Racism is the result of narrow vision. If the awareness is narrow, one can only focus on differences. Like the small angle lens of a camera, one’s awareness is localized by the boundaries of race, and the deeper unifying factors that interconnect all living beings are overlooked. Racism is the result of focussing the mind on surface differences on the outer level of life, while disregarding the inner unifying basis of life. When one is wearing red glasses, then one can only see red. When differences dominate one’s awareness, the result is problems, mistakes, suffering, and failures in life.
The prevalence of racial prejudice has been like a viral infection in the physical structure of American society, but like with any virus, there is a cure. The time for the cure is NOW.
The first step to cure any disease is the acknowledgment that the disease exists. This is what we see currently happening in the world. All over the world, protests are erupting, people are marching and voices are calling out for freedom, justice and an end to the violation of human rights. An awareness that an injustice perpetrated against anyone anywhere in the world affects everyone in the world has emerged, and ignited the global conscience. There is a universal acknowledgment that racism exists and a global desire to eradicate it. The quality of empathy and compassion for the suffering of others is increasing in the world family.
According to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of the Transcendental Meditation technique:
“Since consciousness is the most basic element of everyone’s life, knowledge of consciousness is the most basic requirement for everyone to exist consciously and intelligently and enjoy full, unbounded creative potential of life, with maximum success in all fields of personal and professional life.“
Knowledge of consciousness is easily gained during the practice of Transcendental Meditation when one transcends and experiences the simplest, most settled state of awareness, the self-referral state of pure consciousness.
The regular experience of pure consciousness expands the conscious capacity of the mind and develops a “universal individual” – one who is spontaneously able to appreciate the common thread interconnecting all surface expressions of differences.
The regular experience of pure consciousness by a large percentage of the population of a nation has the ability to harmonize all differences and lead to a harmonious and integrated society.
barbara briggs 