Adjust the Volume

            I feel balance often seems to come down to a question of volume.  There are two levels of volume, both of material and non-material energy.  When it comes to material energy, volume is about quantity, either a lot or a little.  With non-material energy, it is about vibration, low or high.  Many times, it seems like the volume of the public is getting to be so high that we might blow an amp or a speaker.

          How does this analogy reflect on what happens in the world?  It can get to the extreme level where one takes another’s life.  Or on a grander view, it is the events that so many of us fear – war, slavery, racism, holocausts, apartheid, genocide, terrorism, and so on. In my life, a few of these moments just missed me by a mere block or two.  When I lived in Los Angeles, it was the riots. When I lived in London, it was the bombings of the IRA. And when I lived in Tribeca in New York City, it was 9/11.  I could literally feel the vibrations of these man-made disasters.  Perhaps the volume in the ears of the people who caused these disasters was so loud and intense; they could no longer withstand the volume. As a result, an “amp,” a “speaker,” or even a building was blown.” The most valuable thing that is blown at these times is an ear drum because, usually after these events, the people cannot hear anything, let alone what is really going on around them.

How can a high volume affect the universe on the natural (non-man-made) level? There are tsunamis, tornadoes, hurricanes, tidal waves, earthquakes, and other such natural disasters.  (My block has been shaken by a few of these as well.)  With this kind of disaster, I feel we just need to listen and respect the nature of our spirit and our universe.  If so, the volume will stay at an audible, tolerable, and enjoyable level. However, maybe it is time to better access our volumes and vibration levels, not only on a national, international, and universal level, but from an individual level.  We should focus on finding the real causes of these after-effects, like obesity, depression, drug abuse, or even just the tensions that arise when dealing with each other and our loved ones.