The day I decided to do no harm was one of the most powerful and intense of my life. I had been meditating for some weeks consistently and as I sat on my meditation bench, tears began rolling down my cheeks and I whispered, “Do no harm!” I had been a vegetarian for 4 1/2 years, but this was so much more.
In the years since that day at the start of December, 2018, I have known great joy with my decision - and my body has thanked me for a kinder and healthier shift - but there has been something nagging in my mind, as I think of others who haven’t yet taken the step of compassion. Yes, we all have compassionate moments, but until we realise that we are living lives based on the suffering of others and we stop, we are not living compassionate lives.
I have worked in animal advocacy - a very rewarding thing, but a bit of the “tail wagging the dog”. Morality cannot be legislated and the main issues with our lives is the moral codes by which we live. Yes, we can make specific rules about the treatment of other beings, but until we change within, society will not truly change. This is the spiritual renewal upon which this site is based.
Change must take place within us. We must open our hearts and minds and be renewed. This spiritual renewal is necessary both for ourselves personally and for the survival of our species.
Others do not exist for us. Immanuel Kant in his Categorical Imperative spoke of treating others as ends in themselves, not as means to our own ends.
The spiritual path begins with one selfless step.
May all beings know peace!
Aroha nui,
Gerald Tūruapō Jordan, MBA, MEd, MCouns