One of the big themes in my recent book is that of Love vs Fear. I contend these are the only two energy states we can choose to operate from at any given time.
Love gives birth to experiences such as freedom, growth, and joy. Fear promulgates feelings of anger, self-righteousness, jealousy, and a whole host of other low-energy frequencies… including war.
I see war as the ultimate example of consciousness expressing itself through Fear, because Love could never conceive of such a thing, let alone execute on it.
So, what is this recent Russian act of war on Ukraine telling us?
For one thing, Vladimir Putin is deeply afraid.
Power is a Guise
It’s easy for me to look at a human being like Vladimir Putin and see the egoic Fear monsters running his show.
His exclusive passion in life is power, so all his actions are steered toward that one and only outcome. And if we’re solely focused on acquiring more and more power, that must mean we believe we’re lacking something profound in ourselves.
Ego (or what we might term our “personality”) strives to make others believe we have it all under control, that we are someone to be envied, emulated, or obeyed. Ego is that little voice inside our head convincing us of the rightness of our actions even when they are diametrically opposed to the values we profess to live by.
The power Putin believes he has is a mirage. It’s temporary. And somewhere in his consciousness, he knows it.
@WriterDawnH
And herein lies our choice. We can choose, in every moment, to question our thoughts and actions to ensure they are in alignment with our values, and we can even question our values to ensure they’re springing forth from Love rather than lashing out from Fear.
Putin could choose to explore his own consciousness to determine what might be influencing his seemingly never-ending quest for domination. He could, at any time, decide to be brave and turn to question why he continually chooses actions that result in great harm for so many people.
But that “turning toward” is a helluva lot more frightening to him than is the decision to declare all-out war that will result in the murder of human beings and devastation to Earth and society.
Yikes. That’s some seriously powerful Fear running Putin’s show. And that Fear is determining every single action he takes.
The power Putin believes he has is a mirage. It’s temporary. And somewhere in his consciousness, he knows it. It’s this undeniable knowledge that terrifies him, convincing him to act ever more violently to try to control what will, eventually, be his downfall:
Either Ego will die, or he’ll die because of Ego.
Love, or Fear.
We Seek to Control That Which We Distrust
There are echoes of this single-minded focus in the words of former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, who called Putin “savvy,” “shrewd,” and “elegantly sophisticated.”1
It might be tempting to brush off these adjectives as mere observations of the tactics of a world leader. Some might even say Pompeo is simply offering a warning to current leadership about how to contend with Putin. But I hear something different.
I hear unfettered admiration for Putin in the words Pompeo uses to describe him. After all, just as appropriate would be the words “manipulative,” “destructive,” and “violent” – but those aren’t the words Pompeo uses. It’s this semantic choice that triggers my misgivings.
Nowhere does Pompeo decry the harmful ideologies that led Putin to send killing troops into a neighboring country. Nowhere is there remorse for the belief systems that would lead one human being to decide that natural resources are more important to preserve than human life.
Instead, Pompeo talks about how we must “respect” Putin because he “knows how to use power.”2
What is Pompeo revealing to us with these statements?
Namely, the exact same thing Putin is revealing with his choice to invade Ukraine: These men live in great Fear. If they didn’t, there wouldn’t be such a fierce need to feel in control and “respect power.”
After all, we only wish to control the things we don’t trust.
Giving Up the Ghost
What does the world look like when leaders lead from Love rather than Fear?
- Decisions are made based solely on outcomes that will produce the highest level of good for the greatest number of people.
- Rather than arrogance, humility guides action: Those with the wisdom most required in any situation are the ones asked to step forward and lead – even if that means the current leader must take a step back.
- Inclusion and authenticity – not division and ego – are the traits our leaders exhibit and exemplify; they are what get someone elected to office.
When a machine “gives up the ghost,” it ceases to function. When a person gives up the ghost, they stop doing something they know they can no longer succeed at.3
When world leaders finally choose to lead from Love, war will no longer exist. It won’t need to. Because when one leads from Love, the choice has already been made.
Love wins.
Want more? Download your free Action Guide and Journal based on my 9 Radical Practices to Smash Your Ego, Unleash Your Authentic Self, and Foster Connection in a Divided World.
1 Graham, D.A. (Feb. 24, 2022). Putin’s useful idiots, The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/02/russia-ukraine-war-republican-response/622919/
2 Navarro, A. (Feb. 25, 2022). Mike Pompeo and Governor Kristi Noem criticize Russian President Vladimir Putin while navigating potential 2024 runs, CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mike-pompeo-and-governor-kristi-noem-criticize-russian-president-vladimir-putin-while-navigating-potential-2024-runs/
3 Collins CoBuild. (n.d.). To give up the ghost definition, Harper Collins Publishing. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/to-give-up-the-ghost