Unexpected Moments of Awakening by John Welshons

Unexpected Moments of Awakening
by John Welshons • New Jersey

The energizing, healing, transformative energy of compassion is seen most dramatically when devastating tragedies pull us out of ourselves, out of our small self. We may feel depressed, isolated, and emotionally numb, but in moments when human suffering is simply too great to ignore, we discover once again our inherent sense of connection, our Oneness.

The extraordinary devastation of the Asian Tsunami in December 2004 was one such event. The unimaginable human toll — nearly a quarter of a million people killed instantaneously — shattered our ability to be callous and indifferent. Uncertainty and shared vulnerability are potent Truths that, under the right circumstances, can override our habitual sense of disconnection.

In such moments, compassion naturally pours out of us. We spontaneously reach for the phone to call and offer financial support. We agonize over the sobbing children who lost their parents, and the sobbing parents who lost their children. Some of us immediately stop our lives, go to the airport, and fly to the scene of the disaster to offer kindness, support, healing, and love.

One day, a few years ago, everything changed. I met neighbors I had never met before. Strangers spoke openly and freely to one another. The unpleasant man at the convenience store was suddenly warm and friendly. The toll collector on the New Jersey Turnpike made eye contact and asked if I was “all right.” People were unusually courteous and thoughtful. They weren’t speeding on the highway or pushing to get ahead in line. Families hugged each other and walked to church holding hands. Strangers greeted each other with kindness and generosity. No one cared about the color of anyone’s skin, the clothes they wore, or their station in life. Everyone seemed concerned about the welfare of their fellow human beings.

I thought I had stepped into heaven.

It was September 11, 2001.

Just twelve miles away, in New York City, “Ground Zero” was a vision of hell. There was smoke and fire, and thousands of people lying dead, crushed or incinerated in the incomprehensible mound of flaming rubble. But surrounding that inexpressibly horrible disaster people were acting like angels, being kind, courteous, thoughtful, friendly, generous, courageous, and loving. Our shared Self had replaced our individual selves. There were no Republicans or Democrats, no conservatives or liberals, no cool people, no nerds. Just loving, open hearts — human beings sharing a moment of conscious awareness. Everyone felt connected. We recognized that we were all in it together.

What we realized in that moment was that we like that feeling. We like it because it is a vivid expression of our True Nature. On that day, and in the days and weeks that followed, we were allowed to glimpse who and what we truly are. In the face of heartless, irrational, wanton violence — in the face of our shared grief and vulnerability — our hearts opened and Love poured out of us.

The experience was so profound that, in the weeks that followed many people commented that everyone was being more kind, more friendly and treating each other much better. They met neighbors they never met before and made friends they never had before.

The “possibility” we tasted on September 11, 2001, and in the period that followed, is a possibility that is always available to us because what we felt then is always inside us. Events like that simply unveil — for a time — who we truly are. They give us a direct experience of who we are when we aren’t caught in the quicksand of our frantic, disconnected lifestyle.

A few months after 9/11, I was invited to appear on a television program with a group of people who had lost loved ones in the collapse of the World Trade Center. At the conclusion of the show, the host asked each guest what they would like the audience to remember.

One woman, whose husband had been a New York City police officer, said, “I want everyone to remember the love they felt on September 11. I want everyone to remember how good it felt to be kind and to feel connected to one another. I want everyone to remember how wonderful it was to drop the barriers that usually separate us. If people will remember that, my husband’s death will not have been in vain.”

Unfortunately, that blissful, loving atmosphere didn’t last. As the disaster’s immediacy faded, our lives returned to “normal.” Our challenge, as individuals and as a society, is to remember these moments — to keep them in the forefront of our awareness — to stay fully conscious of the divine preciousness of each moment, each day, and every opportunity to experience the magnificent joy of connection.

John E. Welshons is a highly respected contemporary spiritual teacher who lectures and leads meditation courses throughout North America. He is the author of Awakening from Grief and When Prayers Aren’t Answered as well as numerous audio programs on meditation and spirituality. www.johnwelshons.com.