There is a Tug of War taking over the world. It is not new, but it is currently very potent. A spiritual guide from my Buddhist community shared this information with me. “Be the peacemaker,” the spiritual leader said, “in the tug of war that is overwhelming us individually, socially, politically.” How can we mediate and moderate this energy pattern that has taken over our minds as Omicron has taken over our bodies? What guidance can Wholebody Focusing provide?
Tug of War: Holding Space for my Heart
The spiritual guide suggested that I start with the Tug of War in my heart. I found that quite prescient since holding space for waring parts of me has recently become central to my WBF experience. How do I reconcile my traumatized self that doesn’t want to change anything for fear it will cause more significant harm with the part of me that needs to heal.
My body leads me in holding both parts with equal positive regard. Through movement, each traumatized part receives the time and space to process whatever is there with love and compassion. There is space for the “not knowing.” Many resources will help me, including my WBF partners, my spiritual practice, and my ability to share this struggle with others. My highest and greatest good will be served by connecting to these efforts with patience and faith.
Tug of War: Holding Space for the Personal, Social and Political
My spiritual guide indicated that holding space for the global “Tug of War” is part of my healing. So how can my Wholebody Focusing practice become a vehicle to guide others to hold space for whatever shows up with equal regard.
When unvaccinated family members recently became infected with COVID-19, I began to open up to an expanded view of anti-vaxxers. Instead of only seeing them as the cause of the vastly increased transmission of COVID-19, I asked for guidance in what I do not know about their situation. I became open to learning what else was there.
Opening to More
- Anti-vaxxers become an easy target because they lead the surge of new infections.
- There is no free universal health plan in the USA or even an agreement about whether we should have one.
- 42% of Anti-vaxxers are without health benefits.
- Many others have inadequate health insurance that doesn’t cover COVID-19 costs.
- Some anti-vaxxers live in impoverished neighborhoods so full of violence that preventing COVID-19 is not a priority.
- As a Highly-Sensitive Person, I can sympathize with people who do not want any vaccines.
- Some US leaders and the media encourage anti-vax arguments in opposition to scientific explanations.
Moreover, I realized that what has been missing in our relationship to COVID-19 is a national consciousness of oneness. Our country has not promoted a sense of common good. Capitalism, by its nature, is about a small group of individuals using their power to have more than the rest of us. It is challenging to cultivate a sense of a “common good” under these conditions. When I listen to people’s thought process about moving forward, it seldom includes a consideration of how their actions might impact others. What I hear is “they are adults, and they make their choices.”
Instead of blaming anti-vaxxers, I can recognize the suffering they are experiencing because of the choices they feel compelled to make. Their grief may also include remorse for infecting others. Therefore, I hold anti-vaxxers, some of whom are my family members, with compassion for how their choices cause them increased suffering and, in some instances, how they have increased the suffering of others.
Be the Peacemaker
The most important thing I can do to be the “Peacemaker” is to live my practice—to not contribute to the Tug. It doesn’t mean not having opinions but having an expanded understanding of the situations in which people find themselves. We can share that compassion with others due to showing compassion for our personal situations. As we support our heart’s Tug of War, we can learn to be a peacemaker for the global Tug of War. So give your heart a hug, not a tug, today.
Thank you Diana for writing about this Tug of War. There are so many tugs of war currently and as a As a Highly-Sensitive Person, I can sympathize with people who do not want any vaccines, those who do not agree with the black and white portrayal of Covid as presented in the media, those whose lives have been turned upside down economically and psychologically by all of this. I can now take this idea of Holding Both into all these and hopefully find a way of holding them with in myself and with out.