Paramahansa Yogananda suggested that it is helpful to think of the world as a big mental institution.

Then when people act crazy, you don’t get shocked or upset; what else would you expect?  This might be a helpful attitude as we look at what’s going on in our country. One commentator suggested that our nation is having a nervous breakdown. 

Yet while we are all in some ways looney, a place within each us remains sane. At a deep level we remain connected to the mind of God, or wholeness, or wisdom. Our wisest strategy to navigate a chaotic world is to contact the part of us always established in well-being, and live from that. When we proceed from our inherent sanity, we invite others to find theirs and join us. 

When my mentor Hilda Charlton performed a wedding ceremony, she gave a marriage vow that seemed a joke, but was actually quite wise: “Promise that you will never fight on the same day. If you want to be upset, take turns.”  Couples, partners, or friends get into trouble only when both people lose it at the same time. If one person remains sane, the other person’s insanity has nothing to feed on, and the upset tends to dissipate.  A Course in Miracles teaches that you are perfectly safe as long as one of you remains sane at any given moment.

When eagles and crows are flying in the same area, and an eagle has some food in its beak, crows will approach and attempt to steal the food. But because the eagle is a larger, more powerful bird with a far wider wingspan, it can ascend to a higher altitude where the crows cannot reach. 

In a world where people are bickering over who's right and how to defeat those who disagree, we may be tempted to fly at the crow altitude and get into the fray. Yet, as a spiritual being, you are greater and more powerful than low-altitude bickering, and your mighty wingspan can lift you to a higher perspective. A Course in Miracles offers a very touching section, "Above the Battleground." Even as the battle proceeds at a worldly level, your elevated spirit can observe from a place of calm wisdom. We can choose the higher altitude, from which we can be of greatest service.  

I saw a video of a group of people protesting in the city square of an Eastern European nation. Facing them stood a long line of policemen clad in full riot gear.  But the protesters did not storm the police. Instead, they simply stood quietly, eyes closed, immersed in deep meditation and prayer. The policemen were stunned; they didn’t know what do to. They had been trained for war, and were completely disarmed by peace. When I posted that video on my Facebook page, it received more clicks than any other posting until that time. Readers were hungry for a model of  authentic inner peace.

Charles Dickens’ classic novel A Tale of Two Cities begins with the famous line, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” We, too, live in two cities, or states of mind. A group of people are going crazy, and another group is going sane. It’s the worst of times for the crazy people, and the best of times for those mobilizing higher vision.  If you can remain calm amidst fear and hatred, your contribution is far more powerful than staying calm in a tranquil field. I often quote Gandhi: “The pure love of one person can offset the hatred of thousands.” We can likewise say, “the pure peace of one person can offset the fear and upset of thousands.”

Bill Moyers interviewed Oren Lyons, a native American designated as “Faithkeeper” of his tribe. Lyons’ role is to be the one person in the tribe who does not freak out with everyone else. Amidst adverse weather, war, or food shortage, he has to hold the space for well-being. Our country could use some Faithkeepers right about now. If you can hold space for sanity amid insanity, your contribution goes a long, long way.

It can feel very frightening when you watch the news and hear disturbing rants. Yet we each have a choice about whether or not we will engage with scrapping crows. A friend told me, “I refuse to torture myself watching news.” The only appropriate response to self-torture is self-kindness. “If you can keep your head while all about you are losing theirs.  .  .” you can find your way out of the madhouse, and lead others to their freedom along with you.