Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Everyone wants peace. Every single place I go, they all just want to feel loved and feel supported. At the end of the day, when you really get down to the core of things, it's the people that are waging these wars are not the people that are suffering. The people that are suffering are just stuck in it. And I think that that's a realization, you know, about this time that we live in. There are oppressive, old, outdated paradigms, old, outdated systems. And we can either be passive and just kind of accept, well, that is just the way it is, or we can step up and take some action. And through love, we can refuse. We can say no. And I think that that's the beauty of the time. Why we all came to be here is we all came to say no to these systems and to create something new.
[00:00:51] Speaker B: Hi, I'm Deborah Rosman, and a warm welcome to our listeners each month for the ad Heart podcast, I have the privilege of interviewing individuals who are contributing to the creation of a more heart centered world. This month, I'm talking with Spencer Taylor about putting love into action, which is what Spencer demonstrates each time he goes into a war zone to care for the people.
He's a young millennial who cares deeply about our world in transition, and he's also making a film about why the education system is broken and how we can fix it but tasks down a bitter future for our kids. I love the name of it. The death of recess. So welcome, Spencer. Thank you for being with us.
[00:01:41] Speaker A: Thanks so much, Deb. It's an honor to be with you.
[00:01:44] Speaker B: You know, I was looking at some of your instagram postings, and I'd like to read something you posted just to start our conversation.
The birds sing just as beautifully here in Florence, which is where you wrote this from, as they do in a war zone inside Gaza. All of the division, destruction, the hate, the violence are just products of man made ignorance and illusion. Beauty, compassion, peace, grace, creativity, and unconditional love are the traits of the higher worlds. The life we are promised when we walk this earth in integrity. I love that about integrity.
Entering a war zone is jarring to the entire system, and no human being should ever be subject to that ignorant violence.
As conscious individuals, it's up to us to serve those who are suffering while maintaining a higher frequency. This is incredibly challenging work. That leaves me feeling like an elementary grade student of life.
Now, I thought that is just amazing for you to be saying that. And to say that at the time that you appreciate peace, the creative potential of humanity still shines through and you believe in a world where love will prevail. It's our destiny. We got this. So I would love for you to talk about some of your realizations. Being in the war zones of Gaza, Rafa, Ukraine, Syria. I mean, that's amazing. You're putting love into action there. We're all deeply affected by what we see of the suffering on tv, but it's not the same as being there. Can you share with us what's moved you being there?
[00:03:34] Speaker A: Absolutely. So when the war in Ukraine started, I was in the United States, and I was shocked, just as everybody else was. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. And my family is actually ukrainian, and that's where I came from. And I felt this call in my heart that was beyond my mind. My mind was telling me, what, are you crazy? You're gonna, you know, don't go to these places. This is dangerous.
You know, my mind was running through all the scenarios of, you know, the danger, and, you know, don't get involved in this. This isn't yours. And. But in my heart, I felt something completely different. And my heart was saying, go. And I decided to listen to that call, and all sorts of different doors opened up, and I met so many beautiful humans that are doing incredible work. And I decided to go to Ukraine.
And what was supposed to be ten days in Ukraine turned into eight months. And I have never been into a war zone before. But my first experience in Bucha, a city just outside of Kiev, what I saw and the stories that I heard just changed my life forever. I couldn't unhear. I couldn't unsee it. And one story in particular. There was this woman who was. We did a food distribution, and she came to me, and she was so grateful, and she was crying, and she was talking about how a 13 year old girl and an eight year old girl were raped by the soldiers that had come into the village. And I just couldn't believe it. And I was walking around in this village, and I was seeing all the destruction. I was seeing what a war zone, the aftermath of a war zone looks like. And I was just in complete shock, and I felt the pain that these people were feeling. And, you know, when I got on social media, when I kind of checked out what's going on in the world, there was. It seemed to be, you know, there were a lot of people caring, but then a lot of younger people weren't caring or didn't even think the war was really happening, didn't think it was real. And that's kind of where I saw this disconnect of, you know, what's going on here versus, you know, the stories or the media that's being shared with the world. And so I decided, you know, I want to just help these people. I want to get involved in this. These feel like my people. These feel like people, you know, that were my ancestors. So that sparked the eight months in Ukraine, and the vast majority of that rough. Roughly about six months were spent along the front lines in eastern Ukraine. And I spent quite a bit of time in Avdivka and Bakmut, and those towns have now been captured by the Russians. But overall, I've just gotten to see the destruction of war. And it's something that no one, like you said, no one should have to go through, no one should have to experience.
