As a dog owner, and one who respects and loves all animals, yes, even bugs (though I draw the line at mosquitoes), stories like this make me ill. I tear up upon seeing or hearing of animal neglect or abuse. That Sarah McLaughlin commercial leaves me in emotional pain and angst; I can not watch it. I feel for people the same way I feel for animals; it's part of my being an Empath and a Sensitive.
Many of you know I am a spiritual teacher that teaches and preaches Unconditional Love; and while I am a spiritual being in the human experience, I am not exempt from having human moments that yield anger, upset, judgment and resentment. It is through these experiences that I stop, tap into my higher consciousness to observe how I’m showing up as a human. From this higher vibrational space, I can then invite that part of me that's a Spiritual Being to shift my Ego into the state of Unconditional Love for others. My friends are sometimes challenged by my approach, believing that I offer way too much benefit of the doubt to others.
But my role as a life coach, spiritual teacher, and energy therapist is to support the healing of others and ultimately that of the world. In order to do that, I must be vigilant and proactive in “healing” within myself any negative attitudes and energy that pop up during my human experience: whether it’s disappointment in others and how they show up within business, social or romantic relationships; how I fail to show up for others AND myself, and/or; in my own choices, actions, or inaction. If I’m teaching Unconditional Love and Forgiveness, I must practice what I preach, and become an Observer of how my Human Ego shows up in these situations. Unfortunately, I know and witness many that proclaim themselves as spiritually enlightened and/or religious and spiritual leaders and role models who fail to “check” their Ego when in the throes of a human experience. So when I found myself incensed about this dog incident, I spewed upset and anger. I knew then I needed to take a step back out of Ego-driven judgment. It’s okay when we feel these things; but it’s not okay to function within this Ego energy in judgment, condemnation, assumptions, and criticism of others.
To step out of this Ego state, I breathe, in this case, REALLY DEEP, and remember the Truth that We Are Deeply One. In times like this, or when we are challenged by loved ones, rude or seemingly insensitive or selfish strangers, we must always, always remember that God runs through it, regardless of the outpicturing of the circumstances. This concept can be a real stretch. But we must always turn the situation around so that we are in the other person’s shoes; when this is challenging, it's our Soul's inner call to look more deeply within ourselves at what is in need of healing. Even when the actions of others defy our grasp of comprehension, we must move more consciously and quickly into inquiry and understanding rather than into judgment and persecution. If we are Deeply One in God, we are only judging and persecuting ourselves; so what is it about others' actions that strike the chord within? Assumptions only misconstrue our own perception of Reality, and incorrectly assumes another's Truth without an understanding of "what is." Asking questions doesn’t imply we are condoning choices, but rather allows us to see situations from a higher and broader level of Consciousness.
While it may appear I am trying to find an excuse for this unkind human being, I’m simply asking questions out of inquiry rather than judging out of assumption so that I may understand why: Why someone would do such a callous thing to a helpless creature? Regardless of the answers, the choice, the action in and of itself is not condonable, and fortunately, we have human laws, although weak ones, that address such actions. This individual must be held accountable, if only to teach him/her/them as well as our entire community that animal cruelty is not acceptable. Our society and its laws aren’t the best at teaching respect for life, but we must have faith in humanity – it is evolving but it starts with us, our own healing, and in that process, finding and showing unconditional love and offering forgiveness for others and ourselves. The bottom line is we are all in this Human Experience together; and as such, we must practice less of the Ego-driven outbursts of upset and judgment, but more of the mantra, “Deeply We Are One.” Personally for me when I think about this incident, I am saying this Truth a lot.
One final thought for consideration: Dogs are the greatest teachers of Unconditional Love. Had this dog survived, it most likely would've accepted its handler with "open paws," so to speak. Amazing but true; so there's no coincidence of God being present in and through this horrific situation, and using one of Its finest creatures to teach us this lesson of Truth.
This blog post is dedicated to Casey and Belle, my greatest teachers of Unconditional Love for fifteen years.
