The Horrific, Senseless Murder of George Floyd

I would like to take a few moments to discuss the outrage that I and every community member in the United States and across the world feel regarding the senseless, brutal, and hateful murder of Mr. George Floyd. Like many senseless hate crimes that have occurred, this horrific event reminds each and everyone of us of our interrelatedness, and how the ill-guided actions of just one person or a few people can symbolize and effect the terrible outrage we feel at this unspeakable injustice.

I stand in solidarity with the African American Community and all communities in Houston, across the United States and throughout the world who are horrified and ashamed of the actions of these police officers, who are brought to the calling of law enforcement to effect change and establish order and protect the peace, rather than to senselessly murder an innocent man. No words can possibly console the family of George Floyd or our communities as we try to grapple with the reasons why anyone within law enforcement or even on this earth could lower themselves to the depths of the unfathomable. The systemic hatred and racism  that exists within some members of law enforcement will continue to inflict emotional and physical pain and suffering upon innocent civilians until these individuals wake up and realize that their unconscionable bias must be thoroughly recognized, healed and atoned for the sake of humanity. Such acts of unspeakable violence have their origin in past horrific atrocities within our nation in which we have not collectively healed and transformed, and it should be our calling to effect the change we so ardently desire by each and every individual, in every community in the nation and throughout the world, to become aware of the psychological internal divisions we may have within ourselves that are preventing us from an alignment with humanistic, spiritual principles. We must not act upon hatred, bias, ruthlessness, and psychopathic behavior, especially for those who have taken the calling of law enforcement.  It should be within their overall ethical framework to establish peace and understanding instead of divisional fear and hatred.  This nation and the world will not stand for such injustice, and it is a call for each and everyone of us to align ourselves in the healthiest manner possible psychologically, mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually with our Soul-based purpose which should promote the integration of the divine realm here on earth.  In this manner, horrific, senseless murders will not take place because we will have aligned our values with the vastness of spiritual authenticity, where each and every person on the planet is viewed as expressions of love, light, peace and understanding rather than the hellish, ill-perceived evil constructs of hatred and disdain.

I stand with everyone who believes we can live in a more loving, united, and enlightened world.  It starts with us.  We can effect change by transforming our hearts and minds from thoughts of division, hatred, and racism to loving thoughts of inclusion, peace, light and understanding.  Until we collectively heal and envision this transformational process from the depths of despair to compassion and understanding, continual eruptions such as the senseless murder of innocent men like George Floyd will plague our nation.  We have the ability, through an alignment with the vastness of the spiritual realm, to eradicate systemic racial violence and hatred; it starts with a new thought and belief system that we can change the world by changing ourselves and promoting peace, love, and understanding in every action that we take. Enough is enough.  Let us end systemic racism and hatred, for our survival as a loving, united, and enlightened world depends on our willingness as a species to awaken to our authentic ability to eradicate the atrocities which haunt and prevent us from Living in the Light of pure consciousness and awareness, free from condemnatory actions of violence, senseless murder, and torment.

Easter in the Age of the Coronavirus

I’d like to wish everyone a wonderful Easter Sunday, even as the world grapples with the global pandemic, COVID-19.  During this incredibly stressful time in our world’s history, it is that much more important that we focus on what makes us excel rather than what tears us apart. Indeed, we will move through this crisis together, and I believe that when the infections from the pandemic reduce and those who have contracted the virus recover fully, we will become stronger, more knowledgeable and better able to handle such an event should it reemerge in the future.

While social distancing is very isolating and depressing, it also gives us the opportunity to delve more fully into projects or learning initiatives that we had possibly forgotten about or had experienced difficulty beginning during the “normal” times. I think the crisis also gives us the opportunity to pause and consider the trajectory of our lives and where we are headed, both individually and collectively.  It certainly can give us the opportunity to pause and meditate on what we stand for as individuals and the impact and influence we have upon others in our families, friendships and communities.  It provides a much-needed moment in our lives when we can truly ask ourselves if we are contributing to the health and vibrance of ourselves, families, and communities or are we creating needless toxicity and emotional turbulence. This is a time when we have the opportunity to collectively bond, through prayer and meditation, towards the complete healing of the universe of both physical and emotional pain and suffering.  Yet, there are those who are determined to inflict emotional pain and suffering upon others rather than to forgive and create harmony. Jealousy, fear, retribution and anger are toxic energies that will only cause more pain and suffering.  Focusing on these negative energies creates more and more toxicity within one’s life and surroundings and does not contribute to an overall sense of well-being.  It is so simple, yet many people elect to suffer rather than to forgive and experience the joy that God meant for all of us.

