Are you ready for a miracle?

"Some philosophies define a "miracle"as a change in perception."

This is how the documentary, The Witness, starts off. We watched this movie tonight for satsang and ten minutes into it, the tissues were already being passed around. What a tragic yet inspirational story. It begins with hardened Brooklynite Eddie Lama explaining how he feared and avoided animals for most of his life, until the love of a kitten opened his heart. Since, he has been inspired to rescue abandoned animals and bring his message of compassion to the streets of New York. This remarkable change in consciousness caused this construction contractor from a tough Brooklyn neighborhood to become an impassioned animal advocate....I would certainly categorize this as a miracle!

In addition to his inspiring story, the documentary exposes us to the reality---so often hidden and behind the scenes---of how animals are tortured simply for our greedy benefit. But this is not about judging people, but about spreading the truth about what really is going on. As Sharon and David remind us all the time, humans are by nature GOOD and compassionate and loving, but have been conditioned by our culture towards aggression and violence. And so, what is needed is for people to be de-conditioned from this false message, or de-hypnotized as Sharon says. If people only knew the truth---and the reality behind the exploitation of animals is horridly ugly---they would be moved to compassion and choose the right thing to do. But seeing the truth is painful. To be honest, watching that movie was the most painful thing I have done for a long time. But that is what being on the journey towards enlightenment is all about - slowly exposing yourself to reality, which includes both great joy and intense sorrow. As David told us this morning, we can't run away from pain, but have to run INTO it. Only then can we overcome it.

And so, we cannot help the current sorrowful state of animal cruelty by running away from the reality. We can only hope to make any difference by running INTO it - by exposing ourselves fully to its reality so that it touches our hearts so deeply that we cannot help but share our message with others. And since our message will come from a place or love, not blame, it will be heard. Just like Eddie Lama's message is being heard.

"In my lifetime I have been both the oppressor and the oppressed, both the fomenter of discord and the advocate for peace, both the perpetrator and the victim. But most significantly, I have been both the silence and the voice. It is the human voice that is the primary tool for change."

—Eddie Lama