Breaking Down Barriers: Embracing Unity Over Division
An AMP session to help shift out of the us vs. them pattern
Peace Overtures Today is a weekly newsletter dedicated to guiding individuals on their personal quest for inner peace. Each week, I share a movie that helped me discover balance. It’s a process of awareness and healing that leads to sparks of joy. I’m sincerely grateful to have you here with me.
If you're someone who longs for more peace in the world, it's time to address the "us vs. them" mindset. But I understand that it's easier said than done. Many scholars have tried to change our thinking through research, academic studies, and impressive writing, but altering the mind and its biases is a challenging task. The generations of thinking that have fueled divisions, conflicts, and wars won't be a reliable resource to help us open our minds.
My intention with this post isn't to persuade you to view those fellow humans you find disagreeable differently. I simply encourage you to consider using our resonance changing Alignment Movie Process (AMP) technology to adjust some beliefs, allowing your mind to embrace a more tolerant and expansive perspective. I've come to believe that when I want to change my focus on any subject, it's easier to let go of old beliefs in an AMP session, let them integrate, and then embrace the new awareness. Trying to change my thinking directly is much tougher, and frankly, I don’t know what I don't know. These AMP sessions have unexpectedly made me more open and tolerant, which is why I've dedicated the last 15 years of my life to this work.
If you're struggling to grasp how all this works, you might find it helpful to think of each AMP session as a kind of prayer. In each post, I explain what the session is about so that you can decide whether you want the upgrade or not. It's entirely up to you. At the end of this newsletter, I provide some example statements taken from the featured book included in this session.
To assist you in breaking free from the "Us vs. Them" pattern, our AMP film is the documentary titled HUMAN (2015). It's a truly breathtaking film that's available for free on Youtube.
HUMAN is an epic documentary that explores the struggles and triumphs that unite us all. It takes us on a global journey to uncover the essential truths about what it means to be human. Through more than 2,000 interviews conducted in 60 countries, director Yann Arthus-Bertrand successfully captures the collective human experience in all its forms - from deeply personal and painful stories of poverty, domestic abuse, and suffering to tales of love, joy, and the sheer exhilaration of being alive.
Here’s the entire film available at no charge.
In a world seemingly dominated by bitter conflicts, HUMAN serves as a refreshing reminder of the bonds that connect us all.
As you watch this Alignment Movie Process (AMP) film, keep an eye out for these five key components included in this movie session:
Remember To Cultivate Your Connection
If you've been following our work for a while, you've probably heard us talk about the importance of aligning your mind with the power of the heart. This alignment brings balance, leads to win-win outcomes, and opens up limitless potential for connections that can foster peace. Essentially, the goal of this newsletter is to provide you with AMP films that can help you make this shift. As you embark on this journey towards the heart, it's crucial to keep in mind the concept of connection.
So, what do I mean by "connection"?
When you operate from the heart, you're connected to something greater - whether you call it God, your source, nature, or simply "all that is." Your heart serves as the point of connection, absorbing the energy that flows when we connect with these sources, with nature, with God, and with others. To sustain this connection to your heart, you must actively nurture it every day.
But how do you go about doing that? For some, it's a daily walk in the park or by the ocean. Others find it through morning yoga. Some have a beautiful daily prayer routine. Personally, I find it through daily meditation, and I make an effort to connect with nature whenever possible. When you remember to establish this connection every day, you'll find yourself more centered, grounded, and available for others.
Cultivating this connection is a strategic practice that keeps your heart open to others. People can sense whether your heart is open or not, even if they aren't consciously aware of it. Think about the people in your life who are open, warm, and accepting; these are individuals who are operating from the heart.
On the other hand, when you're feeling rattled, stressed, or irritated, it's usually your mind playing tricks on you, making it challenging for you to connect with your source of power - your heart. Without this connection, you're not truly available to connect with others, at least not on a heart-to-heart level. When your mind is in control, things can become unpredictable, reactive, and tense. So, make it a daily practice to engage in activities that support your connection, and you'll find yourself "in the zone," as they say in sports, throughout your day.
We All Feel The Same Pain and Joy
Throughout this film, we have the privilege of meeting people from every corner of the world. These individuals are everyday folks, and as we delve into their life stories, we come to a profound realization of just how alike we truly are. Our innate yearning for happiness and freedom from suffering is one of the most fundamental aspects of our humanity. It's a universal desire. Every person on this planet longs to break free from suffering's grip. We experience hurt in much the same way, we feel love with the same intensity - our emotions serve as a common thread that binds us together, transcending language and needing no translation. We all seek safety, yearn to cast aside fear, crave love and connection, and desire sustenance and abundance. Above all, we all harbor a deep wish for good health.
So, how is it that we sometimes forget these shared human truths about each other? Often, it's our fear of pain and the lengths we go to avoid it that drive wedges between us. None of us desire to live in fear, and yet, ironically, it is fear that often hinders our ability to connect with one another. When we can begin to remember that we all experience the same emotions, it becomes the first step toward recognizing our inherent human similarities.
