad about what they said. I know I have done that in the past. It is like a sense of anonymity or separateness gives us a license to not connect to the fact that we are all in this together and deeply connected.
Yes Vicky, accepting ourselves is linked to our acceptance of others. We don’t like to be reminded of the how inhumane our fellow humans are being treated. The plight of refugees in our news makes it un-ignorable and some resent the refugee messengers bring the reality of the lovelessness in the world to our doorstep.
So beautifully said Vicky, where do we be dismissive and abusive to ourselves, our relationship and treatment of others can only be a reflection of our relationship with others.
I wonder if seeing the refugees and the whole situation around inequality within the global community is so uncomfortable because deep down we know we are all responsible. We all have a part in it; we are far from immune from conflict – internally or with others. Our struggle to come up with solutions, resolutions reflects our own inability to heal our hurts and struggles within ourselves and our close family. I can feel that that the more I open up to love the more love is available for others to choose.
Kristy, your comment reminds me of the insularity of many communities, who would look down on someone from a town only a few miles away. It always amazed me how our view of others who at first glance appear slightly different to us can bring up such deep levels of mistrust. Yet as you say if we build a foundation of love within ourselves then it can melt away the distrust we have of people we believe are different to us. What serves us greatest is to realise that no human is really that different to another, all of us coming as we do from the same place.
Great point Stephen – within the county where I live the young people grow up with separation from those in neighboring towns and villages, with derogatory nicknames and conflicts between groups purely based on the location in which they live. Crazy when in fact they are all brothers.
So true Michael! This takes place all over the world with the separation noted in the suburb you live in, the clothes you wear to the food you eat. The separation runs so deep that it’s purely based on having a hold over another. The harm extends from your family to your neighbour and escalates when we see the plight of the refugees in our current world climate.
Well said Kristy we end the war of abuse in ourselves first then we are more loving and understanding of everyone else. This must start with our self or it will never have a strong and real foundation.
We ignore how we are locked in an inner struggle within ourselves, to live from our divine essence or continue to live from ideals and beliefs.
I agree Kathleen, the war within ourselves has to end first before we can embrace others.
Yes Kristy, a great point made here; how we are able to see refugees as something separate, is because of how we see ourselves often separate from those around us, even our loved ones. This dis-connection is a reflection then of how disconnected to our inner hearts, our essence, we actually live on a daily basis.
Kristy that’s it ! Its up to us to embrace and trust ourselves and fully look at what’s stopping us from having harmony in our own lives and in our communities. Are we happy with our lot and feel threatened by inviting others in to share our lives and why are we holding back in connecting with another? This is a reflection of the mistrust that has the us in seperation.
Absolutely true Kristy, how we live individually, the care and respect that we show to ourselves and others in our day to day lives is reflected in the catastrophes we are witnessing almost daily on a global scale. The changes must begin with ourselves by building a foundation of love through honestly seeing and nominating those traits within ourselves, no matter how seemingly insignificant, that create hurt, greed, comparison, distortions of the truth, abuse and injustice, these emotions, ideals and beliefs exist within us for the very purpose of creating and sustaining separation.
Absolutely Kristy. I am not solidly consistent in being loving 100% of the time but I have experienced extensive amounts of time where I have been deeply loving and considerate with people in my life having not allowed my hurts or reactions to dominate the quality I bring to relationships. When I am in this space.. it is impossible to discount or be untoward to another in any way.
Amazing Kristy. Yes when we open ourselves up to the world, we become aware of everything going on around us in big, beautiful and sometimes ugly ways. It is how we all live our lives everyday that creates a reflection of what is going on in the world today.
Well said Kristy, we can’t be abusive to ourselves and those close to us and try to help others, it just doesn’t work as you have said only when the foundation of love is present in our lives that true change can occur.
Very true. Without offering at least the same level of care and honouring to ourselves what we offer to another will at best attend to physical needs but never offer true inspiration or a deeper level of support to understand and address the true issues.
It is as simple as that Kristy, as how we live our individual lives with our families, friends and colleagues- in the same way we live as a community, a town and country. All is reflected in that: our relationships, our health, our financial behaviours. How we act when problems arise, our self-worth and our ability to see all in a bigger picture. If self-care, honesty and the willingness to evolve together is shadowed by our hurts and the denial to deal with them, then either personal not global problems will be solved.
That is such a great perspective Kristy. With global problems it is so easy to say “there is an issue, but it’s over there, it’s not my problem”. We can put the blame on politicians and disempower ourselves by not taking any responsibility. But, if we accept that global problems reflect how we are with ourselves and with our relationships, suddenly it does become something we need to take responsibility for. We each hold the power to develop loving relationships by first building “a foundation of love in ourselves and in our relationships”.
Simone – responsibility here is key – to willingly and openly look at what our part is in relationships and how we have been in them.
