Emergency Broadcast System
When I was a kid TV stations periodically ran emergency broadcast tests. A piercing tone followed by a disembodied voice: “This is a test of the Emergency Broadcast System. This is only a test.”
I doubt I paid much attention, eagerly awaiting the return of my regularly scheduled program.
Curiously, our minds run a very similar emergency broadcast. Except that (a) there is no indication it’s only a test, (b) it seems to be transmitting the warnings fairly regularly, and (c) we most definitely pay very close attention.
Every problem in our life, every situation that is not how we’d like it to be, is constantly being broadcast into our experience leading to the all-too-familiar feelings of fear, sadness, guilt, loneliness, anxiety, and regret.
Is there any way to disable the system?
Yes, but not by denying our experiences and the presence of perceived problems.
The key lies in recognizing who’s operating the broadcast station. We assume these emergency alerts originate from external events, namely the difficult person, the challenging circumstance, the unwanted condition. But let’s look closer. Every single broadcast requires our participation to air.
We’re not passive receivers of these transmissions. We’re the broadcaster, announcer, and audience all at once. As A Course in Miracles reminds us: “I choose the feelings I experience.”
And we can choose differently.
By catching ourselves fully engaged in the drama we paradoxically step out of the role of distressed participant and into the quiet awareness that gently observes the entire operation. The emergency loses its urgency not because we’ve changed what’s happening, but because we’ve shifted who’s listening.
Join me in Thursday’s class where we’ll explore how to recognize our role as broadcaster and discover the peace that emerges from within witness consciousness. I look forward to seeing you then.