Give wisdom the microphone

Heartbreak… This morning, I sit at my computer, hands refusing to do work because there are only hot, fresh tears of grief for my Jewish and Muslim friends, clients and human family.

My heart finds no refuge behind the walls of my mind.

I used to keep my heart safe behind mind walls of: “It only happens to them. At least we are safe, superior, different and ‘other.’ Shame it happens to ‘them,’ but at least it is them, not us.”

This was a lie my mind often told my heart. I understand it, but it was a lie.

After being in an armed robbery years ago, I asked my intuition: “Is my family safe?”

Translated wisdom, clear seeing replied: “No. Your family’s not safe. Your family is dying, bleeding, robbing, being murdered, maiming — your human family is not safe.”

I didn’t want this truth; I didn’t want this clear seeing. I wanted to hide behind the illusion of my ‘us and them’ walls.

But over the decades, wisdom has shattered these walls. Deep love for other children in hospital beds next to my daughter shocked me; seeing myself looking through the eyes of students and clients wearing different shapes, colours, cultures and creeds has broken me open.

Wisdom, with all its gifts of peace and love, takes courage because it dissolves the walls of us and them. Wisdom has me standing naked with my human family, thugs and victims, flag wavers and tyrants. And wisdom has me sobbing today.

My mind kept them at a distance so that it would not hurt. At least it’s not my child. At least it’s not my family; my mind used to say and still wants to say, but I see through those thoughts. There is compassion for my old seeing; I know it was a clinging to a false sense of security.

Too quickly, the mind slaps ‘sticky notes’ on people to label and divide, then blinds us to what is underneath.

Too quickly, the mind reduces complex, subtle things to simple, like children labelling ‘this is a triangle’ and ‘that is a circle’ because we can’t or won’t see the intricate geometry of life — the monster in the angel, the angel in the monster.

Too quickly, the mind, desperately afraid, plants a flag next to a ‘point of view’ and makes an identity from that point of view, then builds a fort armed and guarded to attack and defend.

Without the shepherd of wisdom, a mind can only polarise and divide.

Wisdom sees in wholes. Wisdom collapses polarities and sees with the paradox of the unmoved fulcrum, untouchable love. Wisdom turns inwards from the surface mind-mine-field with its defended flags and finds a depth where it is possible to see all flags in the stillness of love.

As I write this, I hear whispering from the wings of my mind: “Who am I to speak on this?” for it is true that I am politically inept, clueless about history and I have no place to comment on religion or politics which I don’t understand. But for wisdom, I can speak.

Wisdom is not a lofty luxury, a philosophical musing only for people who don’t want to get their hands dirty in the grit and grime of life. Wisdom might be what we need to survive.

But sadly, wisdom is often the quietest voice in the room. Perhaps we can change this. Perhaps we can do our small part.

Those who lack wisdom, clear-seeing, wall-dissolving wisdom, young souls, broken minds, tyrants and psychopaths are running and ruining this precious blue little planet. All while old souls with the capacity for wisdom hold themselves back from the call to leadership.

“Who am I to guide and lead when I doubt. I can’t lead because I’m not certain” is the biggest inner obstacle I hear from old souls.

Doubt is important; it opens leaders to wisdom and honesty. Doubt and a lack of certainty are honest. Doubt and care live together, making room for wisdom, seeing complexity, critical thought and wholeness.

Insanity grabs the microphone — sanity doesn’t.

Perhaps we should speak more? If we have the capacity for it, we can speak for complexity, vulnerable wisdom and what lies beyond the walls of the mind.

We can say: “I’m not sure, but this is what my heart says.” We can meet each other in the common ground of love and bleeding together, where souls celebrate differences but don’t plant flags.

Minds that lack wisdom plant flags, form identities from ‘points of view,’ then violently defend and attack. These minds grab the microphones of social media, generating click-bait algorithm traffic-pulling power, echo chambers of contagious egoic insanity.

And so, we find our human family being guided by the narrative of insanity. Who owns the narrative owns attention. Who owns attention can hypnotise minds that lack the shepherd of wisdom.
Doubt makes space for wisdom.

Old souls doubt. Old souls care enough not to be sure.
Young souls, narcissists and psychopaths sell certainty. Certainty is as attractive as a drug to anyone tired of being unsure.

How often have we been attracted to someone who seemed certain, hoping that someone had finally figured it out, only to be disillusioned, disappointed and damaged?

Let wisdom show us that doubt has a place. Doubt means you care enough to question. Doubt can live in our hearts next to the deeper, clear knowing of our undivided ground of being.

This is my prayer.
Let wisdom break open our hearts so we can hold each other with compassion during these insane times. Give wisdom the microphone. Let’s guide, coach and lead with wisdom together.

Colleen-Joy is a Master Coach Maker, conscious entrepreneur, published author and speaker. If you’re a natural coach, guide, healer or leader who wants to work with wisdom, to make a living making a difference, reach out to connect with Colleen and her inspiring community.

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