These days we have become even more aware of the fragility of life, if we are paying attention. Dying is all around us with statistics reported daily of the effects of the “sickness.” We watch George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks killed before our eyes, more horrific in its real time/real life and death way than any violent movie could possibly depict. With that unavoidable seeing and awareness comes a responsibility, if we are ready to step up and meet it.
How are we to live our lives in such a way that our last breath will not be flooded with regrets? What courage can we muster to take a stand for goodness and what is right and true? Each of us will have our own unique calling around exactly what that looks like, living a life with purpose and integrity and kind inclusiveness. Are you listening for your calling? I know I am.
John Lewis listened to his, seized his calling with unwavering dedication and never wandered away from his clear purpose. Even as he approached his last breath, he wrote a letter of inspiration, passing the baton of human evolution into our hands and the hands of the young upcoming generation. What will we do with this offering? I pray we do not squander this opportunity. I pray that this year, 2020, is truly our tipping point into truly becoming the New Human.
“In the next 30 years we can destroy our world. With the very same powers— spiritual, social, scientific—we can evolve our world. Our mission is to serve as catalysts for a planetary awakening in our lifetime, to take a non-violent path to the next stage of our evolution.”—Barbara Marx Hubbard
Below is a link to John Lewis’ final letter which he directed to be delivered on the day of his funeral. Morgan Freeman reads it magnificently for us, giving voice, depth and aliveness to the words. Listen. This has the capacity to penetrate your hearts and soul, and leave an indelible impression, if you allow it to. If you have already heard it, listen again. And again. And again. I know I will. I know I must.
Thank you John Lewis for heroically being a soldier of non-violence and love. Thank you for consistently modeling how to stand for what is right and good and for believing that we, humankind, can and will find our way.
The way John Lewis lived his life was exemplary and sacred. In my own life I am not expecting angels to bow. I grapple with how to be my best self every day and write about this particular intentionality in my books. I suspect many of us give energy to this mission to grow and become more evolved, illuminated and illuminating.
In Acting Lessons for Living we explore how to summon Presence, live intentionally, follow our hero’s journey and personal calling with consciousness, knowing ourselves well, rewriting the scripts of the lies we tell ourselves about who we think we are or aren’t, and who we cast others in our lives to be. We explore how to live a life that, at its end, would allow us to earn a bow for a well-lived life.
John Lewis did not believe the lies he was told by society and would not accept those limitations that were pressed upon him. Through his actions and commitment to love and non-violence, and his faith and vision for the future, John Lewis rewrote his own story and impacted the stories of many others, encouraging us all to rewrite our own, and demanding that we continue this life affirming rewrite of justice and equality. John Lewis not only earned his bow, but also a standing ovation from the angels and all dimensions of higher consciousness. And somehow, I think his energy and light will still be here to guide us.