Jesus departed with his disciples to the sea, and a great multitude from Galilee followed him; hearing all that he was doing, they came to him in great numbers from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and the region around Tyre and Sidon. Mark 3:8
The adulation of the crowds can be addicting. How many times have I seen people in the limelight get destroyed or come to tragic ends because they get spoiled by the masses? They get blinded by the fame, the power and the wealth that comes from all the praise, flattery and blandishments from the people and fans around them. But the crowds are often fickle, very transitory and many a time an illusion.
And yet, there is a reality to people being moved to action by some charismatic leaders. Such leaders often speak of something that we already know to be true deep in our hearts. They touch a chord within us that is capable of echoing in sympathetic vibrations to that which is truly noble and profoundly human. There is within us that seed for greatness and and significance that great leaders can sense and verbalize for us.
In my own experience, my words are most well received and appreciated when I speak honestly and sincerely from the depths of my heart. It is when I bare my soul and share what is uniquely me that I can inspire others and help them onward in their journey. For deep within us, we all have that spark of the Divine. It is when I am most myself that I am one with all.
Jesus drew crowds to Himself because He spoke the truth that everyone was hungering for. He brought them healing of the spirit that they were all seeking for. He showed them a fullness of life that they were all thirsting for. He knew that spark of the Divine in each one of them; because He is the Source.
When I am most myself,
I am most universal.
The one is the many.