Now what do we do?

Just when we think things can't get any worse, they do. Now the leader of our country gives away classified information to a country that is not our friend and possibly endangered one of our allies in the process. People are freaking out wondering how bad this whole thing will get before the powers who can act will act. Me, too.

Then this morning as I was reading a book called "Everyday Holiness" by Alan Morinis, I read about the quality of equanimity. "Everyday Holiness" was gifted to me by a dear friend who is Jewish and who frequently talks to me about her practice of Mussar. In a very small nutshell, Mussar is a "...spiritual perspective and also a discipline of transformative practices.....a way of life." The book outlines traits a person strives to embody. I haven't finished the book and don't yet know the entire Mussar practice, but I am reading about these traits and today's was equanimity.

As I read, I realized this is a trait I and many others have talked and written about and it is one I need right now more than ever - and so does everyone else! Equanimity is the ability to see, hear, and experience whatever is going on in your life or in the world without losing your internal balance. It's realizing that everything that happens in your life is part of your spiritual process.

As individuals and as a nation, we are facing some upsetting times and situations. It would be easy to fall into feelings of helplessness and despair. That is not what we are called to do. Whatever issues we're facing in our lives - and this includes what's happening on the world stage - we are meant to discover how this fits in with our spiritual process and embrace it.

This isn't an easy thing to do on a personal level and it is certainly challenging in the big picture as well. And it is what we are being asked to do for our own spiritual growth. The author Alan Morinis talks about being able to distance ourselves from what's going on, engaging our inner witness, while always focusing on the "light."

He says, "An inner eye connected to the constant light won't give you a life of fewer challenges and struggles, but it will give you equanimity that will serve you as you engage with these challenges. It's hard to imagine another inner state that you would want to bring to the trials that come your way, to better help you triumph." Amen to that.