On the Minister's Mind

Last week I was in Provincetown for my 60th birthday, and I was mesmerized by the colorfulness of humanity all around me. With June being Pride Month, I don’t know a better place on the planet to experience rainbows than Ptown!  Everywhere I looked I saw expressions of individuality and expressions of acceptance and oneness.

Flags and banners were on many houses and businesses, waving a grand welcome to anyone passing by. The bright colors celebrate inclusivity and diversity, and there was plenty of that to salute! The inclusion was so deep, it almost felt unworldly.

The coolest thing was that there was no “othering” going on. No one had to look for a particular place to land to feel comfortable and welcome, because all doors were open to all people. Eckhart Tolle had it right when he wrote -  "When you stop covering up things, people, and situations with labels, a sense of the miraculous returns to your life." - Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth

Provincetown was without a labeling system. People were simply human beings. Period. Nothing else mattered and everyone was at peace together. It did feel like a miracle.

Have you ever practiced not labeling? It truly requires practice because we are taught the art of labeling from a very young age, and most of us have it perfected. This group of people is labeled weird, that group is bad. This thing is hard, and that thing is easy. This situation is wrong, and that one is right. 

What if everyone and everything just is? Period. I invite you to try it.

There is great freedom in not prejudging a person, thing or situation.  Taking everything as it comes and responding in the moment makes life a fresh experience every day, every moment, because you haven’t decided in advance how things will go.  The element of surprise comes back into play, and so does love.

Try walking around in your life without labeling people as gay or straight, or as Republican or Democrat, or as healthy or unhealthy, or as male or female, or as for me or against me.  In the spirit of Oneness, none of those labels make any sense anyway. 

We are all one and we are all unique. Let’s celebrate that!