And war is really. It's caused me to reflect. It's just a product of ignorance. And when we're children, we're brought into this world. We don't know the difference between different skin colors or religions or races or anything like that, or borders or, you know, country lines. These are all products of just ignorance. And that ignorance has such a devastating consequence. So amazing. Yeah.
[00:07:11] Speaker B: So, I mean, I'm really moved by the fact that you have done that and did that. Then something took you to Gaza and, Rafa, tell us when that happened and what you saw there.
[00:07:26] Speaker A: Yeah, well, you know, so I started working with an organization. It's a nonprofit based in America called Global Empowerment Mission, and they do disaster zone and conflict zones. So I started responding to different disasters, the turkey earthquakes. And I also went and went into Syria, which was to provide relief for the earthquake, actually. And then this whole situation happened between Israel and Gaza, and it's a very complex situation. However, the way I view things and the way our organization views things is we don't take sides. There are people of all races, of all walks, that are suffering and that deserve our help. And that shouldn't be political, that shouldn't be anything besides the fact of we are all humans. And I believe that we should help each other no matter what, no matter who's a part of a different religion or race or belief system. I don't think that matters. I think when we actually show up and serve and go into these places and we bring that intention with our heart, that's how we can actually illuminate a place that is dark. Because I grew up in America, once I started going to these places like Pakistan, Syria, Ukraine, Gaza, it's really, in reality, it's hell on earth. So how can we bring a higher frequency into those places and transmute that energy and really create alchemy to bring in a new earth that we all talk about and dream of?
[00:09:07] Speaker B: Absolutely. So what were some of the transformations? Did you see? I mean, youre bringing your love, your care.
People are suffering. Are there similarities you see in these different countries, Gaza, Ukraine, Syria, on. Obviously, the suffering is similar, but about peoples resilience or the light, how are you able to bring the light and the living there?
[00:09:33] Speaker A: Absolutely. Yeah. I think the similarity that I see everywhere is that when there are difficulties or when there's trauma or when a war happens or a disaster happens, it's actually the catalyst to bringing about the greatest shift and change. Like Ukraine, before the war, was very divided. Now after the war, they're extremely unified. And when I go into a place like Gaza, you know, the people are so much stronger and more resilient now. And despite the conditions, they're still finding a way to smile. They're still inviting us into their tents to have tea. You know, I think just showing up and providing food, which is what we do, that's the surface level. But just showing that you love someone and care for someone, that actually creates a spark that I can't even explain. It goes beyond my awareness. I don't know fully what it's doing. I just know that when we connect with these people, it forms bridges instead of builds walls.
[00:10:41] Speaker B: Yeah, that's beautifully said. That's what I was hoping for. And we don't see that initially on tv, but the hardest is there and they're left with nothing but that, you know, or it's a choice. Wherever we are, do we keep loving or do we devolve into more bitterness and hate? No matter what's going on, and I'm glad you're there to help spark more of the heart.
[00:11:09] Speaker A: And thank you.
[00:11:10] Speaker B: How do you see the children? I mean, obviously they're not going to school or maybe they're studying in their tents. Do they play?
What do you see happening with the children in these areas?
