Going Deeper

It seems the entire world has come together to help a group of Thai boys and their coach who are trapped in a flooded cave. Prayers without regard for religion, assistance without regard for invisible country borders…a true coming together without being thwarted by our differences.

So my question, dear humans, is this: why does it take a disaster such as this to bring us together?

This event is a teacher to us all. We can work together. We can set aside differences of color, belief, location, social status and learn how to work together on a D A I L Y basis…as we might say morning prayers or practice morning yoga. What if we added a simple practice each morning to show our willingness to love openly, freely and without condition.

That sounds easy. But what that involves is going deep into ourselves and excavating the beliefs we hold, the prejudices we practice and these aren’t always on the surface. Some of our biggest blocks to love are buried far down in our subconscious mind.

The metaphor of the cave has touched me deeply. Partly because I am a cave diver and partly because I have spent decades diving deep within myself to find clear water and space from which I can love more fully and more unconditionally.

A video from the beginning of yesterday’s rescues showed the technically difficult environment. The rescuers are climbing, diving, wading, swimming…whatever it takes to accomplish their mission.

Can you imagine how wonderful it was to see those first four boys emerge? The joy and excitement was a wave that wrapped around the entire planet. That’s what love can do.

And today, another four were rescued…another wave of love that surely must have touched even those not consciously aware of the source. What courage it takes to return through that difficult maze of dangerous passages knowing how exhausting and challenging physically and mentally it would be. But the reward…those precious children and their coach being brought into light once again…was worth it.

Most of us would never be able to perform such a rescue in the depths of the earth with rushing water and low oxygen levels and mud and steep climbs. But each of us are given the opportunity to learn to love without condition, to love without judgement….or prejudice….or religious bias…but the catch is this: we must be willing to explore our inner ‘cave’ or inner realm where all our hurts and pains are found, where we store the teachings taught to us regarding people different from us. Many people turn back when they hit inner blocks to love. The desire to feel ‘safe’ is many times stronger than the desire to clear away everything that keeps our true self from shining through.

So how does one make it through the scary parts of the journey?

I suspect that if any kids were able to survive nine days with little food or hope and remain calm enough to exit a flooded cave, it is these children. First, they had a coach with them–someone whose job it was to help them function as a team. And then, meditation is part of their upbringing and spiritual practice. Simply put….learning to calm the mind is a foundation they learn at an early age. I suspect their coach worked with them to practice their meditation skills as they awaited their fate. And in cave diving the most important ability, in my view, is knowing how to remain calm in stressful situations. More than anything, that skill will lead these children and their coach to safety.

Everyone involved in this operation is a teacher for the world. The kids and coach remind us to stay calm and use a daily practice to keep our minds stable and focused. The rescue cave divers give us such an incredible teaching about courage and love that is powerful and strong. The thousands of people involved in setting pipes and pumps, providing food and shelter for rescue workers, donating equipment, helping rig the cave, providing technical expertise….each of these individuals teach us that when we work together in love we can literally perform miracles. And the rest of us sending prayers, love, light and support through our focused minds are hearts…we, too are part of the team.

Are we willing to dive deep to learn to love?

I want to dedicate this post to Saman Gunan, who gave his life during this operation. Everyone doing this work knows the risks and they do it to help, to save lives….and for love.

 

(All photos from on-line images, except the one with watermark which was taken by the author in a cave in Mexico).