It’s probably not possible to spend any kind of time in a place like New Orleans without having an intense experience or two, and not necessarily all uplifting ones.
The city has a dark side. In fact, I’ve heard the word “demonic” used to describe elements of it more than once. I won’t argue with that.
I don’t know if Byron Katie has ever even been to New Orleans, but I do think what she has to say in her book “Loving What Is” – which recently helped me out of my own dark place (I won’t bore you with the details) – applies not only to New Orleans, but also to every attempt to make things better.
Worth reading…
A question I often hear is: “If I work on myself and I’m no longer fearful for the planet’s welfare, why would I get involved in social action? If I felt completely peaceful, why would I bother taking action at all?”
My answer is “Because that’s what love does.”
The fear of not being fearful is one of the biggest stumbling blocks for people beginning inquiry. They believe that without stress, without anger, they wouldn’t act, they would just sit around with drool running down their chins. Whoever left the impression that peace isn’t active has never known peace the way I know it. I am entirely motivated without anger. The truth sets us free, and freedom acts.
From: “Loving What Is”, a book by Byron Katie.
