The further I travel on this spiritual journey, the clearer things become. In fact, I've learned to love and come to cherish standing on the intersection of paradoxes.
When I was completely unconscious, that is, unaware that there was even a spiritual journey, I believed in separation - in "twoness" - where there was a clear you and a distinct me. Yet, without believing in this separateness, which felt so real, I never would have experienced the discomfort that lead me to seek oneness.
It was through breaking free from the pain of twoness - my head and heart divided - that Oneness was revealed to me. It is only when I'm grounded in the freedom offered through oneness that I can experience true compassion, for myself and others, as I witness the suffering brought about by twoness.
Let's look at this logically.
If the spiritual journey leads us to oneness, then believing in "twoness" is what keeps us from ever arriving. If double standards - duality - means separation, then inherent in duality is the absence of equality. And the minute two are no longer equal, then one must be greater and the other less than. This is truly simple math.
So here's a handy-dandy guide that can assist us in recognizing the insidious nature of double standards. Please remember to embrace your double standards as a doorway into oneness or you will have missed the entire point I am offering!
Ok, buckle-up as we shine the light of awareness in the recesses of our egoic-mind. Oh, here's a reminder: keep only what resonates and skip over what doesn't, or your ego will cause you to judge me as separate from you...I'm just saying! :-)
Do we speak lovingly of our mate while putting down a former-spouse or partner?
Do we need for others to get out of their "story" while we wallow in ours?
Do we lavish our kids with praises while putting down the children of others?
Do we gloss over our birth country's weaknesses yet point at the flaws of another's home land?
Do we pity the homeless while envying the housewives of Orange County?
Does our pride inflate as our luxury car leaves a beat-up junker in the dust?
Do we consider ourselves smarter because of the extra letters on a piece of paper known as a diploma?
Does our religion trump all others that we justify genocide?
Do we claim to be pro-life and vote for a politician that supports the death penalty?
When seen through the eyes of the heart, these differences serve as constant reminders of the unending & creative expressions of the One Source of All that is. Yet, when seen through the eyes of the egoic-mind, judgments cloud our unity as we divide the world into superior or inferior categories, further perpetuating the wedge between us. This is what I call ignorance.
Do we allow our ego to delude us into thinking we can see the fault of others and then believe no one can see ours?
Do we speak of our abundance yet experience rage when we encounter an unexpected expense?
Do we claim to be open yet consistently close ourselves to receiving?
Are we seriously defending our self-righteousness while condemning everyone else as wrong?
Are we expecting Life's forgiveness for our wrongdoings, yet we crucify those who know not what they are doing?
Does our spiritual ego preach unconditional love while we seek to control the behaviors of others?
Do we claim to desire closeness but mistrust those around us?
Can we really believe this is all an illusion and yet we take what is personally?
Why do we proclaim that nothing can affect us and yet we dare expect others sensor what they say about us?
By simply being aware of our double standards, we accept an invitation into our very own Belief Structure, (our BS), which always justifies and perpetuates the illusion of duality. And like a movie, packaged in a lovely container, that can only be seen when projected outside of its case, we too project our duality from within us onto the outside world.
The courage required to recognize that duality is an inside job, is the very key that opens the doorway to humility. For it takes a humble mind to experience a connection with the oneness that so freely and unconditionally allows us to divide the world. And curiously enough, we can only divide that which was One to begin with.
Isn't it sweet how division is what leads us to Unity?
Please keep seeking until You and Me equals One!
By the way, assisting people who are sincere in their quest to return to Oneness, is my favorite thing to do in the whole wide world! It would be my honor assisting you as you navigate your spiritual journey...Please checkout one of my coaching programs!