BEYOND ZEBRA BULLETIN
OPED COLUMN

LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE BEAR

When hunting season opened in Pennsylvania, and a hunter shot a black bear four times, he thought the 320 pound critter was dead. Coming within 15 ft of it, he knew something wasn’t right. Though he tried to run away after the deep growls were audible, the bear came after him, clawed his hip and bit him twice in the legs before finally dying.

Life can be like that bear and the hunter, who both got taken away from their mundane existence in an instant. We think things are just swell within our tiny box of life, when bam, something comes up unexpectedly, and smacks you with a strong dose of reality.

Watch out

Life doesn’t wait for an invitation. Out of nowhere an impaired driver crosses lanes on the freeway and your car gets hit. Illness suddenly appears on the horizon, bringing a terminal message for your spouse. A long awaited baby turns into a sad miscarriage. Occasional forgetfulness becomes a prelude to identity loss and diminished functioning. Your partner asks for a divorce.

These are not the sweeter things in life, but rather the powerful interludes that catapult our emotional sobriety into high gear, the events that result in notches on the soul’s survival belt. It’s not the everyday comfort you take away from your life journey at the end of the game, but the highs and lows, the events that shape your character, compassion and understanding of life. And sometimes those are the most painful.

Pain on a grand scale

People are nervous right now. Our planet is melting, our food is toxic and our air is foul. The bees are missing and war is just as popular as it was thousands of years ago, only the killing toys have increased in severity and capacity. Short sighted dolts govern with no more ability than the wastrels of ancient Rome, Greece and other civilizations that peaked and ebbed. Striving to be wise is replaced by the desire to be popular; getting on television is more important than getting into college. The growth exhibited by our species is incremental instead of stratospheric, despite that we've had a long time to move forward, beyond what recorded history reveals. Patience from the sapiens watchdogs wears thin.

False expectations

The quiet plan by those in power is to move out into space to colonize new planets. But if we have been such lousy stewards of this one, should we put our fingerprints on new cosmic ecosystems? After all, if you can’t pick up after yourself in Milwaukee why would you be expected to do it on Neptune?

Meanwhile, groups of people anticipate major cataclysm heralded by the long awaited Mayan 2012 prophecy and try to figure out how to mobilize themselves in anticipation of disaster and upheaval.

What to do, what to do…

Here is the real secret, and it's not the one proclaimed in a recent movie or book, yet it's the ultimate tip to survival: it's not about how you die, but how you live. You have been born and died before, and will do it again, in other times, places and situations, so quit thinking this time is different. Your mortality is coiled around your body, not your spirit.

Live each day as if it were your last; it will drive home the reminder that your sojourn here is precious. Remember to savor what is right and good. The number one message I get from spirits in the beyond is one of regret, of words not said, actions not taken. Don't be like them when your journey is over.

Stop waiting for death, it will find you when it's time. Every age has had its "chicken little call outs" foretelling the end of mankind and civilization. Guess what? If it happens, you are along for the ride, so make a difference in someone else's life today, and give this incarnation the power it deserves.

You were born at this time in history for a reason, and it isn’t to sit back and watch American Idol. Forget about finding a location that will be “safe” and make the effort to be a change agent in your own corner. Step up to the plate and make a difference. Everything that you do in this life impacts each and every incarnation, past and future, in ways that remain hidden to ordinary understanding.

Take the chances your soul whispers for you to gamble on and escape from the confines of your old way of life, but be sure to ground your inclinations and make smart moves that benefit the everyday world alongside your own aspirations. Towing the line in both worlds is what moves you from a dreamer to an effective change agent. And remember, if you are going to bite a hunter, make sure it counts. You may get only one chance.

Copyright © 2007 Marcia Schafer Beyond Zebra®