Children are not “new” beings… they are young in this particular incarnation, that’s all. We have all, always, existed. The Life Force that inhabits every individual, regardless of age, is eternal! This eternal Essence, or Self, is not leery of, nor judgmental about, the circumstances in which It finds itself. It does not avoid lifetimes of painful or “evil” circumstances … It comes to earth for the express purpose of experiencing them.
But it’s hard to remember this when we see a child going through something really difficult. We get caught up in seeing the child as a total victim of circumstance. This is a partial and relative, or surface, viewpoint. It says, “This is just an innocent baby – how could such a “bad” thing happen?” Seen from a greater perspective, however … we can see that this child is being prompted towards his destiny.
We are here to go through the challenges that life brings. When we align with this understanding, it allows us to see hardship (our own and that of others) as an opportunity.
We see moving through these difficulties as part of our task this time around. This perspective removes forever all vestiges of a victim mentality (blame and pity) that asks, “Why?” or “How could this happen?”
I do not look out at the world and see victims … no matter the circumstances, not ever! I see only those who believe themselves and others to be victims. It is not my job to correct their vision (unless they come to me for that specific purpose). Experiencing the role of victim is a temporary stage that we all must move through at some time or other in order to expand our understanding.
Seeing the “bigger picture” in witnessing others struggle does not mean that we don’t reach out to help them when it seems appropriate to do so. It’s important to show caring and compassion and it’s easy to feel because we remember what it’s like to suffer from believing in a limited identity.
Besides, helping others might well be part of our own emotional/spiritual development; the very thing that we’re “supposed” to do as a way to develop deeper understanding and compassion.