Doesn’t life seem a bit assbackwards as my dad use to say? As I am sitting here in the end stage of my life, I have begun to wonder would I have done the things I’ve done, if knew then, what I know now? To be really transparent and at the risk of sounding crazier than most of you already know I am… I knew early on that I had a spiritual assignment and some energy that was always with me that I couldn’t name but knew was there. It was like a whisper in my ear forever saying go deeper.

You have often heard me talking about the master teachers in our lives. Master teacher, sounds so lofty and yet none of my master teachers were renowned, rich, or well known.  They were the plumber, Paul and his wife, who lived next door and brought my sister and I over to their house every school night make sure we had a meal before going to bed. Another master teacher was my eighty-seven year old mentor who quietly, under her breath, corrected the men who stood at the church podium teaching incorrect things. I can still hear her saying, “You must teach nothing but the truth, no matter what.” And then she would say, they’ll learn, and we will just love them through it.” My heart wasn’t quite that open, but she was determined to work on it.

Watching my mom and Dad showed me who I didn’t want to be and what I didn’t want in life. How to create what I did want, was still illusive even as I began to have kids and carve out a career. I began to focus on the people I respected and admired and they all seemed to have some common traits. They were honest and present to everyone, not just those people they perceived were on their economic or educational level. They demonstrated equal respect for everyone.

I also felt a level of trust with them because I never heard them lie or even so much as dress the truth up for their personal advantage. They were honest about everything, even at times when a lie would have been easier. I knew that if they told me something today, it would be the same the next day, and the day after, because the truth never contradicts itself. I never felt I had to watch my words or hold back my feelings because they were fully present, which made me feel I could be the same.

Over the years, I began to realize that there were master teachers in my life and in the world everywhere once I began to look for them. They always stood out as being a bit different. They were in alignment with their own character, so telling the truth and standing in their integrity was normal, albeit not always easy, for them.

What I know now is that the world is asking each of us to be a master teacher. It is asking each of us to tell the truth, be fully present and stand in our own integrity because if we don’t, the consequences are not only enormous, they are terrifying.  It takes practice, because for years we have been taught to just survive doing whatever it takes, and do it however we can, because survival was primary. Get enough money, enough stock, enough houses, enough whatever it takes to sprint to the end. However, somewhere along the line we forgot that the only thing that survives us, is our soul and we have not been feeding that, cherishing that, fine tuning that. And if there ever was a time, that time is right now.

It’s not that we were doing anything wrong, we were simply doing what we were taught to do. But, look around, how is all that partisanship, prejudice and self-serving not so conscious capitalism working for us? The only companies that are making profits today are those who are putting people before profits. And the only people we trust and respect are putting people before party and prejudices. And you and me?  Well it seems to me, the only time we are truly happy and content is when we are being who we came here to be and doing what we came here to do!

So, this is a call to all master teachers…yes that’s you! It’s time to step up, evaluate your priorities and decide to stop playing small.  Look around, it’s becoming more obvious that with everything going on, if we don’t step up now…it could be last call.

© Dr. Dina Bachelor Evan 2018. All rights reserved.  No part of the intellectual property of Dr. Dina Evan may be reproduced, placed on mechanical retrieval system, transmitted in any form by electronic, video, laser, mechanical photocopy, recording means or otherwise in part or in whole, without written permission of the author.  Contents are fully copyrighted and may not be owned by any other individual or organization.