The economy being what it is at the moment, I thought that a look at change might be appropriate. 
  
Everything can be seen as good and/or evil. Everything has a light and a shadow side to it. For example, some traditions believe that the body and sex are lowly, awful things that separate us from God and that they should be “overcome” or at least avoided as much as possible while other traditions see the body as sacred and sex as one of the highest ways to connect with God, through these sacred vessels we call bodies. Perhaps either one of these points of view is the truth, depending on what is guiding us when we interact with our bodies and/or that of another person. 
  
Another example is money. Many people, and this idea seems to be especially rampant among spiritual people, believe that money is evil, that it is to be shunned and avoided, certainly not sought after, celebrated or enjoyed. There is, in contrast, a teaching whose popularity seems to be on the rise and that is that money is an energy, like any other, and that it should simply circulate freely as all energy should and that wonderful, life-giving, joy-creating things can be done with it if we use it for the betterment of ourselves and others. Money, like anything, can be perceived as either light or dark.
  
As with bodies, sex and money, change can be perceived in different ways also. We happen to live in an alarmist society where much attention is given to negative things or at least the perceived negative points of view so it isn’t always easy to notice the more positive sides of things. If we cannot see that there is a positive side, if we cannot see that everything has two sides, then we are limited to living with the fear, anger, hatred, shame, etc. that these negative points of view bring with them.

Negativity = Truth?

If our society so glorifies the negativity around us, equating it with truth, perhaps society is choosing our point of view for us. Perhaps it’s time to take a look and at least notice that the coin of change has another side to it.

You may think I’m exaggerating when I say our society equates the negative point of view with truth and seriousness, but think carefully. Do you often see positive things on “serious” news or talk shows? Other than on Oprah, it’s rare you’ll see an up-lifting story except as a “cute” little story to end the evening. 

Are our newspapers filled with positive stories or even 50% positive stories? No. And yet, especially in hindsight, there is often a positive side to things.

What our medias will have you believe is that they are telling “the truth” but I am going to pull out an old cliché and say that “Every cloud has a silver lining”. We simply don’t always see it that way as things are unfolding. We see the cloud first and we see that as the only truth.

I come back now to change. Things are changing. The times are rocky, institutions are crumbling, companies are closing, people are losing their hard earned money, things are unstable and this, understandably, frightens us.

I may sound a bit crazy to you, but I’m not afraid. In fact, I’m quite excited. This is the time that so many spiritual people have been talking about for so long – great change for a better world. I’m excited because, even though on the outside things SEEM to be going badly, I truly believe that when this… wave, shall we say… passes that this world will be a better place, that things that have been wrong, unhealthy and seriously questionable over the past few centuries (perhaps longer) will be cleansed and righted and return to walk a more enlightened, steady and healthy path again.