Ground of Being

         You are being held in a Ground of Being of loving-kindness and the power that resides within you as you read these words: you are loved and capable of taking charge of your life at every moment.

         If you want to be heard and of use, before anything is communicated to anyone in any environment, the audience, the individuals you want to communicate with must experience that they are valued by you.

         Teachers who know they have something to learn from each of their students are far more effective.

         Corporate CEOs who truly value each employee are far more likely to develop a dedicated workforce. While the transference of information alone may be of interest to some people, most are far more likely to hear communication when there is an atmosphere of dignity and respect. People must experience that the speaker or, in this case, a writer, knows that they are incredibly powerful people with the capacity to make choices allowing them to take charge of their lives at any moment.

         Please know that is how YOU are held!

         As for the part about being loved, it is important for me to share with you what I feel about our seven billion brothers and sisters. Ron Browning first introduced me to meditating in a loving way toward all people. It began with those around me and then those I knew. Before long I could imagine holding our town in loving kindness and then the state. There are a little over a million people in Maine and I could hold that after a while. Soon I began to hold a piece of New York City, where I was born, in my heart. And then more and more until I could hold seven million. Along the way, there were hurdles. The country was a stretch. I had considerations about some people. People I knew I disagreed with, people to whom I knew had done damage. I found it useful to hold an atlas so I could imagine the place where a billion people lived. No matter where you are, though I may not know your face, I have held you in my heart and you are loved. Before any communication it is important to hold the people involved in just that way. It means there can be no exceptions, not for Osama Bin Laden, not the 911 hijackers, nor a person who has done damage in your life, nor for George Bush or Barack Obama.