WHERE WE DISCUSS DIVERSITY OF OPINION
Are you there?
Yes, we are here.
Today, I would like to revisit our ongoing conversation on diversity, this time focusing specifically on the topic of personal opinion, how what other people think and say can sometimes have such an intense emotional impact on us.
A very interesting topic for conversation, and a relevant one at that, considering how much of the unrest and divisiveness that characterizes the global culture of your planet currently arises out of what is often referred to as a “difference of opinion.”
When it comes to people voicing their own diverse, personal opinions, things really do seem to have gotten a bit out of hand, due in large part to the incredible proliferation of social media platforms designed specifically to facilitate the widespread, unfiltered expression of personal opinion. And while I certainly understand the importance of diversity in general, it’s become an enormous challenge for all us to simply maintain our balance and composure in the face of so much opinion-making, more and more of which seems to be based neither on fact or reliable first-hand knowledge. Granted, each person has the right to form their own personal view of the world, even in matters that do not directly concern them. But these days, the unchecked spread of personal opinion that masquerades as truth, even when it is an outright lie, has almost become an epidemic.
Diversity – of choice, of preference, of opinion – lies at the very core of your physical journey, and as such, is a firmly set condition of your Earthly existence.
In other words, like it or lump it. Is that what you’re saying?
Indeed, no, this is not what we are saying. We would not, in any way, ever suggest that you simply “lump” anything that is a part of your everyday experience on the physical plane. What we are saying is that even when diversity represents a challenge for you, it remains an integral part of your experience, a “fact of life,” so to speak, one that needs to be understood, respected and, if possible, appreciated. All experience, everything that you encounter during your time on the physical plane, including diversity of opinion, has one function and one function only – to bring you finally into a place of alignment with who you really are and why you have come. It is easy to see how enjoyable experiences, whatever those might be – spending quality time with friends or loved ones, a much-needed vacation at the beach, winning the lottery, to name just a few – it is much easier to understand how experiences such as this, ones that bring you joy and peace and love, would help to align you with who you really are because you ARE joy and peace and love. Less obvious, perhaps, are the experiences that do NOT initially bring you joy, but instead cause you anger or frustration or a sense of futility about the future of the world in which you live. Difficult as it may be for you to understand, it is THESE experiences, those that reflect back to you what you are NOT, experiences that challenge you by forcing you to examine your own hearts and minds, these are the experiences that bring with them the greatest opportunity for growth, for upon reflection, they will almost always tell you more about yourself than about another. This, in a nutshell, as you humans like to say, is the whole point of diversity, especially diversity of opinion, for it is diversity that allows you to weigh all the choices available to you and make one based on your own personal preferences. Whether or not that choice, that viewpoint, that opinion arises from a place of love or a place of fear, that is up to you and everyone else to decide on their own.
I understand what you are saying about the importance of diversity, but I sometimes wonder if it wouldn’t it be better if we all thought more or less the same thing, if we were all on the same page when it came to the importance of, say, love and kindness and compassion, and that we’d be so much better off if these were the kind of ideals that we all lived by. That if we all acted on these ideals in a consistent fashion each and every day, it would help to bring peace to our planet. And yet, instead, despite our better natures, we continue to act in ways that undermine those ideals.
Remember that the physical plane is designed in such a way that each individual has an almost infinite number of experiences to choose from. That is what diversity is all about. Freedom to choose who you believe yourself to be from one moment to the next, freedom to select from an infinitely wide range of experiential possibilities, freedom to explore, to make mistakes, to change your mind, to compare and contrast, to make more mistakes, and to finally find your balance, your alignment with who you really are. If everyone were the same, learned at the same pace, incorporated new ideas with the same facility, remembered who they really were and why they have come as readily as their neighbor, then all of creation would be uniform. Yes, there may be peace of a kind, but at the same time, there would be no growth or expansion, and thus little or no point to life on the physical plane. After all, growth and expansion is the purpose, the intention behind everything that occurs in the Universe
So, diversity is actually about the freedom to choose, and if we want that freedom for ourselves, we need to be accepting of it in others, even if that acceptance is sometimes difficult to come by, correct?
