Being Human is Enough
by Maria S. Greene

After listening to opinions from a variety of sources about the Littleton shootings, I feel moved to write down some of my thoughts about it.

From my point of view, it is not about the shooters themselves, their personal histories, how they dressed, or what the media does or doesn't do in relation to events like this. While relevant in a surface way, these are factors only to the extent that they are symptoms of what this incident says about all of us, and our collective self-hate and self-disregard. These other side issues are faceted mirrors reflecting a deeper,less obvious core.

We are so insidiously uncomfortable with who we think we are as human beings, we have created all manner of ways to cope with the fallout of this basic self-disregard. We manifest this in a value system that is fear-based: there is not enough money, resources, time, health, or space. What we are really lacking in is a mindset that reflects compassion, gentleness and love for ourselves as human beings, which, if made priorities, would alter our perception of these other commodities. I'm not talking about post-incident posturing on these values, I'm talking about a standard and lifestyle, in place, that reflects them. That acknowledges the value of who we are, on a day-to-day basis, no matter what our station in life.

Another telling symptom brought to mind as a result of the shootings is a cultural collective assumption and expectation that adolescence is "hard." I do not believe this is a human "given." I believe we have made it such. The cultural value system in our country does not ALLOW for this time of magnificent transformation to unfold in a gently guided, supportive, celebratory manner. Our social/economic structure has no room for it. And the parents of teens are still, in many cases, learning who THEY are. Due to our cultural priorities, we have DESIGNED adolescence to be a tumultuous, difficult, painful transition. We have ASSIGNED judgment to different aspects of the physiological/emotional/spiritual process, to the extent that fear-based control OVER the process actually creates the problems we think we have to regulate. I feel similarly about the life-transition process known as menopause: our culture does not allow for this life-passage event in a way that acknowledges, accommodates and celebrates a normal evolutionary phase in the the life of a female human being. As a consequence, many women experience the 10-12 year full process of menopause as a time of disruption and discomfort. But I proffer that the difficult times and "symptoms" of both adolescence and menopause are a RESULT of how we regard and treat these passages, not the other way around. Our bodies' consciousness responds to the cultural definition and judgment, right down to the cellular level, reflecting how we feel.

We simply do not allow ourselves to be fully human.

Our cultural yardstick dictates that who we are as human beings is defined by what we do, how we look, what we accumulate, achieve, or accomplish. This cultural yardstick passes judgment on who deserves what, when, how, and for how long, based on these dictates.

We do not give ourselves permission to be of value just for who we ARE. Period.

And we ALL are contributing splinters to that yardstick.

How many of us eat when we are hungry, sleep until rested when tired, stop and take care of ourselves when we are sick, have jobs about which we feel passionate, make time for creative play, are of service in even the smallest ways, to others, say what we mean and mean what we say(remember telling the truth?) -- and are awake enough in the present moment to even notice that these things are our intrinsic humanity? Are essential for our ability to be able to have healthy relationships that work -- with ourselves, in our local communities, in the world? Providing us with the ability to recognize the intrinsic value of, and our connection with, all life forms?

If we, individually and collectively, do not attend to our most basic human needs, will we be capable of having true regard for others? Will we experience the reality that all human beings are connected? That what I do to you, I do to me?

Can we give away what we do not have? I don't think so. Does it work to expect from others what we do not do ourselves? Not in my experience.

These teens are the cry of our collective conscience. Until we acknowledge our essential humanness for the "enoughness" and magnificence it is, and begin to have lives that reflect that value and acknowledgment, we will continue to have dramatic mirrors reflecting this elemental disregard, such as school shootings. We will continue to have the need for crisis intervention, prevention programs, gun control,violence monitoring in the media, anger management, all the anti-ism programs, more and greater access to mental health services for everyone (not just teens), a "war" on drugs, and a means to counter ethnic cleansing.

We are human beings. We are enough. I look forward to the day when that is compassionately reflected in our culture, in how we live our lives, and in the world. In the meantime, I continue to be challenged to consciously choose this route in my own life, each day, one moment at a time.

Maria Susan Greene
Being Human Enterprises
email: voice1@att.net

Issue Two Features
Issue 2 - Page 1
Zen and the Art of a Bad Day
Listening to My Guide
How to Check your Hormonal Levels
Shopping for the Right Calcium Supplements
Food for Thought
Being Human Is Enough
My Dance with Shadow
Teaspoon Del Rio
On the Spot with Anne-Marie Palmer

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