Spirit of Change - Winter 2008

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Living a life of non-judgment and compassion does not mean one cannot recognize injustice, wrongdoing or ignorance. We should recognize these things and speak out against the acts, not condemn the doer. We should recognize the beauty and truth of the biblical phrase, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone...” (John 8: 7 KJV) We should never endeavor to take revenge on those who we perceive have wronged us. This is just setting us up for another cycle of violence and hatred. We must practice forgiveness and treat all people with compassion.

It is easy to treat our friends and those that treat us kindly with compassion, but the real test is treating with compassion those who have harmed us or those we do not like. At the central core of reality is the fact that all people are brilliant lights of God. We are all the same. We are brothers and sisters. We must see through the thin transparent differences in which we focus much of our attention. Things such as skin color, religion, and sexual orientation are simply Earthly things and are not reality. In many incarnations through many different lifetimes we have all donned the many pageants and veils of time. You may have been black in one life and Chinese in another and gay in one and white and Christian in another. So which one are you really? The truth is none of these are your essence. They are simply roles you are temporarily playing. By seeing deeper and realizing the unity of all God’s creation you will lift your spirit and the spirit of all beings.

To see any kind of meaningful change in the world we cannot rely on governments or leaders. We must change ourselves at our core. If you bring the spirit of compassion, love and non-judgment to all people and situations, what a different world we would have. Try it for one day and see the effect it has. When someone cuts you off on the highway, instead of giving him or her the finger and cursing them, why not bless them and say a prayer for them? We can have compassion and try to see that perhaps they are having a very bad day, or they are late for work, or their wife is giving birth or

they are so unhappy they are just not being very
gracious on the roads. In bringing compassion to
the situation, we are redirecting our thoughts of
anger and making the world a better place.

By not judging people harshly we show our understanding that spirit is working in our lives and we are all where we are for a reason. Earth is like a school, and while some are in a high grade, others are still in a spiritual kindergarten. Age has nothing do with this and neither does the outer veil of religiosity or orthodoxy. In bending our own ego and need to be right all of the time, we will enable ourselves, as well as others, to gain the wisdom of the Earth school.

We also need to keep from judging ourselves too harshly and have self-compassion. As long as you are making an effort, do not condemn yourself for a slip up on your path. We all fall down at times, so simply get up and take the next step forward. Some people are their own worst enemies and constantly barrage themselves with criticism.

There are choices in this world at every step. There is a fork in the road for every thought, word, and action we take and through conscious choice of thoughts, words, and actions full of compassion, love and understanding our world can suddenly shift to a more enlightened and wonderful place.

David Weisner is a freelance writer in Staten Island
Faith Under Pressure
A Marine’s Story of Miraculous Survival

While most of us sleep, they stand guard. While we drive to work, they search for roadside IEDs. While we raid the fridge for snacks, they hunt for terrorists. “They” are U.S. soldiers and Marines. The Department of Defense reports that nearly 4,800 American troops have been killed and more than 33,000 have been

wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq since both operations started in 2001 and 2003 respectively. For many Americans, the casualties evoke a sense of fleeting sadness that often fades by the end of the evening news. But for the families of our troops, anxiety and fear are constant companions.

Connie McClellan is an intimate acquaintance of heart-stopping fear. She’s received alarming news three times since her son, Marine Lance Corporal John McClellan, deployed overseas. The first two messages came just days apart. Her son was shot two times — in the same arm — in a one-week period while serving as a machine gunner in Afghanistan. He wasn’t seriously injured in either incident. But on September 11, 2006 he deployed to Iraq. And his luck appeared to take a turn…for the worse.

“Our phone rang just after midnight and I expected John on the other end,” says McClellan. “But it was a doctor from the hospital in Balad, Iraq. John had been shot through the head. I could feel the blood drain from my face as he told me if John survived the brain swelling, he would probably be a vegetable.”

McClellan was devastated. She immediately turned to her own “troops” for support. She went to her computer and wrote an email explaining that an enemy sniper’s bullet had pierced her 20- year-old son’s skull, forcing doctors to remove bone fragments and damaged brain tissue.

“I asked them to pray for a miracle,” says McClellan. “I asked them very specifically to pray for God to heal John and make him whole in every way — physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. I sent that email to everyone in my address book.”

The next day brought encouraging news. John’s
brain swelling was kept to a minimum. He had
cleared the first fallen log so to speak, but he was
still so very far from being out of the woods.

Within days, John was airlifted to Bethesda National Naval Medical Center. “At this point, he’d already defied the odds, simply by surviving,” says McClellan. “But his doctors didn’t know if he’d be able to breathe on his own, or use his vocal cords. He faced over 24 serious and potentially debilitating problems. So I kept emailing updates and continued leading my online group in detailed prayers.”

During John’s 26 days at Bethesda, he made dra-
matic improvements. His mom made extraordinary
progress too. Her emails circled the globe while she
made the rounds at the hospital.

“Many people don’t realize how quickly families bond while sharing the ICU waiting room,” says McClellan. “Our victories and setbacks became a shared experience. I included prayer requests for other patients in my emails. And it worked! When medical options hit a wall, we witnessed miracles.”

John went on to spend 27 days at the James A. Haley V.A. Hospital in Tampa, Florida where he learned to walk again. For a Marine whose prognosis looked utterly grim, John’s recovery is miraculous. But his mother isn’t exactly surprised.

“While John battled his injuries, I never lost faith; I never doubted,” says McClellan. “The message is that all things are possible with God. There’s hope for everyone no matter what they’re going through.”

McClellan hopes her family’s story provides
encouragement for troops’ families and for anyone
else who’s struggling, especially when the sadness
isn’t fleeting.