[00:11:26] Speaker A: Yeah, actually, the children have, I would say, inspired me the most out of wherever I go. There's two situations. One was in Gaza when I was staying in Rafa. Right now, Rafa has been invaded, so our team has had to withdraw. But I was staying in Rafa and there were explosions going on every day that were shaking our windows. And, you know, there was kind of chaos going on around the village. But then what I saw outside of our house shocked me. There was kids that had set up with debris from fallen buildings. They had made a volleyball court, and they were playing volleyball. All the kids in the local community, while there's, you know, drones flying overhead and bombs dropping, you know, where I'm standing on the roof looking down, and I was just in awe. And I thought about it and I said, you know, that's the way that they can create some sense of normalcy. You have to, in the face of that darkness, the most powerful thing you can do is maintain your light and not live in a state of fear, because that's what those darker forces are, that darkness. It wants you to live in fear. And when you overcome that fear and you transcend that fear, then the darkness has no power over you, in a way. And in Ukraine, there was a similar situation. The kids, a lot of the kids had to go into bunkers to do their schooling, but they're still singing songs. They're still playing, and they're aware of the war that's going on at, you know, some of them ten years old, twelve years old. And I'm just thinking, I can't even imagine to be, you know, subject, you know, subjected to that at that age. But they're aware of it and they understand what's going on and they're facing it, and they're excited to go to class, to go to school to learn, because they want to serve their people.
And it was the most amazing thing to see, to see that children can actually face these things and be strong through it all.
[00:13:51] Speaker B: Yeah. That resilience. So that gives hope that they will be able to overcome the trauma when the war ends.
Something, some light, can sustain them. Their creative potential, you see, that shines through, you know?
[00:14:07] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:14:08] Speaker B: This reminds me of the work you've done in the United States on education. You have a passion for that, too. You talk about the importance of play in child development, and you have a new documentary called the Death of Recess and why recess in play is so important. Do you see any similarities? Has your experience in the war zones helped inform that?
[00:14:35] Speaker A: Absolutely. I think one of my favorite quotes is from Aristotle, and that is, the fate of empires rests on the education of youth.
And when I'm in Ukraine, I'm seeing hundreds of schools that are destroyed. Same with Gaza. I got to go into the last standing university in Gaza and interview the head of the university and speak to them and all the other schools. I mean, hundreds and hundreds of schools are completely leveled and destroyed. So that's a physical destruction. But then in a lot of places in western worlds, our schools can be destroyed by divisive ideas or belief systems. And, you know, we're seeing so much fighting and division in our schools, so it's being destroyed in a different type of way.
[00:15:22] Speaker B: Right.
[00:15:24] Speaker A: But what I see in western cultures now, which has kind of led me into my documentaries, that we have gotten so entrenched into this standardization and testing, and all across America, we actually pulled back on allowing our kids to play. And we're one of the only countries in the world that have done it where the nationwide amount of recess now that we have in the country is only 20 minutes, and kids are locked in the schools just taking tests, memorizing, and we're trying to force all these brilliant, genius kids down a funnel, and it's not working. It's really having very destructive consequences. So I guess I see that playing out in the world where if we're going to destroy schools or if we're going to force kids into oppressive systems, it doesn't matter. The fate of our empire rests on how. How are we going to educate these children?
[00:16:26] Speaker B: Well, it's so beautiful that you have actually stepped into putting your care and your love into action and demonstrating it both later through filmmaking and the documentary and actually on the ground in these war torn areas. I also really respected your saying on another post that we all came to the earth classroom at this time in history for a reason. How did you realize this? What made you aware of that?
[00:17:01] Speaker A: Well, I realized that through the work I was doing, honestly, in Ukraine, because that's where I really had to face my fear of death.
And when I went into Avdivka, I slept in a bunker underneath a building, and there was an artillery battle happening over me. I could hear the artillery shells whistling in the air. And that led to going into Bakmoud and many other villages along the eastern front lines. And I had to be honest, I had to face my fear of death. I had to accept death, and I had to accept and be comfortable with, am I willing to do what I'm willing to die doing what I'm doing right now? Because it's a very real possibility, and I have to come to peace with that. And I did come to peace with that. And I did say, I'm willing to die for this cause. And when I accepted that, when I accepted my fear of death and I let that go, that's really where I kind of understood that death is just a doorway. It's another doorway that we walk into. It's not the end. And once you have that realization, then you kind of understand. Well, then life is not just this experience, that there's something more to it, and there was something before this. So I feel we are spiritual beings and we're having a physical experience, and we're conditioned to fear. We're conditioned to get kind of stuck in a certain state of consciousness. But when we break out of that, that's when we can really understand why we came here in the first place, and we can activate our, you know, our dharma or our life's purpose, our life's work. And I believe that we all did come here for a reason. I didn't realize that reason until I was about, you know, 29, 28, and there was a process of awakening. So we're all going through a different journey and process. But once you realize why you came here, it's the most powerful moment in your life, I feel it can be one of the most powerful moments. And you can really get clear on why you came here and step up and serve because there's such a great need to serve.
