Going Deeper Part 7
November 28, 2024
Going Deeper Part 7
The grains of the selfish ego dwell deep down in the subconscious. They reside in the shadow and the pain body. They come to light only in consciousness. Only then can we consciously decide to live in those instincts or find a life somewhere else. In spiritual consciousness, we know that our soul is the “somewhere else” where we can dwell.
When so many want to live from their primitive instincts, it’s because they consciously decided to do so OR because they are unconscious of their raging tribalism and its extremes. In both instances, the instinctual drive is to defend the superiority of its own tribe.
Even when we have supposedly developed into societies that evolved away from tribalism, those primitive roots are embedded in our DNA. Survival and tribal instincts remain active even after our species developed from primitive to what we call civilized.
In primitive societies, people are ranked and have an assigned place on the ladder, whether they like it or not. Power and Riches rank them. Tribal mentality breeds “rule by power”; the weak and fearful submit to that power. The lowest of classes suffer the most … and it is difficult for them to cry out because they are trying to make it from one day to the next and have a multitude of problems to contend with. However, in uncivilized societies, the primal instinctual drive remains on the surface. For many, it is welcomed and acknowledged; for others, it is an unconscious drive.
As we know, ranking people into societal levels is called the caste system. In her book Caste, Isabel Wilkerson closely examines the American caste system. She draws strong comparisons to American social levels and the caste systems of other societies; in particular, Nazi Germany and India. She returns us to our beginnings when slavery was the lowest level of society and drove the nation’s economy.
But the price we paid as a nation was the racial divide that has lasted for generations. Wilkerson has stated in television interviews that she believes that the current divide in this country is due to the conscious or unconscious threat people feel because it is evident our country is at a tipping point in its racial makeup.
She takes us through the process of how those in the ruling classes, systematically and through the passage of various laws, blocked the formerly enslaved from advancement. Wilkerson is very articulate and speaks from being an African American and a scholar. She calls for our country to face its past and remove all barriers between people and justice.
Self-inquiry: What are some reasons why you would believe you are not part of a caste system in this country?
Spiritual practice: Talk with a person whose family was enslaved in this country and ask them if their history has affected them. Journal what you may learn.
Dear God,
I pray for our country’s people that we can become aware of ourselves and our brothers and sisters as precious souls. Amen
