In my work as a counselor I come into contact with a wide spectrum of young people and adults and am constantly teaching stress management, meditation and other techniques to help clients regain a sense of perspective. Perspective which has often been lost through the stressors of poor relationship and time management, loss of self-esteem and identity and other factors.

Many people leading full and productive lives share with me the growing incidence of mental illness in their families. Sometimes several members of the one family are experiencing such difficulties and since I started working as a counsellor over 12 years ago, the number of people requiring prescription medication has grown alarmingly. In our stress and confusion we are reaching out for palliatives like drugs and the many systemic glamours that contribute more to the loss of perspective than the recovery of it. As we continue on this slippery slide we no longer even remember what is good for us. It is an alarming trend and seems to be building momentum. How then can we inoculate ourselves from the adverse effects of what is essentially a world-wide trend of growing stress and loss of perspective?

Ultimately, illness, emotionalism, prejudices and ego can all distort our perspective but we can combat some of these problems in the following ways:

• By eating healthy, natural foods.

• Drinking clean water.

• Living away from areas where there is high pollution.

• Maintaining a positive and healthy routine involving exercise, recreation and rest.

• Avoiding the negative content on television that tends to deaden our minds and hearts. 

•  Living the values of patience, tolerance and forgiveness.

• Forgiving ourselves when we fail in our own standards and constantly making the effort to start over in our attempt at living well.

•  Not spending too much time by oneself in negative self-reflection, which only leads to lowered self-esteem and self-pity.

• Making choices about the relationships we invest in and being discerning in relating to those whom we find constantly dispiriting and destructive. 

• Using our skills and insights to serve those who seek our support can lead to greater empowerment for both servant and served.
  

• Using meditation and other spiritual techniques to increase the light quotient in our energy field. This is a truly effective way to natural maintain our sense of humour and perspective.

The challenge then is to work towards the maintenance of perspective in all things and it comes in part through remaining in relationship to other people and not isolating ourselves in our own particular physical or mental retreats. It also comes from seeking out a listening ear to ventilate our feelings so that we can hear and see ourselves through a loving mirror. It may help to be reluctant to judge ourselves or others too hastily and to refuse to be swayed by what the mass media says about events.  

In the coming years given what we are hearing from those who are able to tap into the universal Mind and truly glimpse the future, the illusory notions that govern our material world will grow even more influential and may turn friend against friend. The only protection from this will be to view our identity from a global perspective and say, “You and I share the same Spirit, but live in different bodies.” Only from this perspective of Oneness are we then motivated to persevere in being tolerant, forgiving and accepting of others. If we go any lower and insist on focussing on what divides us, then projection, separation and conflict will be our lot. 

As the Earth changes overtake us the maintenance of our perspective will be one of the ways we can ensure the continuity of Humanity as the protector of soul consciousness on the planet. The alternative is that we will return to the instinctual consciousness of our predecessors. The Lord of the World and the Hierarchy are watching and ready to offer their support to us in our attempt to serve the preservation of spiritual consciousness.