[00:19:25] Speaker B: Well, that's amazing that you said 29, 30 years old. There's people 60, 70 who haven't had that awakening yet. But the younger generations I meet, so many who are waking up, there's actually a global heart awakening of all ages.
But when people realize we're here at this time in history, this is certainly my realization to energize a collective heart awakening to help shift this trajectory that the planet looks like it's on, of separation and hate with the transformative power of love and putting that love into action, that love and kindness is just contagious. It just does so much, even in war zones or especially there. And I think that is calling for us to really end suffering by better understanding each other's needs and concerns. Deeper listening with care when you deeply listen to the people in the war zones, what do you hear? What do they say?
[00:20:35] Speaker A: Peace.
They want peace.
Everyone wants peace, every single place I go.
And they all just want to feel loved and feel supported. At the end of the day, when you really get down to the core of things, it's the people that are waging these wars are not the people that are suffering. The people that are suffering are just stuck in it.
[00:21:09] Speaker B: Right?
[00:21:10] Speaker A: And I think that that's a realization, you know, about this time that we live in. There are oppressive, old, outdated paradigms, old, outdated systems, and we can either be passive and just kind of accept, well, that is just the way it is, or we can step up and take some action, and through love, we can refuse, we can say no. And I think that that's the beauty of the time. Why we all came to be here is we all came to say no to these systems and to create something new.
[00:21:43] Speaker B: Yeah, I totally agree. The Carmath Institute puts out with the global coherence initiative that sponsors a care focus that people can all do together once a month or especially around the full moon. And the theme right now is putting love into action. And people are waking up all over the world. They don't all have the calling to go into the war zones like you. I really admire that. But they're realizing that the warmth of kindness, compassionate care, deep listening, forgiveness, that's what we all need to cultivate an inclusive love that respects cultural and personal differences. And one thing that Heartmath founder Doc Childer, he said is if even a small percentage of us can commit to practicing compassionate understanding in our workplaces, with our families, friends, in life, wherever we are, that the heart can go viral across the planet. We really need to help love go viral, to be the antivirus to all this hate and separation and the serious drought from the lack of heart energy.
So I love, that's one reason I wanted you to be my podcast guest. Because as we sit here at heart math, it's time for love to hit the street. And that's certainly what you're doing.
[00:23:09] Speaker A: Thank you. Yeah. I would encourage everyone to take action through love and not be a passive consumer of what's being fed on our media channels or even on social media. It's how can we take action? It doesn't have to be in a war zone. It can be in a local community. It can be just going and listening to somebody that maybe is living on the streets or just volunteering your time at an organization that you feel called to. Whatever it is, it doesn't matter how big or small that is. We're all equal. And we all, when we contribute, we contribute to that shift. And it can be done in so many beautiful, creative, unique ways.
[00:23:57] Speaker B: Absolutely. And even if we can't go anywhere, one of the key easy ways to put love into action in our personal life is to practice going back to the heart when we get triggered or feel stressed and really practicing heart qualities, interweaving qualities of the heart in our interactions, like love, care, kindness, appreciation, compassion. But intentionally doing that, because as the research is showing, those heart qualities help create a resonant connection. They help dissolve fear and insecurity. They help really create that transformative power of the heart. And most of us know that love is the missing piece in our own lives. If there's something empty, but also in our interactions, we have to break the inertia and step into it by really practicing love and what we find. If people just start with practicing those heart qualities, then you start getting your own intuitive promptings and guidance of where else you could practice love. Like Spencer saying, whether it's visiting somebody who is in need or helping a homeless person or a food shelter, you know, there's so many ways but you listening to your heart's guidance. But I do believe it starts with our own practice of replacing judgment and anger and frustration with compassion, latitude, care, kindness. Those heart qualities that create coherence between our heart and brain and each other and bring in new solutions to our problems.
