TLC Applications February 16, 2012 The Universe and Perspective

Most of us walk through the day completely trapped inside our own heads — inside the small, anxious theater of our immediate concerns. But there is a perspective available to every human being that can instantly dissolve the grip of worry, anger, and fear. It is not a technique. It is a recognition. And once you experience it fully, you will never see yourself — or your problems — in quite the same way again.

Who Are You to the Universe?

Try this: look as far as you can see. Look up and think of what is past your vision — imagine what is out there. Now look left as far as you can see, think past your vision, and imagine how far it all goes. Now look right and think: how far does it go? Look down through the earth to the other side — how far does it go? Now look forward and imagine what is out there and how far it goes.

During the day, think for a moment and imagine the earth flipping over to the other side — now you can see the night sky with its endless stars. Know that past the blue sky — which comes from the sun’s reflection of the blue oceans — there is infinite space. And now look back and realize you have come full circle and seen the entire universe. The most important part: you are the center of the universe and all of it extends from you. All of it extends from you.

Now who are you? You are ONE with it all — because it all extends from you.

This is not arrogance or ego. It is the truth of consciousness: you are the point from which your entire perception of reality radiates outward. The universe does not exist for you as an observer standing outside it — you are inside it, centered within it, a living node of the same creative intelligence that formed the galaxies. That is who you are.

When Problems Make the World Feel Small

Sometimes we get caught up in our own little world, and the world gets so small. Especially when we get into our problems and cannot see any solution — we are just engulfed. The stress feels overwhelming. The anxiety is constant. And the world just gets smaller and smaller until we find ourselves irritated by everything and everybody.

What has happened is we have lost perspective. To get a new perspective, widen the hoop. Think about the vastness you just contemplated. Think about this planet unfolding for five billion years. In the scope of that, what are the problems that we bog ourselves down with? They mean nothing in that scale. And there is something deeply, practically freeing in recognizing that.

Widen the hoop further. Think about what other people are going through all over the world. Think about people whose daily reality is simply finding food. Remember that everyone struggles — our basic troubles are the same as everyone else’s. That is not meant to dismiss your pain, but to remind you that you are not uniquely burdened, not uniquely alone, and not uniquely stuck. The perspective that restores proportion is always available. Ask God to show it to you whenever you find you have lost it.

We cannot afford to be stressed today. This is the life you have — do not wait for tomorrow. Widen the hoop, smile, and remember who you are in relation to all of it.