Listening to my heart, I find that we finally need new perspectives.

The old narratives don't serve us anymore and are only based on either/or. We are unfortunately not looking where we should really be looking.

Democracies also have their problems and limitations and in the end they are only as ‘good’ as each and every one of us.  Yes, China lives in a system that I don't want to live in. But what Taiwan and most democracies are living at the moment is not desirable either.

Especially when it’s just a matter of blindly defending ‘democracy’ (and therefore defending a certain power and economic structure) using all means possible. Then it's no longer about peace and prosperity and health and it's no longer about looking at your own population and what really nourishes us.

Freedom and independence do not mean being able to do whatever we want. They mean responsibility and duty.  As a leader, I accept the responsibility and duty to serve. And I take on the responsibility to be very clear and aware: who and what do I serve? Who am I? What do I stand for? We seem to have completely forgotten that.

Likewise, it is my responsibility as a human being, as a population, to be clear about where my own duties lie.  Any system created by humans, regardless of whether we like it or not, is only as good as the people who live in it and with it, in all different positions and roles.

This also brings me to the topic: why are we as humans living so little of our true potential at the moment?

We behave more stupidly than predators in nature who only care about surviving somehow, no matter how much damage we cause and do in the process.

The difference is that predators instinctively only take what they really need to survive and do not produce waste. An animal would also never destroy its own habitat.

While we take to accumulate things that we cannot really live on and at the same time waste and destroy ourselves and what really nourishes us.

But we are not predators. We are humans with whom creation means very well: we can think and feel, we can become aware of ourselves, we can consciously choose, decide, and change. We can consciously and actively shape our lives.

We are creator beings with hearts, brains, hands and feet. We can choose in every moment to love, to give, to share, to create, to be who we truly are.

The only question then is: what do we choose?  Do we choose to be and express our lowest selves? Our lowest ego that leads us more and more to our own destruction?  Or do we choose to be and express our highest self? The self that is true and real, that loves and lives consciously and genuinely, in harmony with and for the benefit of all, the greater whole.

Then it's no longer about the fight for survival, it's about creating heaven on earth. Together, each and every one in his/her role and in his/her true place, with his/her tasks and gifts. Together with the earth and her enormous intelligence, wisdom, love and creativity.

This is our true potential! A true gift, a blessing. LET US BE this gift, this blessing that WE ARE and that has been given to us.

You may ask yourself, but HOW can I be and do that? Is that even possible?

If it was and is possible to live and express our lowest self, why shouldn't it be possible to live and express our highest, truest self?  HOW? The path there will be different for each of us. The most important thing is to choose, because once we consciously decide, life meets us and the HOW becomes apparent with every single step we take on this new, loving path.

Let's imagine we are standing in a clearing in the forest. There are several paths there. We already know the path we took and the path we usually take automatically. But today we choose the path of the highest, truest self.

The path is still unknown to us, but we know in our hearts that it will lead us to where we deeply long for: heaven on earth.  Our head may want to tell us many different stories about it. But we tell our head that it's okay. He can tell his stories, but we are now writing a new, much more beautiful story and we are now listening to our hearts, which are directly connected to our highest self.

We let ourselves be guided from there.  This is how we walk the path of the highest, truest self. We walk consciously and attentively, step by step.

Sometimes we stop to listen, to feel, to look. Sometimes we may feel insecure, other times we may feel confident and trust again. We also meet other people on this path. Some are in front of us, some are behind us. Some are next to us. We exchange ideas, share and support each other. We also meet other living beings on the way. It's not always easy, sometimes even very difficult and we wonder whether it was really the right decision. But it is precisely in these moments of doubt and challenge that we receive double support that seemingly comes out of nowhere.

Until one day, we are astonished to realize that we have arrived in our hearts in such a way that there is no longer any doubt.

So ultimately, I feel and think, it doesn’t matter so much which party or politician we vote for and who will be awarded the responsibilities of leadership.

What truly matters is, what kind of human being we each choose to be and whether we can compassionately yet firmly hold ourselves and those we love and vote for accountable for the true responsibilities we all share and lovingly support each other in living our highest, truest selves.

The choice is ours.

(This piece reflects the author's opinion, and does not represent the opinion of CommonWealth Magazine.)

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About the author:

Gabriele Seewald is a native of Austria who has lived in East Asia for more than 20 years, in Taiwan since 2009. She is a mother of three and the author of the book “Taiwan. The Hidden Jewel”, in German. 

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