Soul Power (What the World Needs Today)

In 1970, the popular singing group, The Temptations, came out with a song called "Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World is Today)." The music reflected one of the most tumultuous and divisive decades. The civil rights movement, Vietnam war and antiwar protests, high-profile political assassinations, an emerging “generation gap," and the fight for equality among marginalized groups marked the previous decade.

A statement attributed to Mark Twain says, "History does not repeat itself, but it often rhymes." There is no compelling evidence that Mark Twain said or wrote those words, but it is a good line. Our current times are undergoing their ball of confusion. The attacks on the innocent people at the grocery store in the Buffalo, New York area (as well as 198 other mass shootings as of mid-May), the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, other less reported wars and conflicts taking place across the planet, the bitter and divisive politics in America and abroad, and the hate crimes are just a few of those rhyming historical events.

When we experience such tumult, people wonder," What is the solution? How do we create a world that reflects our better angels and not the shadow side of humanity?” While we can make legislative changes, convene more summits, and put in place more constrictions or legal changes, such actions will only address the surface effects and not get to the root of the challenges. There must be a transformation of the soul.

What we see out-picturing in our world is nothing more than a reflection of the group's soul. In the context of New Thought/Ancient Wisdom Teachings, the soul is synonymous with consciousness or the underlying beliefs and feelings behind every manifestation we see. The soul is fed and nurtured by the thoughts and values that we provide it. If we feed our souls with fear thoughts and values that perpetuate separation, what will manifest is a world of tumult, divisiveness, and behavior that reflects the "us vs. them" consciousness. The soul must take in better food to change the negative human experiences, or the "ball of confusion" The Temptations sang about. Our soul, individually and collectively, must fast on fear, doubt, and worry and feast on love, kindness, and oneness.

Recently, I attended “The Power of One” event sponsored by the Interfaith Council of Greater Sacramento, whose mission, among other things, is to promote respect for all faith traditions. At the event, the representative from one of the organizations that received a Giving Back to the Community Award noted how everyone she met at the program exuded such kindness toward one another. That representative went on to say, if more people on the planet practiced kindness regularly, the problems in the world would soon disappear. The ball of confusion and the solutions we seek to make this world a better place will show up when our soul food is one of kindness, understanding, and realization of our interconnectedness.

Peace and Blessings,

James