For those of you who have experienced the COVID-19 illness, either directly or indirectly, I send you love, light and all the hope for continued recovery.  The Coronavirus has wreaked havoc across the world and seemed to come out of nowhere, but with diligence, perseverance and an adherence to guidelines from our trusted healthcare leaders, we can move through this with assurance that we will become stronger, healthier and wiser.

As we focus on becoming healthier by practicing social distancing and safeguarding from the virus, let us also remember to focus on living well in multiple areas of our lives.  What good is it to safeguard from the virus if we harbor resentment and ill will towards others?  There is most certainly a connection between our mental as well as our physical health – we must maintain a healthy mind to have a healthy body, and mental health begins by clearing our thoughts of anger, resentment, jealousy and ill will towards others.  The more that we practice wishing the best for ourselves and others – even those with whom we have estranged relations – then we are better able to reach deeper levels of happiness and self-actualization. The time we spend on this earth should be spent loving, learning, and helping others.  Before we know it, we will reach that era in our lives when we reflect upon how we have lived and treated others, and we will experience either a sense of joy knowing that we have done our very best, or we will feel deep regret by realizing we inflicted distress upon others rather than doing our best to be examples of love and kindness.   God placed us in this realm to create joy rather than sorrow, and we are the ultimate source of judgment when we evaluate our contribution to this plane of existence.  When I reach that point, I know that my goal is to wholeheartedly believe that I have created more joy than sorrow, and that I helped others achieve their dreams rather than the converse.  Resentment and retribution bury the heart in a toxic tomb of scarcity and emptiness, so let us all rise above such condemnation towards healthy, loving, and resilient experiences within our lives.

As we move forward towards healthier and happier days, my wish for everyone is to continue to stay focused on our goals and dreams and to understand that the COVID crisis is only a temporary setback in our everyday lives.  It is an opportunity to reflect on where we are headed individually and collectively, and to examine our relationships, work, family and our communal and societal contributions.  Together, through patience, love and understanding, we can create a wonderful world free of danger and illness by envisioning the loving universe God meant for us to experience from the very beginning instead of a man-made world of disease, death and destruction.

For this Easter Sunday and always, I send my love, light and best wishes for a more loving and enlightened world in which to live and prosper!

Mike Lovell

Through Spiritual and Physical Integration, our Life’s Vision and Purpose are Clearer

Many times, as we experience the struggles of everyday life on this plane, we wonder what life’s lesson is for us within this specific framework or pattern of our existence. Is there a lesson in my struggles, or are my circumstances some cruel or unrelenting act? The sadness that we often feel as a result of this quandary can certainly force us to come to terms with the significance these experiences have in our lives. I believe that when we confront our darkness and demons, we come to terms with the perceptions, experiences, and mental constructs which may block our sense of self-realization. As we seek to reemerge from the abyss of confusion to the oasis of soul-purpose actualization, our journey and place within the world become clearer and the path towards self and planetary transformation are much more tangible. The Spiritual realm seems to put these obstacles in our path to help us grow and learn, painful as these experiences may seem at the time.

It is when we realize that we do not have to live our lives in struggle and pain that we can become free of our self-imposed mental or emotional constraints.  When we develop ourselves towards a life-affirming awakening by integrating the spiritual and physical aspects of existence, we experience profound clarity on how to resolve the issues that consistently prevent us from achieving happiness and a sense of oneness. If we solely focus on the physical and material world then we will experience emptiness and unhappiness. If we attune only to the spiritual, then we will neglect our physical selves and this will also create unnecessary imbalance.  By integrating the physical and spiritual, we pave the path for true enlightenment and transformation and can heal the disenfranchised aspects of our psyche that have prevented us from achieving a sense of balance and happiness.

We undertake enormous challenges as we live within the physical realm with an openness to our Spiritual divinity – fully aware that as we grasp and understand our soul’s unlimited potential, we can shed old ideas that were far too limiting and self-constraining. When we are in alignment with our soul-purpose, life flows amazingly without struggle or limitation. We bring our unique gifts and contribute to the world, just as God has always intended once we have awakened to our calling and path.

So, when we are “stuck”, or we do not seem to manifest what we longingly wish to see in our lives, we must view our dreams and goals within an entirely different perspective. If we grasp the idea that we are spiritual beings living in the physical world – then we are much better able to comprehend the vastness of our potential. Yet, if we focus on limitation, it will return to us in the form of scarcity, struggle, hatred, deception, sadness and a sense of not fulfilling our destiny. If, however, we focus on the enormous potential we have within us through an alignment with Spirit, then it is possible to co-create the life we so ardently desire. As we awaken to our spiritual side, our purpose becomes much clearer, and we can shape our value system, beliefs and actions to bring our unique vision to actualization.

