I have known this petite woman with deep blue eyes for many years. She runs a charitable organization and is a great mentor to young people. She is also a well-liked mom and grandma. Some words you would use to describe her would be: calm, wise, positive-thinking, caring, and level-headed. Let us call her Terry. Terry is not exactly a friend, but we share a few friends, and our paths cross from time to time.

Last night, out of the blue, I found a message from Terry in my inbox. The message began, “I am not the type of person who writes this kind of message, but…” There was a trace of desperation in her tone. She continued in length about the political climate in our country, and how our democracy is crumbling before our eyes. Apparently she sent the message to everyone in her address book. She closed by asking us to urgently call a list of politicians to help prevent the collapse, taking time to include their contact information.

It was not so much the content of the message, but the person who wrote it that came as a surprise. Many of us feel a need to express our frustrations with society from time to time, but somehow we imagine that some people manage to rise above it. Not so. Instead, like a huge tsunami, it seems to engulf even those who are on higher ground.

The ancient wise have long warned us about the three gates to hell: greed, lust, and hate. Nowadays, these poisons are spreading among humanity like a contagious disease. The most greedy, lustful and hateful are steering our collective destiny. And like Terry, many of us are feeling the frustration of not knowing what we can do about it. We are like a drowning man clutching a straw.

While some of us continue to live in the dark, it is encouraging to see more and more people who are discovering the light. They are carrying the torch by collaborating and vamping up their efforts to awaken humanity. Make no mistake. This not a battle of good and evil, as good and evil are highly subjective. People have a tendency to justify their evil acts by blaming others. It is rather a battle between unconsciousness and consciousness, or we may say metaphorically, between darkness and light.

Which side will prevail? Will we continue on the path of foolishness, or will we wise up? Will we choose self-destruction, or will we finally see the Truth.

The answer depends entirely on us. Please help spread the word in your own creative way. We need all the help we can get.

Read more:

Can An Enlightened Person Be Unethical?

The Truth Behind Aha Moments