The day began with sunlight on the woods full of green, and the chickadee parents flitting back and forth to feed their little ones. It is quiet here, and all that we need, in the truest sense of the word, we have.
There are other places and people who suffer. There are many who are hungry, who are bleeding, who are afraid. There are injustices at every turn. We each suffer our own, and yet, there are always those in greater need, always those who remind us to complain not. The burden of bliss is that our own joy is does not necessarily birth the joy for others.
Our birthright, as human beings, is that we are called to be accountable to and for one another. Our greatest blessing and most important task on this earth is to love. The Good Book says… without love we are nothing. And how do we know this is true? We know because the lack of love perpetuates the ongoing cycles of destruction. Children who are not loved as children should be loved grow into adults who wreak havoc on themselves and those whom they love. Over and over again, we are witness to this. And what of those who have known holy love, yet something within them blocks the positive effects of such? Many illnesses prevent the wellness and indeed wholeness of the mind, body, and spirit. Have we yet to fully understand this? Are we not yet interested in seeking underlying truths that could beget less violence and more love?
I shall not celebrate nor call it victory when even the most lost of souls is killed. I will mourn. I will mourn the fact that when this terrorist dies, he dies a death at our own hand and by our own choosing. We choose over and over again to ignore what needs tending. We choose to prioritize wealth, competition, and ambition over relationships… deep, meaningful relationships. What happens when the one who feels invisible is seen? What happens when the one fighting on the playground finds a gentle arm around those inner wounds? What happens when the poor, the hungry, the abused, the marginalized are no longer service projects but our friends, our family? What happens when those who cause the greatest injury are viewed not as the ones to get rid of but as our greatest teachers?
Are there set answers? I’m not sure. It’s easy for me to speak of peace as I live in peace. It’s easy for me to love as I have been loved. It’s easy for me to feel sad for this recent death as I have not been in mourning for ten years. And yet, I somehow feel that the world would be a step closer towards peace if we bowed our heads today, reached out to someone who angers or hurts us, and offered our most authentic love in ways that can be felt and understood. We don’t have to travel great distances or have lots of money in order to evoke the small, powerful changes we all pray will occur. There is someone very close to each of us who could use our love. Let this day be the day to begin. Love, love in the purest sense, in the most holy of intentions, grows pure, holy love. It’s all we’ve got, really. And it’s really what we need.
There are other places and people who suffer. There are many who are hungry, who are bleeding, who are afraid. There are injustices at every turn. We each suffer our own, and yet, there are always those in greater need, always those who remind us to complain not. The burden of bliss is that our own joy is does not necessarily birth the joy for others.
Our birthright, as human beings, is that we are called to be accountable to and for one another. Our greatest blessing and most important task on this earth is to love. The Good Book says… without love we are nothing. And how do we know this is true? We know because the lack of love perpetuates the ongoing cycles of destruction. Children who are not loved as children should be loved grow into adults who wreak havoc on themselves and those whom they love. Over and over again, we are witness to this. And what of those who have known holy love, yet something within them blocks the positive effects of such? Many illnesses prevent the wellness and indeed wholeness of the mind, body, and spirit. Have we yet to fully understand this? Are we not yet interested in seeking underlying truths that could beget less violence and more love?
I shall not celebrate nor call it victory when even the most lost of souls is killed. I will mourn. I will mourn the fact that when this terrorist dies, he dies a death at our own hand and by our own choosing. We choose over and over again to ignore what needs tending. We choose to prioritize wealth, competition, and ambition over relationships… deep, meaningful relationships. What happens when the one who feels invisible is seen? What happens when the one fighting on the playground finds a gentle arm around those inner wounds? What happens when the poor, the hungry, the abused, the marginalized are no longer service projects but our friends, our family? What happens when those who cause the greatest injury are viewed not as the ones to get rid of but as our greatest teachers?
Are there set answers? I’m not sure. It’s easy for me to speak of peace as I live in peace. It’s easy for me to love as I have been loved. It’s easy for me to feel sad for this recent death as I have not been in mourning for ten years. And yet, I somehow feel that the world would be a step closer towards peace if we bowed our heads today, reached out to someone who angers or hurts us, and offered our most authentic love in ways that can be felt and understood. We don’t have to travel great distances or have lots of money in order to evoke the small, powerful changes we all pray will occur. There is someone very close to each of us who could use our love. Let this day be the day to begin. Love, love in the purest sense, in the most holy of intentions, grows pure, holy love. It’s all we’ve got, really. And it’s really what we need.
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