An NDEr's View on Violence

By Nancy Rynes, author of Awakenings from the Light 
I feel sick that I am writing about yet another act of mass violence. Again.

In America and around the world, violence happens every day. Humans kill each other, beat their children or spouses or parents, act like a bully, physically intimidate, or lob hate-filled words to those who are somehow "different."

I've often been asked, "How does someone who has had an NDE react to violence like this?"

Honestly, I feel extreme horror and grief so deeply that I can't put words to it. Violence has always bothered me but since my NDE I feel myself reacting to it very, very deeply. It rips me apart some days. There really aren't any words that can express my deep sorrow for how we humans treat each other.


It rips me apart because I know that we are so much more than these heinous acts. And we are so much more than the bigoted rhetoric I hear and see every day.

It tears me apart because I know the beauty and brilliance of the light we each carry inside of us, and I know without a doubt that we are all connected to each other.  We are all brothers and sisters. I don't remember much from religion class in grade school, but I remember these:

Amen, I say to you, as much as you have done to one of these my little brothers, you have done that to me. (Matthew 25:40)

Do unto others what you would have them do unto you.

Yes, what we do to someone we don't like, we do to all of us, and God too. And it's not just Christianity that teaches this. Most of the world's major religions have a version of the Golden Rule. (More on this in other religions, here (http://www.teachingvalues.com/goldenrule.html) )

When I died on the operating table in January of 2014, I died an atheist and skeptic. I did not believe in God, nor did I believe in any way that my consciousness would continue after the death of my physical body. I thought the Creator and the afterlife were both quaint stories, but just stories with no truth to them. But in an instant, God, Spirit, the Divine, or whatever you want to call that Supreme Entity, called me home and embraced me with a love so profound that it still makes me weep. Me, an atheist. I didn't believe, yet He welcomed me back home.

And He made it clear through my Guide that He loves ALL OF US. There is not one of us that He does not love. There is not one of us who is not part of His creation. And he asked me and you to love everyone as part of that creation, everyone, because we are all connected to each other through Divine Love and Presence.

It's time to stop saying "how terrible" and "how sad" and start doing something to change who we are on this planet. No, you can't change the world tomorrow, but you CAN begin to change yourself and the world around you. You can vow to bring Heaven to your life on Earth.

Start at home.

Start with yourself.

It's time for all of us to get real.

Do you harbor any hate or compassion toward yourself, even a tiny bit? Are you secretly prejudiced against another "race," religion, nationality, or ethnic group, or do you truly feel kindness and respect for everyone? How are you raising your kids...to be compassionate and kind, or to hate? Are you violent toward anyone, or only loving and gentle?

It's time that we all take a good, long, compassionate look at who we are inside. If we see something we don't like, now is the time to start changing it. Let's not simply condemn the violence or bigotry of others if there is any shred of violence or bigotry in our own hearts. This latest creep may be just the mirror we all need in order to take an honest look at how we are living on this planet.

We can all be loving, compassionate humans. I have seen it for myself. In Heaven, and every time I give a talk or meet with people, I can literally see the spark of the Divine at the core of each person. But we hide that light behind human ego and fear, and that ego and fear manifests as hate, bigotry, and violence.

What are some ways we can begin to transform our society?
  • If you are in a country that votes, vote for officials who tend to be more compassionate, kind, and non-violent.
  • Treat your kids well. Kids are born to love. They learn mistrust and hate from adults, violent peers, and society.
  • Clean up your life. If you're harboring any amount of anger, hate, violence, or bigotry toward yourself or others, start working on transforming it to love, compassion, and kindness. Get help from a therapist if it seems too overwhelming to handle on your own.
  • If you want to be surrounded by love and loving people, start by being a source of love for others. It's easier to change how we are in the world than it is to transform the whole world to our liking.
I'll leave you with this moving tribute from CNN's Anderson Cooper, here: (http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/13/us/anderson-cooper-reads-orlando-shooting-victims-names/)

Next week we'll go back to another post in my "Truth" series.

Love and Blessings to all of you...

Nancy


Posted by Nancy Rynes, author of Awakenings from the Light ( http://NancyRynes.com )
All content copyright Nancy Rynes, 2015-2016
Bio: Nancy Rynes is a speaker, artist, and author of Awakenings from the Light (available from Amazon.com). Nancy's books and workshops teach you how to bring a little bit of Heaven to your life on Earth. She lives near Boulder, Colorado. Check out her website: NancyRynes.com