August 1, 2002 PlanetLightworker Newsletter

Dear Lightworkers,

"Never do harm to anyone," in one form or another is embodied in the ancient version of the Hippocratic oath, a statement of ethics intended for physicians and written by the father of medicine, Hippocrates around 400 BC. It is not my intention here to discuss the application or misapplication of the oath by modern medicine whether practiced allopathically or "alternatively," although goodness only knows THAT is a subject full of possibility for editorializing.

What I am proposing is that "never do harm to anyone" applies to ALL of us, not just to physicians. Every day, 24 x 7, we as a race do incredible harm to our fellow humans. From the big stuff (like genocide, rape, and war) to the "little" things (sarcasm, meanness, and judgment), we as a species are enthusiastically doing harm to each other. Why?

There are lots of answers, fear being one of the big ones. Is it that seeing some other poor soul worse off than us somehow makes us feel better? Death, despair, and destruction ride the airways of television and haunt movie theaters with their voyeuristic adherents enthusiastically glued to the screen. Yes, I have done my share of that. We are only the passive ones. What about those who get more actively involved, and not only want to watch harm occurring, but want to cause it as well? For being children of God walking in the light of the divine, we seemed to have wandered off the path somewhere. Will we collectively find our way back?

I don't know the answer to that question. What I do know is that if we are to find our way back, it is an individual effort. No one else is going to do it for you or me. No one. We are constantly flipping the coin of decision with choice on one side and consequences on the other. It is great when the choice side is up with its abundance of options; however, when the coin comes up the other way, and suddenly the consequences of our choices (conscious or not) stare us in the face, we want to blame someone else. Gosh wouldn't it be great to have choice but no consequences?

My request to you is that the next time you feel the need to rip off someone's head (metaphorically) because he or she "displeased" you, and you want the situation to be something other than what it is, think about doing no harm to them or yourself (via the ever lurking lessons of karma). I know that anger and aggression are about the person (you and me for example) who is angry and aggressive, but how about thinking about the impact of our actions on the recipient of our desire/choice to lash out? There is no need for snide remarks, snubbing, sarcasm, hurtful innuendo, and the dozens of other verbal tactics we use to put others down so that we may feel elevated even if only for a few moments. There is a much better fix that lasts longer: "never do harm to anyone."

Email Ron: Ron@RonMcCray.com

© Ron McCray 2002 - 2004