Reflection on Healing

Reflection on Healing

by Orly Wahba

Thinking about the theme of healing, the first word that comes to mind is believing. That may seem a bit strange at first but consider this; our minds are more powerful than we can begin to imagine. When we believe something to be true it becomes our reality, for the good and unfortunately for the bad.

This past month has been a month of enormous pain and suffering. From those whose lives were turned upside down by the onslaught of natural disasters to those and their families innocently victimized in the Las Vegas attack on Sunday, October 2nd. Whether you’re personally connected to someone that has been a victim or not, we are all mentally, emotionally consciously and subconsciously feeling the hurt. As for myself, I’ve been feeling out of sorts as though the weight I generally feel on my shoulders has not only gotten heavier but in a sense become unbearable. As I’ve been conversing with people it’s evident that others are feeling the same way. We all want to do something to make a change but with so much pain it feels almost impossible to think we are powerful enough to make that change.

Pain can oftentimes change us. Make us lose faith, make us question, make us shut people out, make us break down, make us become cynical or bitter and worst of all - make us stop believing.

I woke up on the morning after the Las Vegas attack to hear the tragic and devastating news and I started crying. It wasn’t so much a feeling of hopelessness but more a feeling of helplessness. Knowing that people are suffering and feeling as though there is nothing I can do to help. Naturally I began questioning myself, after all the work I’ve dedicated myself to is focused on uniting people, infusing kindness, love and respect. Am I actually making a difference? It was only when I jumped on a call with a dear friend of mine who reminded me of something I already knew in my heart to be true, but was so blinded by the pain that I couldn’t see. “This is exactly why you need to keep on going Orly,” he said. Because if you impact one person it’s as though you impact the world. It’s in times like these that we need to hold steadfast to the belief that our actions matter. Each person is a world of their own, so touch the life of one and you touch the life of all those they are connected to. We are all interconnected. Through giving the greatest healing ensues.

This statement alone is the foundation of Life Vest Inside. The concept that kindness keeps the world afloat. We may not be able to prevent the hardships, curve balls and obstacles from coming our way, but what we can do, what we have the power to do, what’s in our ability to do is to throw someone a life vest - a life line of kindness. Even though they may still be surrounded by waters, by troubles that small life vest can literally be the difference between life and death. It instills within a person the hope that all will be ok.

I’ve always found that like attracts like. The moment we allow ourselves to feel defeated, the more reasons to feel defeated come our way. So how do we shift our mindset? How do we heal when we feel so much pain and confusion? How do we believe in spite of hardships?

We give. But here’s the important part, giving isn’t something we only give outwardly - it’s something we must first give inwardly. If we are healed from the inside - then we can more readily heal the world on the outside. Think about a life vest. What’s the difference between a life vest that saves someone and one that allows a person to drown?

AIR.

The more we GIVE from our own air supply the stronger our life vest becomes. The strong our life vest becomes, the stronger we become to help others around us. To lift them up when they can’t lift themselves. So how do we stay afloat in a world that sometimes seems to be pulling us downward? How do we heal? The answer is INSIDE of you - your greatest life vest exists within YOU! We keep each other afloat in this world. So take a deep breathe, remember that YOU can and together let’s keep this world afloat one life vest, one act of kindness at a time.

As Michael Jackson put it in what I call the single most powerful song of all time,
“And the dream we were conceived in
Will reveal a joyful face
And the world we once believed in
Will shine again in grace”

Listen to the words, let them enter your heart, your mind and your subconscious. Even the most cynical of us, deep down inside, believe in our hearts of hearts in our ability to HEAL THIS WORLD. Join me and bet on this world and the people in it so that we can “Heal the world, make it a better for you and for mean and the entire human race.” All we need to do is “make a little space” in our hearts, see past the pain, the fear, the negativity the endless reasons to give up - and remember...

“There's a place in your heart

And I know that it is love

And this place could be much

Brighter than tomorrow

And if you really try

You'll find there's no need to cry

In this place you'll feel

There's no hurt or sorrow

There are ways to get there

If you care enough for the living

Make a little space

Make a better place

Heal the world

Make it a better place

For you and for me

And the entire human race

There are people dying

If you care enough for the living

Make a better place

For you and for me

If you want to know why

There's a love that cannot lie

Love is strong

It only cares for joyful giving

If we try we shall see

In this bliss we cannot feel

Fear of dread

We stop existing and start living

Then it feels that always

Love's enough for us growing

So make a better world

Make a better world

Heal the world

Make it a better place

For you and for me

And the entire human race

There are people dying

If you care enough for the living

Make a better place for you and for me

And the dream we were conceived in

Will reveal a joyful face

And the world we once believed in

Will shine again in grace

Then why do we keep strangling life

Wound this earth, crucify its soul

Though it's plain to see

This world is heavenly

Be G-d's glow

We could fly so high

Let our spirits never die

In my heart I feel you are all my brothers

Create a world with no fear

Together we’ll cry happy tears

See the nations turn their swords into plowshares

We could really get there

If you cared enough for the living

Make a little space

To make a better place

Heal the world

Make it a better place

For you and for me

And the entire human race

There are people dying

If you care enough for the living

Make a better place for you and for me.”

Thank you Michael Jackson for your art and your heart. This song made me such a strong believer, ever since I was a little kid, that I can in fact make this world a better place.

by LifeVestInside