America's Collective "Pain-Body"

As many now know, Oprah Winfrey, world-renowned televsion talk show host (and much, much more) and Eckhart Tolle, spiritual teacher and author, are teaching a free, online class from Tolle's best-selling book, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose. Viewers from all over the world are participating every Monday for 10 weeks in this powerful, interactive class designed specifically to raise the consciousness of humanity. Monday March 31, 2008, was week 5 and the focus was on chapter 5 called, "The Pain-Body".

During the class, I found it quite interesting and intriguing that Rev. Jeremiah Wrightand Senator Barack Obama's names were brought up as the topic of "pain-bodies" were discussed, a very important topic, I might add.

First, here is how Eckhart Tolle defines the pain-body on page 142 of A New Earth:

"The remnants of pain left behind by every strong negative emotion that is not fully faced, accepted and then let go of join together to form an energy field that lives in the very cells of your body.It consists not just of childhood pain, but also painful emotions that were added unto it later in adolescence and during your adult life, much of it created by the voice of the ego...This energy field of old but still very-much-alive emotion that lives in almost every human being is the pain-body."

"It also partakes of the pain suffered by countless humans throughout the history of humanity, which is a history of continuous tribal warfare, of enslavement, pillage, rape, torture , and other forms of violence. This pain still lives in the collective psyche of humanity and is being added to on a daily basis, as you can verify when you watch the news tonight or look at the drama in people's relationships."

Eckhart went on to write regarding the races:

"The collective racial pain-body is pronounced in Jewish people, who have suffered persecution over many centuries. Not surprisingly, it is strong as well in Native Americans, whose numbers were decimated and whose culture all but destroyed by the European settlers. In Black Americans too, the collective pain-body is pronounced. Their ancestors were violently uprooted, beaten into submission, and sold into slavery, The foundation of American economic prosperity rested on the labor of four to five million black slaves. In fact, the suffering inflicted on Native and Black Americans has not remained confined to those two races, but has become part of the collective American pain-body. It is always the case that both victim and perpetrator suffer the consequences of any acts of violence, oppression, or brutality. For what you do to others, you do to yourself."

I remember writing in a popular forum on the Internet last year that America has many gaping, bleeding wounds which desperately need to be addressed so they can be healed. Until that healing happens, I believe we will continue to have racism, division, sexism, and an increase of scandals and violence. One of the many issues I notice that Senator Obama is offering in his platform, is to create an arena where these wounds can be recognized, then discussed intelligently and openly. This is how change happens and I believe we live in a time period where it has to happen.

At the same time some in the media continue to replay brief, selective sound bites of Rev. Wright in order to create a negative image of both him and Senator Obama (and these media people are most likely coming from their own pain-bodies), millions in this country and around the world are becoming enlightened. In this awakening process, they can see the bigger picture and the truth.

Back in class, Oprah shared her views about this when she stated:

"I think there is not an understanding and actually, Senator Obama in his speech a couple of weeks ago, was trying to speak to this, this collective pain-body that America holds and I think a lot of Americans, number one, don't know it exists and want to deny that it does exist because they say, I didn't have anything to do with slavery or I didn't have anything to do with the Native Americans...and to not recognize it, is to be in denial of what is the truth...The recognition of it is the beginning of being able to change it."

Eckhart Tolle then responded with his views about this situation with Rev. Wright in class:

"I believe that the pastor has probably helped many, many people over many years. Occasionally when he speaks, as far as I can tell, he gets taken over by the pain body and then the pain body speaks through him. It's understandable and I think beneath Obama understands it although he may not use the term or be familiar with the term, "pain-body", but he understands by the context of those remarks and he realizes it arises out of the collective pain. And once you see that these things arise out of the collective pain, you can see them in a much wider perspective and you don't personalize what this person is saying--it's not personal anymore--he's expressing collective pain."

Although I've heard many Americans complain that the media story of Rev. Wright is old and they are sick and tired of hearing the same sound bites, the positive side of this (in spite of the media's intentions), is that it has opened Pandora's box, which badly needed to be opened and the contents examined and dealt with.

After having actively participated as a volunteer in the 2004 presidential elections, I can easily see a huge difference in 2008, not only with the choice of candidates and political climate, but with the consciousness of people which is rapidly changing in America and around the world. Never before in history have we seen such an election as this one or so many people of all backgrounds, ages, races and class actively participating. America is finally waking up and Oprah Winfrey, Eckhart Tolle and A New Earth are playing a very important role in this awakening process.