One of the biggest challenges in seeing beyond duality occurs pretty much any time you open your mouth. This is because, from a dual perspective, your failure to opt for the perceived “positive” side quite readily gets interpreted that you must therefore support the “negative” side.

This is understandable, because from within the lens of duality, that’s all one sees — one side or the other side. But from the standpoint of spiritual reality, to see the non-dual perspective as “negative” is inaccurate.

For example, today my heart is breaking for the people of Ukraine. In my every quiet moment for the past two to three weeks, Ukraine has been in my thoughts and prayers. I have strong emotional ties to Eastern Europe. I personally know Ukrainians here in America whose families are there. As this crisis has been building, I did not share President Zelenskyy’s optimism that Putin would back down. This is because I grew up in a household where my father was staunchly suspicious of Russian cunning and expansionism; but, more than that, because I saw the conflict in Ukraine as a classic example of the tension between Individuation and Law which is so fundamental to human spiritual evolution and so core to the human experience. This conflict is what gives us the opportunity to grow as human beings. In Ukraine, right now, this universal conflict is taking place on a national level.

So today I see these events in Ukraine in two ways. On a very personal level, I am aching for the people there who are frightened, fleeing, suffering and putting their lives on the line. I was up in the wee hours last night cringing with sadness as the first rockets created blasts of light over sleepy towns on my television screen. I thought of my hairdresser’s family and wondered how they were doing. I thought of going over to the salon today to give her a hug.

Yet from the perspective of spiritual reality, I know that even this invasion is what we do on Earth. Over and over again, on individual and aggregate levels, life gives us opportunity after opportunity to struggle to individuate against mighty, resistant forces. The mighty forces serve their purpose in helping us to strengthen and purify. Nothing is for naught. All is love, actually. Yes, even Putin (sorry, Dad). All is God.

What?? Maybe you cringe when you read those words. Notice how, from within duality, you may expect any comment on an “atrocity” like the invasion of Ukraine to offer righteous outrage, condemnation, indignation. Yes! Of course! Anything less sounds cold and unsympathetic. Maybe even downright evil.

Consider Jesus Christ’s Sermon on the Mount. In this sermon, Jesus offered us The Beatitudes, which contain a highly significant, true and profound esoteric understanding. The Beatitudes articulate the developmental life stages required to fulfill the spiritual mission here on earth and enter God’s Kingdom. The last Beatitude, which describes the pinnacle of spiritual attainment on Earth, says, “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven….”

In this statement, Jesus is describing this phenomenon right here – that from within non-duality, if you open your mouth, you will look like you’re supporting the “dark”, unloving side. People will be frightened and hate you for it. But it doesn’t mean you’re espousing evil. It means you’re transcending good and evil entirely.

Take the case of that classic glass which can be seen as either “half full” or “half empty.” The non-dual perspective doesn’t see “half full.” Thus to some, it must seem that the non-dual perspective therefore sees “half-empty.”

Actually, the non-dual perspective chooses neither “half full” nor “half empty.” It understands the strengths and purpose of both, and is simply grateful for the glass.