What do you do when life events hit you hard, knocking you to the ground, facedown in the mud? When you lose your job, your home, or your health? When a hurricane, flood, or other environmental disaster devastates your city or town? Does “oneness” or “universal love” have any relevance in a world full of pain and suffering? Having faced job loss, financial uncertainty, and health challenges myself in recent years, I know there are no simple answers to such difficult questions.

Some events, like birth and death, are part of all life cycles on Earth, but others, like war, economic turmoil, or global warming, are linked to human constructs and beliefs. We live on a planet currently experiencing extreme polarity and imbalance. Yet, within this seemingly chaotic tension, there is a glimmer of hope. The dissolution of rigid hierarchical forms that do not serve all of humanity is on the rise, and possibilities that did not exist in the past are coming to the forefront of human consciousness. We are finding the will to survive, and prevail, in our relationships with one another.

If you turn aside from the mainstream-media interpretation of world events and look instead at local community alternatives grounded in acknowledgment of the connection between all beings, you will see a new Planet Earth being born. If you pay attention to the lesser-known stories about individuals and groups stepping up to help others in life-threatening circumstances or dire need, you will witness compassion in action. We have not reached critical mass as yet, but the energy of transformation is expanding daily.

Countless people around the globe have envisioned and worked tirelessly for this transformation, and continue to do so. It takes tremendous courage to see clearly both what is and what is possible and remain centered in hope and love. But it is what we are being called to do at this time. If we don’t do it, who will? We stand at the very edge of possibility. We hold a vision of universal loving-kindness and generosity of spirit in our hearts. We truly are the change we wish to see in the world.

As the saying goes, it only takes one candle to light the darkness. We are that light, each of us and all of us. Loss is part of life, but love makes it bearable. Even when we bow our heads in sorrow or pain, we are never really alone. Look up, wipe away the muddy tears, and see the light of those who share the Earth path with you and who may be experiencing exactly what you are. Reach out to a stranger, and you may discover a commonality that bridges all seeming differences. It is oneness and universal love that creates that miracle of connection. In the words of poet Mary Oliver:
“… and I thought
how the sun
blazes
for everyone just
so joyfully
as it rises
under the lashes
of my own eyes, and I thought
I am so many!
What is my name?”