A Hoax

As many of you know, I fell for my first hoax last week. If not for a friend replying to my blanket emails, I may not yet know it was a hoax. Others would also have believed the information I passed along and be hurt by it. Since the information came from someone in the medical profession, I simply assumed it to be true, and passed it on as quickly as I could.

This hoax was of a particularly cruel nature as it played on people’s fear of cancer. The information purporting to be published by Johns Hopkins, connected plastic food containers and plastic wrap with breast cancer in particular. Many women I know, myself included, are at high risk for breast cancer. We go faithfully every year for our boob sandwich and pray that the mammogram shows nothing. All the while we know that it is not foolproof and we could still be harboring cancer cells in our bodies.

No amount of thinking can bring me to a point where I can even begin to understand such cruel behavior or the reasons for it. It seems to be another symptom of the sickness in our society. Violent crime is way up, particularly among our young people. Non-violent crime has also escalated, as has drug abuse. Could these hoaxes be another symptom of our society not meeting people’s emotional and spiritual needs?

The extended family has become rare. Faith in a power greater than ourselves has dwindled. The churches are not providing for the spiritual needs of our young people in particular That makes them vulnerable, looking for something to believe in, even resorting to drugs that alter their perception of reality, and cults that offer an alternative faith.

I have no solution to offer, just a warning to investigate any new thing or new idea very carefully before accepting it as truth. We do have deep within ourselves, the ability to recognize truth when it is presented. Many are not yet spiritually awakened yet, but our truths are still there waiting to be rediscovered. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If what is offered serves to change our perception of reality for a short time, we can know instantly that it offers only a temporary escape. It may even cause addiction, resulting in crime in order to obtain the money to continue to feed the addiction. If what is offered causes harm to others or ourselves, it is not a spiritual path and will only lead to grief.

We should each endeavor to awaken our spiritual selves. As humans, we create a platform to live our lives on, held up by four pillars, the physical, the mental, the emotional and the spiritual. In order to strive for a balanced life, we must cultivate all four. Balance is not a continuous state in this life, but is experienced at the point where all four pillars are at the same stage of development. Once having experienced this state, we seek it again and again. As we become more proficient in promoting our own growth, we achieve balance more frequently and for a longer time. When our lives are lived in this way, we are not susceptible to those who would do us harm. Our inner spiritual self is awakened and we become more able to recognize our own truths. Peace and contentment are also ours, as is the courage to live in harmony with the Universal All.