The Meaning of Success

This is a topic that has meant various things to me throughout the years,  and one that I have pondered over many times.  I can remember very clearly in my younger years in undergraduate school just how concerned and frightened I was on whether or not I would succeed.  I had these notions in my mind about what success meant.  Indeed, it was what I thought others viewed as success that guided me instead of listening to my own intuition.  I have found repeatedly that when we place control outside of ourselves, when we place others in control of our happiness, then we ultimately will “fail.”  It does not matter how much money one makes or how outwardly successful one may appear; if we do not listen to our own intuition, if we are guided by the perceptions of others, then happiness and a sense of accomplishment will elude us.

Success is something that is extremely difficult to quantify and it is highly subjective. During my undergrad years, I consistently worried about becoming successful.  Did I have to earn a certain amount of money?  Did I need to become famous? What if I never found a true sense of fulfillment?  Repeatedly in various courses ranging from psychology, sociology, literature, economics, advertising, marketing and many others, Erik Erikson’s psychoanalytic theory was discussed. It was so highly popular then that every time I came across it I experienced a kind of dread.  I remember thinking “Oh no, not the eight stages of personal development all over again!”  And I was fraught with anxiety about whether I would experience fulfillment through the wrangling of each stage in personal development posed by Erikson.  Eventually, as I experienced life and became more well-grounded and “successful” in my own eyes, then I became less anxious about my prospects of self-actualization.  Yet, I believe that the continual search for success and meaning within our work lives and our lives in general is the hallmark of the contemporary struggle to find purpose within our often-chaotic environments.

Recently, I watched a TED Seminar video in which Alain de Botton spoke on this very subject. I believe he is very much on target when he states that we must view our definitions of success through our own lenses.  Our fear of being judged by others often prompts us to make decisions so that we will not feel a sense of inferiority in relation to others.  Yet, when we act from this perspective, we often create needless problems. I have seen it occur in corporate sales environments, where the focus is not on solving customer issues or encouraging collaboration between team members, but on the soul-less pursuit of “winning” at the expense of others.  Healthy competition always has its place within corporate environments, but when individuals act out of balance within these settings, doing so creates an atmosphere of mistrust rather than cooperation.  And when this happens, the corporation ultimately loses because not everyone is operating within the appropriate framework to bring their unique contributions to the company.  They are focused more on out-performing others instead of the more important tasks of solving customer problems, increasing efficiency, and working together to create unique solutions that benefit everyone.

Therefore, a healthy work environment is a vital component of living and contributing successfully. When we operate within a supportive, healthy atmosphere, then our efforts are more focused on bringing about the objectives that create win-win scenarios, vs. destructive tactics such as pillaging over the backs of others to be the number one salesperson or to sabotage the success or experience of others due to jealousy, fear or misunderstandings. Does this mean that we always act perfectly in relation to one another?  Certainly not.  No one is perfect and no one should pretend to be, but you can certainly feel a difference within the workplace where leaders are visionary and provide all employees the operational framework and corporate culture to bring their unique gifts to the table to advance the company’s goals and objectives.  Any actions by individuals to thwart this open environment certainly can lead us to a sense of frustration.  Even when operating in such a dysfunctional environment, we must stay focused upon our inner uniqueness and the contributions we bring to our projects, teams, goals and aspirations. We can become an inspiration to others by allowing our unique gifts to shine and lead the way towards visionary business practices in which everyone is encouraged to participate within a finely woven fabric of shared values and goals.

Success is going to mean something different to everyone – and certainly, monetary compensation and wealth building are excellent examples of achievement.  Others focus on the advocacy of the marginalized and disenfranchised, and receive an enormous amount of satisfaction by helping others in need or furthering a societal cause. Who is one to judge what is more powerful or more important?  I think that Alain de Botton’s speech on success highly resonates with my own ideas of self worth, and we should view our lives through our own lenses, not through the perceptions of others, if we are to achieve a sense of fulfillment within our careers.  Our self-constructs of “what we do” often permeate throughout our entire perception of ourselves and create either the feeling of accomplishment or the despair of not having achieved our innermost goals and desires.  While we may need the support of others to achieve our own sense of success, we should not rely upon or become too heavily influenced by acceptance or rejection from others.  The compass of our achievements is expertly guided by our hearts, intuition, and unique perceptual framework.

Suggested Material:

de Botton, A. (2009). A kinder, gentler philosophy of success. Lecture presented at TEDGLOBAL 2009, Oxford, England. [Video].  Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/alain_de_botton_a_kinder_gentler_philosophy_of_success