Find Your Light in the Darkness
Could you imagine if a former Nazi, told you that forgiveness and compassion are at the root of sanity?
Coming from the source, it would be extremely difficult to digest.
Years ago, I was not part of the population that believed in spirit guides, and now I am part of the 83% of U.S. adults who believe we have a soul or spirit in addition to our physical body (Pew Research Center, 2023). First, accepting this concept wasn’t easy, but then being able to determine who mine are, and interview them has been enlightening.
One of my guides was a Nazi, and he died in his early 20’s in 1945. He did not serve in the war due to a physical ailment. “I was a passive follower, not strong enough to stand up for what was right,” he told me.”
Why? Why would a guide of mine have been a Nazi? Why?
I’m Jewish, my grandfather was in the 4th Armored Division and was part of the first Americans to liberate a concentration camp, Ohrdruf, part of the Buchenwald system on April 4, 1945. It was a week later, when touring this camp General Patton became physically ill against the side of a building (National WWII Museum).
Why? Why would someone who is even casually associated with people who could do this be one of my guides? Why?
In the darkest of circumstances, all is not known or understood, and that elicits fear. Fear can make us strong, but it can also make us very weak. One can get caught surviving, definitely not thriving, and even barely living.
It is not always personal, and when it is, it’s usually not as intense or extreme as we make it. Anger, rage, and fear keep us alive. They galvanize and bond ideas. These emotions are there to protect us, keep people at arm's length, and in the worst of circumstances rationalize unthinkable actions.
Even microaggressions we generate all the time make us feel in control because we’re less vulnerable, or so we think. But that is the true vulnerability.
There are traits and emotions we are born with, but we’re all an amalgamation of influence and necessity. At our foundation, we’re all similar. The polarity of perception and influence are as divisive as they are binding. It is how we see the world and ourselves that persists on a constant sliding scale.
Whatever the circumstances, I’m not saying to forget, but we all have a history we’ve developed. Having that compassion and forgiveness for other and yourself, allows you to move on, and free yourself from the constant toxicity you permeate.
Someone once told me that forgiveness and compassion are vital to your sanity. That was very kind of them, and I’m grateful for their presence.
To all of those who served and sacrificed, please remember them this Memorial Day.
Peace be the journey.
Pete