{"id":76624,"date":"2016-07-25T12:00:59","date_gmt":"2016-07-25T11:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=76624"},"modified":"2016-07-20T17:25:37","modified_gmt":"2016-07-20T16:25:37","slug":"orlando-dallas-nice-baton-rouge-have-you-noticed-a-pattern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2016\/07\/orlando-dallas-nice-baton-rouge-have-you-noticed-a-pattern\/","title":{"rendered":"Orlando\u2026 Dallas\u2026 Nice\u2026 Baton Rouge\u2026 Have You Noticed a Pattern?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Shariff<\/a>18 Jul 2016 – <\/em>The US flag has been at half-mast for so long, it looks like it belongs that way.<\/p>\n

Orlando\u2026 Dallas\u2026 Nice\u2026 Baton Rouge\u2026 Just when we think we can\u2019t get worked up any more, something even more horrible comes along.\u00a0 Just when we believe we have an understanding of what\u2019s happening, something more insane happens.<\/p>\n

Many of us just go numb, or bury our heads in the latest virtual reality \u201cgame\u201d, or bury our consciousness in our drug of choice\u2026 anything but admit that we live in a society that works for none.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been quoting Albert Einstein for a long time.\u00a0 And I\u2019ll quote him here again:\"Title\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We can\u2019t solve our problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We read that famous quote, agree with it, then go right back to all of our old analyses, all of our old \u201ccauses\u201d.\u00a0 And wonder why nothing changes.<\/p>\n

So\u2026 HERE is a way to recast our recent atrocities, a way to see them all as part of a larger Pattern of behavior.<\/p>\n

IT\u2019S NOT ABOUT\u2026 \u201cGun Control\u201d:\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

While I believe that the proper control and reduction of our current tsunami of weapons is a very good idea, it will NOT stop the killings, when the perpetrators are willing to use fertilizer, machetes or trucks to carry out their deeds.\u00a0 We need\u2026 something else.\u00a0 (Gun control may be a step in the right direction\u2026 but ONLY IF we see and articulate all of the steps.\u00a0 Otherwise, it\u2019s just a band-aid.<\/p>\n

IT IS<\/u> ABOUT\u2026The Consciousness of Violence:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The problem is that people believe that violence will solve their problems.\u00a0 Lone gunmen and mad truckers believe that.\u00a0 The police believe that.\u00a0 Insurgents believe that.\u00a0 Suicidal sociopaths believe that.\u00a0 And Presidents and Prime Ministers believe that. Until that consciousness changes, there will be more atrocities\u2026 on all sides.<\/p>\n

IT\u2019S NOT ABOUT\u2026 \u201cThe Other\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is not about racial, or religious, or gender intolerance.\u00a0 It is not about trying to become \u201csafe\u201d by separating ourselves from \u201cThe Other\u201d.<\/p>\n

IT IS<\/u> ABOUT\u2026\u00a0 \u201cExclusivity\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

People erroneously believe that their actions are separated from the actions of others.\u00a0 The Prime Minister of France, while deploring the atrocities in Nice, stated in the same breath that France would go on committing atrocities in the Middle East, in the name of defeating ISIS.\u00a0 He does not understand a fundamental truth:\u00a0 VIOLENCE BEGETS VIOLENCE.\u00a0 \u201cMy\u201d violence is not \u201cbetter\u201d, \u201cjustified\u201d or \u201csuperior\u201d to \u201cyour\u201d violence.<\/p>\n

THE SHIFT IN CONSCIOUSNESS\u2026\u00a0 to NONVIOLENCE<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \u00a0Make a deep and personal commitment to nonviolence, in thought, word and deed. (If you are not willing to do this, don\u2019t expect anyone else to be nonviolent with you.\u00a0 And don\u2019t be surprised that there is more violence in the world.)<\/li>\n
  2. Stop supporting violence.<\/strong> Stop direct support: get rid of your handguns, assault weapons, brass knuckles, switchblades\u2026 Stop indirect violence: get rid of your stocks and other assets \u2013 stop profiting from violence.\u00a0 Get rid of your violent video games\u2026 violence is not entertainment.<\/li>\n
  3. Practice Inclusivity.<\/strong> Get the workbook, \u201cPracticing Inclusivity\u201d<\/a> , to learn how to put the Golden Rule into practice.<\/li>\n
  4. Engage \u201cThe Other\u201d.<\/strong> End your own isolation, and help end the isolation of others.\u00a0 Turn off the TV, get out of the house and engage with people who are not like \u201cyou\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0 Find out how very much alike we all are.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    A Model of a New Society\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

    In my latest book, \u201cThe Chronicles of the Upheavals<\/a>\u201d , the characters are confronted with a primary challenge: how do we create security for ourselves and others, when we are committed to nonviolence and our \u201copponents\u201d are committed to violence and are armed to the teeth?<\/p>\n

    As it turns out, it\u2019s not that hard!\u00a0 Creating a nonviolent security force is not that difficult \u2013 once we let go of our old consciousness and seek out new ways and new systems.\u00a0 (If you are interested in new forms of security, you may want to read the following chapters in \u201cChronicles<\/a>\u201d \u00a0:<\/p>\n

    \u201cThe Food Wagon\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u201cOn a Collection \u201cJumper\u201d Team\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u201cManaging the Enemy\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u201cThe New Police\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

    And Finally\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Orlando\u2026 Dallas\u2026 Nice\u2026 Baton Rouge\u2026 In times of adversity, people used to turn to our political leaders for guidance and direction.\u00a0 Not anymore\u2026 not in our society.\u00a0 In a world where politicians are just looking for ways to score points, we don\u2019t find much wisdom going around.<\/p>\n

    So, I\u2019d like to end with the words of someone who was both a political and moral leader for his society: the late Vaclav Havel<\/a>, President of the Czech Republic.\u00a0 Quoting from his Introduction in \u201cCreating a World That Works for All<\/a>\u201d :<\/p>\n

    Perhaps the way out of our current bleak situation could be found by searching for what unites the various religions \u2013 a purposeful search for common principles. \u2026what I would call the common spiritual and moral minimum.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Could this be a way to stop the blind perpetual motion dragging us toward hell?\u00a0 \u2026 [W]ill it take an unprecedented disaster to provoke this kind of existential revolution \u2013 a universal recovery of the human spirit and renewed responsibility for the world?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    A consciousness shift.\u00a0 An existential revolution.\u00a0 A revolution to a \u201cWorld for All\u201d.<\/p>\n

    _______________________________________<\/p>\n

    Shariff Abdullah, J.D., is\u00a0a consultant, speaker, author and advocate for societal transformation. \u00a0 His mission is to bring currently dysfunctional systems and structures into alignment\u00a0with our common human and spiritual values, to create a world that works for all living things. Shariff consults with people and organizations on the leading edge of change, including government agencies, businesses and social service organizations. As Director of Commonway Institute, he has visited over 43 countries and over 100 distinct cultures, giving him a unique perspective on our global human and spiritual issues, and a vision which spans culture and class. His books on leadership and societal change include the award-winning<\/em> Creating a World That Works for All, and <\/em>Seven Seeds for a New Society.<\/em><\/p>\n

    Go to Original \u2013 shariff.commonway.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    I\u2019ve been quoting Albert Einstein for a long time: \u201cWe can\u2019t solve our problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.\u201d We read that famous quote, agree with it, then go right back to all of our old analyses, all of our old \u201ccauses\u201d. And wonder why nothing changes. So\u2026 HERE is a way to recast our recent atrocities, a way to see them all as part of a larger Pattern of behavior.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-in-focus"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76624","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76624"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76624\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}