[00:25:45] Speaker A: I completely agree.
[00:25:46] Speaker B: Well, we were coming towards the closing part of our wonderful time together and I just again, so appreciate and honor what you're doing. We'll go into a heart meditation in a moment. But are you planning any more trips to warzone areas or what are your plans now?
[00:26:08] Speaker A: Yeah, right now I'm about to release the death of recess. So that's. I'm going to tour the film around a little bit and kind of shift efforts towards education right now. And then I'll be returning. And my mission when I return to Ukraine, to Gaza, to a lot of these areas, Syria. I've already been working with different people on the ground to help build some schools and to help bring some of this curriculum and notion, you know, Mimi and Noelle and bringing heart math into some of these areas and helping them deal with that trauma, helping them really be a part of this new generation of change.
[00:26:53] Speaker B: Well, thank you so much for that. The children are. I started my inspiration, my path in my twenties, writing the book meditation with children. It was the first book of that sort that came out because I knew that I wished I'd learned how to do that when I was little. The art of concentration and centering. And I wanted children to have that. And it's so important that we give children tools to be able to manage their energies, get centered and really know how to handle their emotions. And I'm just grateful you're going to be doing that.
So let us do a heart meditation on putting love into action at center in the heart and breathe love and appreciation.
This warms our heart and increases coherence in our hearts intention.
Breathe easily and imagine with each breath that your mind, emotions and body are becoming still inside.
This helps with focus.
Now visualize more of humanity connecting with their heart's love with kindness. Compassion, respect and other heart qualities in their interactions to reduce separation and draw in new solutions that serve the greater whole.
As more of the collective heart awakens. This can eventually transform the civil unrest and wars from separation and clear the way for people to get along with each other, a first step toward creating a better and more harmonious world.
Now let's radiate our inclusive love and compassion to all who are suffering throughout the planet from wars, famine and many other hardships.
Let's remember to send our focused care and compassion to help ease suffering in Gaza, Israel, Ukraine, Darfur, Syria, Haiti and wherever your heart's intuitive guidance prompts you to send and radiate your love into the energetic field. It does make a difference even if you can't go there.
Now lets close by radiating and co creating a reservoir of compassionate heart energy that each of us can tap into over the next month when we feel stressed or want more clarity from our hearts intuitive guidance.
That reservoir is real whenever we need that support, wherever we are on this planet.
Spencer, is there anything else youd like to share with our listeners?
[00:31:49] Speaker A: I would share my favorite quote from Gandhi which was be the change, be the change the world needs.
[00:31:57] Speaker B: So simple, so clear. But it takes commitment to actually do that, to take that love to the street, you know, as a free gift to our listeners, I want to remind you all that you can watch the heartmath experience, an online video course which has five techniques and interactive experiences for you to be able to get clear on your next level of taking love to the street, whatever that may be. Or check out the amazing new Heartmath app where you can measure your coherence and train yourself into more coherence and synchronization and go to your local app store. It's there.
So I want to remind everyone that the third Tuesday of each month we publish a new episode of the Adheart podcast. So be sure to subscribe so you don't miss our next guest and topic. And thank you again so much Spencer. Just such an honor to have you here.
[00:33:05] Speaker A: Thanks Tom.
[00:33:06] Speaker B: It's an honor to be here everyone. Lots of love and take care.
[00:33:12] Speaker C: Thank you for listening to the ad Heart podcast. Be sure to subscribe so you can catch the latest episodes. If you're wanting even more heart inspired content, find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn. Look for heartmath and also the Heartmath Institute. Both organizations are committed to helping activate the heart of humanity.
