Stranger Danger
Most of us are unaware of the fact that we were created with the ability to sense danger when we are in its presence. Unfortunately, we have veered far from that natural ability.
Many parents choose to teach their children to never speak to strangers, but countless children aren't able to heed that advice. When a child speaks to a stranger even though directed otherwise, it isn't because they are being defiant to their parent.
Each of us is comprised of many (and I mean many) different parts of ourselves. These parts are sometimes called, in inner-life study, "little i's". Identities that arise in each and every moment, that differ moment to moment, depending on the interaction and what the moment calls for.
It's always difficult to share these things in a concise way on this blog, but let's use ourselves as an example. One moment, a statement is made "I will never swear in front of my child." Some time later, out of our mouth comes a swear word. How can that happen if I truly wish to not swear in front of my child?
The little i's that arise in us in each moment, dominate the moment at hand. So, in the instance of the swear word coming out of the mouth in that moment, the little i that dominated that moment wanted only what it wanted and that was to release the pressure of itself through the spewing of those words.
Those parts of us are unconscious and, as such, we are as well, in that moment. How else could that happen? We would never intentionally compromise ourselves like that.
If we are truly aware of ourselves in the moment, we don't harm ourselves or others. We are aware of what wants to harm us (and others) and we don't agree to feed the energy of that desire.
I want to go back now and connect that to the idea of stranger danger.
We can tell our children to not speak to strangers, and the fear that encompasses that direction certainly may keep them from doing so. However, there is no true understanding in that instruction. Telling them "there are bad people in the world that do bad things" doesn't help them understand why.
Some parents may explain (age dependent of course) that the reason people do bad things is because of their upbringing, environment, etc., and that certainly is part of the equation - but not the whole equation.
We want to give our children the WHOLE equation. It is possible to teach our children the actual root cause of why people do bad things in this world, which understanding will set the stage for a new and compassionate way of seeing the world and the things that take place within it.
A stranger danger exists within each and every one of us, in our own minds. "Talking to" that stranger danger (in our minds) and listening to what IT is telling us in each and every moment, IS what puts us in harms way in life.
Harm to ourselves and others comes in no other way.
As difficult as it may be to swallow, we actually create the stranger dangers that are physically walking around in this world through our unawareness of how they are created within ourselves.
All this being said, we could help our children in a way that the world cannot teach by having them learn to observe their own minds. To see, for themselves, how that stranger danger" within them works. One moment, they like a certain friend. The next moment they don't, and all because of what the stranger danger (in their own mind) would have them believe is true about that friend.
The stranger danger within always leads us astray and leads us to harm others and ourselves.
The presence moment doesn't.
Remember that, teach that, live from that, and that higher intelligence that you will learn to have as your new companion moment to moment, will show you when you are about to endanger yourself or others.
That is the definition of a true unwavering friend.
Image courtesy of: Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