Stop Seeing People as “Them”
When we forget our connection and the fact that we all share similar feelings, it's easy to slip into the tribal mentality of us versus them. This tribal pattern might feel ingrained in our human nature, but it doesn't have to define us. Watching this AMP film can help you shift some of these ancient patterns that divide us.
Here are some ideas to help soften this "Us vs. Them" pattern:
Accept people just as they are.
If you don't agree with someone's life choices, try to accept that you don't agree without passing judgment.
Practice letting go of all judgments of others. How do you know if you’re in judgment? If you think someone’s choice is wrong, whatever it is, you’re in judgment and it gets in the way.
Be curious about other people's points of view.
Speak kindly to yourself and extend that kindness to others.
Be grateful for the gift of life.
Be grateful for the love you receive from others.
Allow your heart to open to all people, cultures, political viewpoints, sexual orientations, and ways of life, finding joy in the diversity of human existence.
Keep your heart open and observe how it strengthens you.
Having an open heart doesn't make you weak; it makes you strong and offers protection in ways you might not even realize.
If you’re looking for an AMP session to assist in the heart open process, check out: Unlocking the Power of an Open Heart, here on my Substack page.
Seek Empathy For Yourself and Others
Empathy serves as the antidote to judgment, both of oneself and of others. As you watch HUMAN, make a conscious effort to maintain empathy for the individuals sharing their stories. Try to let go of any instinct to pass judgment on their experiences and instead, focus on understanding how those experiences must feel to them.
Empathy, simply put, is the ability to comprehend and share in the feelings of another person. While this might be challenging, especially with those individuals in your life who are currently testing your patience, allow the movie HUMAN to provide you with a platform to practice empathy. It's often easier to start practicing empathy with people you don't know well than with those you do. Once you can grasp the importance of empathy and make it a regular practice, you'll be prepared for the next and final lesson in this AMP session.
Compassion is The Universal Language
Compassion can be best described as embracing the needs and sorrows of others as if they were your own. This is a profound and loving intention, and in these challenging times, we all need more of it. As the following quote emphasizes,
"Compassion is the universal language the deaf can hear and the blind can see."
It's love in action.
Speaking the language of compassion necessitates having a big heart and being open to all people. It's an intention to infuse true closeness and understanding love into all your interactions. This intention becomes evident in everything you say and do. Its power is so profound that it has the potential to act as a catalyst for good in every situation.
Now, I understand you might be thinking, "Compassion is just too challenging to sustain with everybody." That's precisely why it becomes a daily practice, and the more you practice, the better you become at it. This is also why cultivating your connection daily is crucial. Compassion doesn't originate in the mind; it's the work of the heart. When you're not connected to your heart, you can't tap into your inherent nature of loving compassion. It's essentially programmed into our human operating system.
Before you can authentically offer loving compassion to others, remember that you must start with yourself. By releasing self-critical judgments and wholeheartedly accepting yourself as you are, unconditionally, you become ready to extend compassion to others. Compassion is the work of an open-hearted warrior and is especially needed in these times. I understand that this might be a challenging concept to fully grasp. To assist you, I've included resonance statements in this AMP session that can guide you on this journey from Pema Chodron’s book: Living Beautifully: with Uncertainty and Change
Here’s a sample of some of the belief statements from Pema Chodron’s book included in this AMP Session:
I have developed my compassion for others to a point where it is spontaneous and unconditional toward all beings.
I am spontaneously and unconditionally compassionate toward all beings.
I feel a deep aspiration to bring happiness to all beings everywhere.
I joyfully and unconditionally work for the well-being of others.
I am big-hearted with all peoples
My heart is wide open as the sky
I have infinitely an expansive heart
I live my life cultivating compassion and love
I now can see my life as something that extends far beyond myself connecting me to many others.
I bring an element of true closeness and intense love to all those I encounter.
I live in a state of harmony with the world and humanity
I also created an Alignment Session with music to help you amplify the resonance of compassion.
The Key Resonance Benefits from Watching The AMP Film: Human
The ability to release longstanding conflicts or deadlocks you may have with others.
The capacity to transition towards living life unconditionally with a loving presence.
The skill to maintain composure in the face of conflicts and tension with others.
A reminder to nurture your connection with a higher power every day before engaging with others.
Recognition that challenging individuals can be some of our most valuable teachers.
Realization that every person on Earth longs to be free from suffering.
The ability to extend your happiness to others.
The potential to express compassion through your words and actions.
Letting go of viewing others as "them" and embracing the idea that we're all interconnected.
A renewed ability to see the world just as it is - nothing less and nothing more.
For the full resonance benefits of this session, remember to start with The Intention Session first, and then watch the movie in its entirety. If you find yourself getting sleepy during the movie, pause and continue another day.
May you enjoy this amazing film and powerful AMP session. My hope is that when you’ve completed it, you remember to have compassion for yourself.
-- Such a wise piece here! We so need to embrace, to unify, to complete! That’s the only way through which life becomes possible. Thank you!