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.