Oneness
Open My Eyes, Open My Soul : Celebrating Our Common Humanity
by Yolanda King, Elodia Tate, Coretta Scott King,
We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality,
clothed in a single garment of destiny. What effects one of us
directly effects all indirectly. I can never be
what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be.
This is the interrelated structure of reality.
--Martin Luther King, Jr.
I attended the Food and Nutrition Conference of the American Dietetic Association in Hawaii. Yolanda King spoke at one of the educational sessions. She was inspirational! I took notes during her talk. What follows is some of the key points. If you’re inspired too, perhaps purchase her wonderful book --I did. You can click on the link above and go to Amazon.com.
Where do we go--our human family--from here? Chaos or community? We are completely interconnected, all 6.4 billion of us. We have to live together—all diverse cultures and interests--live with each other in peace.
Embrace our oneness as humanity! Why can’t we understand each other? Yes, no two of us are the same, but we are more alike than un-alike. The most important parts of us are the same. Less than 1% of our genes are different, person to person. Yet we emphasize the differences.
Open my soul. Open my eyes. Truly amazing things can come from us!
Celebrate our differences. Appreciate the fact of our differences. Judge us by the content of our character—look beyond our exterior bodies. There is a uniqueness that separates each of us. The world needs more love. So we pour our love—until we become one.
We may look different. We are all special. We are all downright spectacular!
What will it take for us to get to this place? In the end we are all related. The most important part of us is related. Have compassion and caring. Say to yourself: "I will see with my heart—I choose to care. I will use my power of choice. I choose to love. I'll explore my own attitude in every situation. I choose to be open—to be a part of the solution."
In understanding our anger, we can choose to embrace our diversity. We all have prejudices. We are not bad people; we learned these reactions from many places, people, and situations.
So make a choice to identify prejudices in ourselves and release them. Learn to celebrate our differences. Say: "Whatever I find that binds me, I release it! Whatever may be blocking me, I let it come into my awareness and then I release it." Say: “I release it. I let it go. I am whole.”
Diversity is a house that must be built. Who will do it? I must! Individual men and women, each in its own way. I need to take responsibility. We need a united course of action. Make the dream a reality. Live together as brothers and sisters, or we will perish as fools.
By all means, keep moving! Create the beloved community. Be a force of love and peace. Say: "For myself, I'll be the kind of friend I want to have. I'll be the change in my life that I want to see in the world."
Let us step outside of our comfort zones and reach out.
Live, grow, and thrive!
Water the plant of diversity. Respect all races and cultures. Every person can feel valued. Narrow the gaps of perception. Make things happen!
Ask, “How can I make a difference?”
Have faith in each other. Feed each other!
Find, develop, and nourish your own personal power. Encourage yourself to heal you. Listen to the still small voice. Learn to act from that place of choice deep within. Visit Yolanda's Website and see her mission at: http://www.yolanda-king.com/Mission.htm