It is not just victims of war, sexual abuse and other brutality who carry trauma—we all do. We are all traumatized due to childhood misfortune and collective ancestral insanity.
Through my observations of my own inner world, of the people I work with as a therapist and my observations of the troubled global community, I realize that our species carries a tragic legacy of trauma. From the mists of time, when our human species first emerged, until now, we have misused our capacity of consciousness to become clever, brutal, overpopulating animals and not self-aware stewards of life. This misuse of mind has wounded us, traumatized us.
We have blamed our destructive ways on our flawed human nature, the evil Other, or even on original sin. But this is not true. Trauma is the culprit that distorts our perception of reality. Our essential human nature is good. As we grieve and heal our traumatic past, we begin to know that our essence is true and our greatest hope.
When we heal our traumatic history, our true self begins to interface with truth. With truth as our guide, we can do the real work of life which is to evolve consciousness to the next level of understanding. When we experience this true purpose, we experience an abiding faith in the goodness of life and our role in it. No matter the cruelty and confusion of the world around us, our life takes on a new meaning that inspires hope in ourselves and others for a new future.