Indeed. A lack of tolerance towards diverse opinion, towards diverse points of view, towards diverse behavioral choice, has led to much of the mistreatment and even violence that is visited by human persons one upon the other. The only element that stands in the way of a reasonable level of acceptance towards the diversity of thought, of action, of emotion, of desire on the Earth plane, is fear. Fear which takes the form of resistance, resistance to anything that stands outside of what is perceived to be the norm. And not simply the norm, but the APPROVED norm, the ACCEPTED norm, the kind of thinking and behavior that makes people feel safe and secure and unthreatened. Incarnated individuals are under the mistaken impression, and have been for many, many thousands of years, that if the behavior of the individual can be controlled, whether through laws or religious precepts or social constraints of one kind or another, that peace will reign throughout the land. But one look at the circumstances under which most human persons live and it’s clear that this is not a workable plan. Not even close. Indeed, this incessant need on the part of humans to enforce behavioral conformity has caused more unhappiness and more destruction in your planet’s history than any other human trait.
So, it all comes down to how well we can manage our fears when we come face to face with an opinion that does not align with our own, an opinion or point of view which threatens to trigger our anger or frustration or concern. That’s when we need to exercise some control and make better choices for ourselves.
Indeed.
But what can we do when opinion becomes weaponized, when we feel genuinely threatened by the opinions of others?
Your history, the history of your planet, is filled with examples of the so-called weaponization of opinion. It is nothing new. But stop for one moment and consider. Does diversity of thought ever really threaten power, not Earthly power, mind you, but the power that comes to you directly from Source, the power that resides within your very soul? Many believe that is does, just as it is believed by some that certain forms of diversity are sinful, unnatural, ungodly. And yet, if each individual allowed themselves to accept the idea that no one can really threaten another’s true power, then peace would truly reign, for all beings would remember that their true power is a part of who they really are. A power that is inviolate, indestructible, eternal.
I understand what you are saying, that we hold within ourselves an inner source of personal power, and our power need not be affected by what others are thinking or what others are doing, even if those thoughts and actions are in direct opposition to what we ourselves think and do. And yet, it’s very hard for us to accept the idea that no one can create something within our own experience without our consent, unless we allow them to do so. I don’t take action against those who believe other than what I believe, but there are many who do just that. I do allow myself sometimes to engage in a heated discussion on a topic that is dear to my heart with someone who may disagree with me, but I do not create laws that reinforce my opinion over the opinions of others.
And that is fine and good. That is part of your work and you are focused on it to a large degree. But even so, not all of you are so focused, and that too is part of the diversity of the physical plane, something that must be understood and accepted. It is all a part of the journey that you are on collectively. Each and every one of you is in this together. Eventually, you will reach a point where you will be comfortable with your differences. In the meantime, this is it, your present-point in time, and it is up to all of you to face the challenges that you have created for yourselves. The conflict, the friction, the discontent that comes from having to deal with the differences of others, those are the situations and the circumstances that all of you have created with the express intention of moving yourselves and the Universe forward. This is the path of growth – facing challenges, resolving them and moving forward.
How can we possibly make this work when the world is filled with so many different points of view?
By increased empathy, increased compassion, by cultivating forgiveness, tolerance and acceptance towards others. After all, your world is already filled with diversity. It cannot be denied, it cannot be ignored, it can only be suppressed. So, open you heart and allow it all to be as it is, without judgment, without fear. A challenge, yes, but one that you are more than capable of meeting. In the meantime, we strongly suggest that you take a moment to examine your own personal opinions, where they have originated, how you go about expressing them and how they may or may not affect those with whom you share your world. You might be surprised at what you discover.
This has been a very interesting conversation. I think we’ll stop there for now.
As you wish. Until next time then.
Thank you all.
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