Dogs Bark; Cats Meow
Almost all of us spend time online, and needless to say, we’ve come across comments that are not nice. Some are even downright hateful and vile.
Hateful comments on the internet—what's the perspective to take on this? Well, the way I look at it is that if you post, or someone posts, something on the internet and the settings are set to public, then you've essentially invited the entire internet—the entire spectrum of humanity—to comment on it. It’s important to be conscious of this. Often, people think when they post that only their friends will see it. This is not the case if your settings are set to public.
Now, the entire spectrum of humanity consists of, on one end, a highly evolved, mature old soul, and on the other end, a not-so-evolved, low-consciousness young soul.
You can probably expect, from the mature, evolved being, an enlightened, encouraging, and loving comment. From the not-so-evolved soul, you'll likely get an ignorant or hateful comment because that's where they are in their evolution, and that's how they see things—that's the comment they're going to leave.
Imagine the Empire State Building in New York City as a vertical representation of the mind. The very top of the building is the highest state of consciousness: refined, and as my guru says, “The mind of light, the all-knowing intelligence of the soul”—superconsciousness. The bottom floors are the lower states of consciousness, the instinctive mind—the animal nature of mind, focused on personal gain, selfishness, anger, jealousy, and so forth.
When you are on the ground floor at rush hour, looking out on 34th Street, you are likely to see the chaos of Manhattan: a cacophony of pedestrians, vendors, vehicles, pedicabs, food carts, and more. It can feel overwhelming to the senses. The energy is frenetic, and it’s hard to make sense of it all. That’s the perspective from the ground floor.
At the observation deck at the top of the Empire State Building, the experience of rush hour is completely different. From this mountaintop perspective (another term my guru often used), everything appears to be flowing in harmony. You see the bigger picture. You are able to see where someone is coming from, where they are now, and where they are going, the troubles that they may run into, and alternate paths they may take that will bring ease to their life. With such a lofty perspective, you are able to have a better understanding of one's evolution and, therefore, be able to express empathy and compassion.
Dogs bark; cats meow—that's how it is. Don't expect a cat to bark, and don't expect a dog to meow.
Similarly, don't expect a being, one that is on the ground floor of the Empire State, that is an unevolved, immature, and lower-consciousness soul, to leave a loving, kind, and encouraging comment. Or, for that matter of fact, to say something uplifting. Expect an ignorant or hateful comment. So, don't react to it. Understand where they are in consciousness—that's their perspective, and that's how they see things. Naturally, they would leave the comment that they do. Dogs bark; cats meow.
When you take this approach and have this understanding, it's easier to accept people for where they are in their evolution. In saying this, if I can accept myself for where I am in my evolution, then I can accept others for where they are in their evolution. And accepting does not mean approving; it means acknowledging where someone is, including myself, in our evolution.
So, remember, dogs bark; cats meow.
