(Adapted from the book, The Vibrational Universe)

It is tempting to look at the world and wish others would shape up.

If only our obnoxious sister would stop whining about her problems, family get-togethers would be a lot more pleasant. If our stupid boss would stop giving orders and listen once in a while, the office would run smoothly and everyone would be happier. Funny, when you talk to sister and the boss, they say the exact opposite. "Joe is a control freak and he's always butting in," sister says. The boss thinks, "Joe is a good employee but he never seems to be able to follow simple directives. He's always going off on his own."

The point is, trying to get others to do what you want is like herding cats, it's very stressful. People just seem to be stubborn, and do not want to listen to reason! Even the most irrational person will argue, stubbornly, for the correctness of his or her behavior. We are seeing this in our universities, at work, and in the streets, as people insist on having their points of view accepted.

My sister, who works in a Detroit hospital, tells me that all workers in the hospital, to remain employed, must take an online class in “unintentional racism,” whatever that is. This is an irrational (but understandable) attempt by the hospital administration to assert the sovereignty, or validity, of their beliefs.  But most people aren’t buying it.
It is obvious that if EVERYONE did what you wanted them to, you would feel happy. But this is not a pre4scription for a happy life, because others, like you, have free will.
Coercion, force, verbal assault, or even physical assault cannot alter the way a person thinks, even though dictators throughout history have been trying to do this. That’s because consciousness is not physically based. It’s divinely based.

Let me quote the words of the great John F. Kennedy:

“The same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe—the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.”
(Source: John F. Kennedy, “Inaugural Address,” January 20, 1961, Public Papers of the Presidents: John F. Kennedy, 1961 (Washington, DC, 1961), I.)

Apparently, the desire for freedom is built-in to consciousness itself. Attempting to buck that current is impossible. Of course, you can coerce people using violence and get them to go along for a while; but soon people rebel.

The rise and fall of empires is largely the attempt of some to gain power (or financial gain) over others, but it never lasts. Freedom, represented by the Law of Free Will, always reigns supreme because it is an inherent property of consciousness.

Consciousness is divine, it is based in the light. All human beings have a divine component, even those who consciously turn to the dark.

BUT, if it is impossible to control the actions of others, is it possible to be truly sovereign? Yes! The Universal Operating System guarantees that you have control over your personal experiences, even as it does not grant you direction over the experiences of others! This is a very difficult concept to understand, for it is thought that the actions of others must inevitably spill over into your life.

However, a pure vibration of peace, for example, guarantees that no violence can ever come to you. A pure vibration of health will lead inevitably to health, etc. Because we are all in this together, immersed and commingling upon the surface of this crowded planet, it would seem inevitable that observation of the activities and manifestations of others must lead to vibrational corruption, of the importation of viruses into our personal operating systems. Well, it all depends on how conscious you are, how aware of yourself you are, how determined you are to direct your life. That is always a personal decision! Why? Because a purely held state of being is the most powerful weapon you have in your arsenal of sovereignty. Even though we are raised on the idea of self-limitation, within each one of us is a kernel of connection to the higher self, and the human soul.

The more you practice feeling good, the more conscious you become, the more aware you become of your status as a divine being. The better you feel, the more powerful you are, the more you discover about yourself.

The road to enlightenment and personal power is the road of joy, not the road of data, or the insistence of others that their beliefs are more important than anyone else’s.
You can practice feeling good, even when there are so many reasons not to! Even in these crazy times enlightenment is not an esoteric, difficult thing. It is practical! I’d even say it’s necessary to keep your sanity.

The common denominator of all enlightened people is a simple feeling of joy. Even a blockhead can feel joy! Happiness has nothing whatsoever to do with your IQ, or with what others are doing. Simply put, the more joy you feel, the more enlightened you are, the better your life will go, despite the insanity we see on our screens every day.