Raising The Dead

I like to think that we have the ability to raise the dead. What I mean by this is that there are moments or instances when we or others appear alone, angry, frustrated, depressed or even confused. It's like feeling emotionally numb or dead. Those can be tough moments and we feel trapped in a quicksand that can consume our very life and sense of well being.

When those moments occur, if we share compassion, hope, life purpose, kindness or friendship, as well as acting in trust and do other things which so positive support, it's then that we are breathing life into the dead. I find this applies not only to others, but ourselves as well. By these or other similar acts, we can influence people out of those dim places and bring them out of their emotional coma. I believe that those on the path do that for each other, if for no other reason than there is nothing else that we could do, when confronted with a situation like that.

Conversely I have noticed that I have to be careful not to speak or act in ways that I am influencing people (including myself) into that emotional coma. Sometimes I catch myself saying some unsupportive things to myself or others. Here's a few examples. "That was dumb. There's no way that you can get that done. I failed at that before and I probably won't be able to succeed this time either. I'm so angry with myself, I deserve to fail." For some reason those negative messages come easy, for many of us. Probably because they come from a place where our mind is somehow divided. For this reason I've been making an effort not to speak negativity into myself or others. This has become an interesting aspect of my Zen practice.

Lets Take Good Care of Each Other,

Jaye Morris, Curator
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