The fact is there is a global communication problem, not just with our immediate friends and family but with the world over. But as you say it all starts with us as individuals and then expands out to the all.
So we have to consider the quality of our relationships and what we have allowed and accepted.
So true Kristy, it starts with us.
Very true Kristy,
The real point of change must be first within ourselves and the connection to our inner heart. To act without this inner love and connection would be empty and void of any real love and change, hence the level of responsibility we all carry in being one collective brotherhood and the commitment to love ourselves determines the capacity we can truly love and care for others.
Well said Kristy. When there is a foundation of love in ourselves then we cannot treat another with anything less that that love.
Great point Kristy. And it’s so easy to look out and say what awful things are going on, but how are things in our home? This is a great place to start because as you say ‘when there is a foundation of love in ourselves and in our relationships we also then see things like this differently.’
Very well said Suzanne, when the government and politicians decide whether or not to allow refugees in, what they are really saying is, how is my lifestyle and comfort going to be affected by this influx of people needing money and support. But are we the ones that have given our power away to our governments who represent us, choosing to not get involved, rather sit back and then complain about there in-humane treatment or our and their fellow brothers, refugees?
We do love to have our possessions and comfort, that is what brings up the aggressive stance and hostility when ‘others’ want to change the balance of the system you are in, when something gets a bit messy and not white picket fenced looking all lovely and proper. We become like pack animals. It is all signs we are not with ourselves or our divine origins! We are shockingly separate and operating loveless lives in a merry go round that seems to fit the bill and satisfy ourselves enough to want to protect it with all our might. We are a long way from brother hood it seems but that is an illusion we actually have a choice and that is what we don’t want to look at.
There seems to be a fear of that refugees will take something away from us. Our jobs, houses, our nice ‘safe’ way of life. But if we gave them refuge, and worked to give them an even playing field worldwide, there would not be these terrible imbalances that drive them from the places of poverty and war they endure. And if we gave them love, that can never be taken away from us, the more we give, the more we have. Christophers blog is deserving of a read by governments religious leaders, corporations, everybody in fact, worldwide.
I agree Catherine, if we only dropped our guard down and let go of the security of comfort we at least could meet other with a certain level of respect and love, that would definitely change the world
I agree Catherine, what i understood after reading your comment was that we also have a part to play in the worldwide picture and imbalance of wealth and poverty. And that the richer countries profit from the poverty of having to pay low wages and lesser human rights condition. There is so much going on also in terms who is selling weapons to which countries and how much profit their is to make. All the countries who sell weapons support war in other countries. Which than leads to people have to leave their countries and the “problem” of “refugees”.
Catherine – I feel that society has mixed feeling about the refugees- some are apathetic about the fact hat it is a world wide issue that needs addressing- they would rather have their head ‘buried in the sand’, and only be concerned about their own lives.
Others may feel concerned but are unsure what to do about it.
And there are other people who fear the refugees, and see them as a threat- for jobs, land or worst still to as possible terrorists because of the desperate or mentally affected state most would be in.
I feel that we are all human- one flesh and blood. Therefore they need to be treated with some respect, compassion and love, and given assistance.
I agree Christopher’s blog sould be read by leading government officials, religious leaders and social support groups.
Thank you Catherine I love the simplicity of what you share here and this part makes sense..”And if we gave them love, that can never be taken away from us, the more we give, the more we have.” So if we are all equal and love, what is it we are afraid of the refugees taking away?
Yes there is a mentality that seems to override many peoples ability to feel what they know is true- that we are all equal- and it’s that there isn’t enough to go around; so, if one’s not to be left without like the refugees themselves, then best fight to protect one’s belongings. A kind of hoarding mentality kicks in – a more minor example can be seen when people rush the super markets hearing there’s a shortage of some commodity, or fuel.
Every man for himself, not working together so no-one goes without. People fear taking the first step, believing that if one didn’t take what they needed everyone else still would so they’d be the ones not to survive, so no-one begins the process. Highlighting how this mentality only leads to haves and many have nots is a start.
Well said sister. Well said. It is from our own comfort that we fight back and at each other.
Great point raised here. The comfort of our own home, the lifestyle we lead and the judgement of this not being our problem.
We sure do Vanessa, we even like to hoard so much, even though we really do not need them! The more we come together and unite the more we see that we are all in fact the same equally loving, tender and exquisite beings. When we treat others like equals they generally behave like equals whereas when we treat people like animals similarly they behave like animals.
James I’m feeling its up to us to lay the foundations of brotherhood for all to see and feel the reflected equalness … laying the choice for another to align. Behaviours will change but it’s our clarity and mistrust that has to shift.
You hit the nail on the head there James – if we treat people like animals they will behave like animals. It’s a sobering thought to see how much of what is wrong in the world we have projected onto it with our disconnected thoughts and assumptions. We are all the same underneath and if we actually took that leap to treat each other as equals, no matter how scary the other person may seem, I think we would be surprised at the huge difference this would make in the world.
