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Becoming a 'Majority of One'
There are times and places where one's voice needs to be heard above the clamor of others who may think differently or wish to go in a different direction. The need to raise one's 'voice' is not a call to shout or to shout down others, but to preserve one's integrity of belief and feeling so that one can become a 'majority of one'. Such a majority does not depend on numbers or on the approval of others in order to gain legitimacy. It does not seek to sway others to its own point of view in order to gain momentum for holding its own. Rather, such a voice is based on the firm foundation of spiritual integrity, and feels a moral calling to declare the beliefs by which it lives – beliefs which no other can undermine or alter through outer pressure, but which can only be altered through a change in inner perspective. To become a 'majority of one' is to replace reliance on numbers of those holding a point of view, by the single depth of commitment of one. It is to replace the gathering of outer force with the gathering of inner force. It is to sanction and uphold the values of the inner being with a steadfastness that comes from alignment with inner truth and with the light that upholds this truth. Many times in our social and political life, we turn to outer numbers in order to legitimize and give credence to a point of view that would otherwise not be listened to. Many times, we do not hear those who speak firmly but in a small and gentle voice. The need for the 'outer' majority will always be, for it is the way of establishing the creative foundation for a democratic and pluralistic society. Yet, the need for the 'majority of one', the single voice that upholds truth, must become the sure foundation for such an outer majority. Indeed, the 'majority of numbers' must become one in which every individual represents its own point of view faithfully, and with full adherence to the deepest beliefs it is capable of locating within the self. There are many kinds of pressure that are applied, today, to get people to join the 'majority of numbers' - to get them to move in a given direction. There is the pressure of appearance, where one who looks differently or sounds differently is made to seem foolish or 'out of step' with the times. There is the pressure of dogma – where one who thinks differently is made to feel like a heretic, treading on long-established or sacred values. There is the pressure of force – where one who remains faithful to their own 'voice' begins to feel endangered by doing so through the loss of relationships, work, financial support, or other context which forms the external structure of a life. There is also the pressure of moral conflict – in which those who hold different views from oneself feel equally strongly about the moral integrity and depth with which they hold them. This last is the most difficult kind of pressure for a 'majority of one' to contend with. For moral truths come in many sizes and dispositions, and it requires great clarity and great love to see that others who hold different perspectives may also hold a portion of the truth, yet be different from oneself. In the end, a 'majority of one' is not an isolated individual, but one who is committed to the future of humanity and who seeks to improve that future in whatever ways are possible. This occurs through the commitment to a way of thinking and feeling that influences the consciousness of others by its very strength and depth, and by the force of its truth. For this reason, it is up to each of us who cares about the future of humanity to become a 'majority of one' – a single voice of integrity and vision that exists within the larger majority of numbers. Such a voice arises out of spiritual depth. With a firm conscience, it continually pursues the deepening of truth and understanding through the seeking of inner clarity, and through the ongoing effort to align with the Source of all truth and light.
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