Spot on James. We are all equally deserving of love .
Indeed James when people are threatened they will fight, flee or endure by freezing, the same as animals.
Well said Vanessa, it is our comfort we want to protect when we look at refugees as a ‘problem’, instead of opening our hearts and seeing that they are exactly the same as us, deserving to be safe and have their basic needs met and to be loved.
Yes we are very invested in keeping our little patch the way we want it. Whilst cultural diversity seems to be about embracing diversity of cultures, religions and ways of living, we do not seem to be able to go deeper than culture or tolerating differences. Have our beliefs around culture and religion covered the real issue that we are all the same in essence and that there is one universal harmonious way of living?
You are so right Ariana to say that it is time “to step away from the picket fence”. It is certainly a symbol, a demarcation line of what is mine, and saying that you will have to wait until I ask you to cross it. It is definitely time to tear down these manmade fences that keep humanity separated into so many, and often warring, factions. We are all sons of God and equal in his eyes, therefore we all have the same rights here on earth; rights to shelter, food and to be treated equally so in brotherhood.
Vanessa, I love the descriptiveness of what you express here, so often it is those who have so much that act so aggressively to defend what they have. It is as you say a clear indication that we have lost our way when we consider the plight of other people not of our concern and not our responsibility to provide support. The illusion is in the man made difference we create with race, nationality, culture and religion, but this is all superficial to the divine beings from the one same source that we all undeniably are.
Vanessamchardy, what you say here shows me that this problem with the refugees is really an extension of the way we live – the comfort of the “I’m okay Jack” mentality makes us “shockingly separate and operating loveless lives”. It’s true we do have a choice but we don’t want the responsibility which would bust our picture of stability and security.
I agree with much of what you say here Vanessa. Just the fact that we can quickly change to that pack mentality where we see others who are different as a threat, illustrates we were already on shaky ground. Our so-called foundations are not that solid after all. In a world where it is every man for themselves we fear our little patch may get taken because we have settled for comfort rather than standing for truth.
Beautifully said Ingrid :”We are all sons of God and equal in his eyes, therefore we all have the same rights here on earth; rights to shelter, food and to be treated equally so in brotherhood.”
Great point Suzanne the system isn’t working and why do we value property over the lives of our fellow human beings? What Chris raises in this article is that perhaps it is time we dig a little deeper and see that “refugees” are in fact fellow man, and that maybe through true responsibility we may each begin to see the equal role we all share in this world.
We get fixated with material items and cheat and lie to our fellow human beings to get ahead in the race to the top when none of this brings joy, purpose or contentment. It is our connection to other human beings that does that, all human beings, equally so.
So true Fiona the material items in the end mean nothing as we are all seeking that true connection with self and others.
Great analogy Suzanne about how life can be likened to a game of Monopoly. And how many people once they’ve got their home on the square that they want to live in would willingly want someone to come along and put a block of flats housing 100 refugees? Looking out of my window now can I say that I would like that block of flats to be built next to mine? Nope, not really and that is what it seems to often come down to is ‘yes’ we want something done about the problems of the world, unless that is, it actually affects our standard of living.
Suzanne, thank you for exposing how we go about protecting our one ‘plot’ – the Monopoly reference is exactly what goes on – we become competitive, protective and take ownership of something that could be shared with others and opened up to others.
well said Suzanne. I can feel that alot of people even in my community are only concerned with what is within their fence and stand back if not affecting them or their family.
I agree Heidi, most of us only really care about those we call family or members of our close community, but how can the care and love we offer our family and close community members be of any true worth if it is not inclusive of all humanity. Love does not pick and choose, love either is, or it isn’t.
So true, Suzanne, and like Monopoly life is lived at the moment in competition. Every disaster around us is showing us that we need to change the game from competition to co-operation. And Serge Benhayon is showing us this game by way of the Way of the Livingness.
Yes and it can bring up the fear of loosing the comfortable place that we have build around us as a protection to not lose our safety nest. The refugee topic is indeed shaking a lot of us to leave our comfort zone. For myself I would love to take responsibility and look for my part with it. We all can easy talk about what would be good and what we feel with it, but sometimes I still miss the connection and action in responsibility, I am sure there is a near place to get in contact with people and organisations that are supporting refugees.
Great point Suzanne, it does seem as though people get very protective over the little patch they have claimed as their own and hold on ever so tightly, and usually there is money involved somewhere within the process. Like you have said the system isn’t working and it seems to me is calling for a greater response from the whole world, not just the odd country who is feeling overwhelmed.
Yes we all must draw attention to this topic – and it is about time that we break this cycle of hate, mistrust and pulling down the protection wall in our hearts.
Yes Amina to start the conversation is a start.