While waiting for a prescription to be filled at the Atlanta Area Veterans Administration Medical Center in Decatur, Georgia, today, I was showered and in a way assaulted by the swarming barrage of information, opinions, commentary, debate and out-and-out passion about a situation in Kentucky . . . another in Hungary . . . and sad news about a murder in Chicago.
Many people have commented on the effects of watching any of the 24/7 news channels these days. some of us probably know more about what is happening halfway around the world than we do about our next door neighbors.
Even though I lived most of seventeen years in and around the District of Columbia (AKA "Washington, D.C.; AKA "The District") and was always in the midst of anything from a small trickle to a roiling inundating flood stage river of political activity and commentary; marches and gatherings and other events for a myriad of competing causes; the ebb and flow of tourists from all over our nation and from all over the world; and the swells and bursts of huge numbers of students, faculty and staff members of higher (and lower) educational institutions.
While riding the Washington, D.C. Metro system trains and buses; walking among the government buildings, monuments, memorials and museums of that fair city; while driving or riding through the curves of roads following rock Creek and its tributaries; while strolling, hiking and/or riding (bikes, trikes, horses). . . or kayaking . . . or canoeing along or in the midst of the Potomac River the Shenandoah River; Bull Run; the C&O Canal; the Anacostia River; the George Washington Parkway; the Sligo Creek Parkway; the Basin; the Chesapeake Bay; the Eastern Shore; the Western Shore; Skyline Drive; and/or many other beautiful parks, places, waterways, mountains, mountain passes and lakes one can see people dressed in many sorts of costumes.
They come with every shade of skin-tone on the good green earth; hear many many languages spoken and observe in person; through the news from one media source or another; by word of mouth over a meal; in a place of worship or during the gathering of a club or an organization; while playing chess or checkers in a park with a beautiful fountain in its midst as people go by walking, skateboarding, skating; with strollers; in wheel chairs; with baby buggies; on pogo sticks; on stilts; on swift scooters . . . with all their limbs, with their sight; with some or none of their limbs; blind . . . and they are of all ages from the womb to the grave.
So the question is, again . . . "Why are we so hateful and/or impatient; and exclusive and/or greedy; and intolerant and/or prejudiced and bigoted . . . angry, nasty, argumentative; all 'my-way-or-the-highway' . . . when the ideals we profess and want for ourselves cannot be made manifest when people think and act in a way that denies other people exactly what we most want for our selves, our families and our communities . . . not to mention our nation?"
Let's please work harder at respecting, honoring, cherishing, working toward understanding, tolerance, mercy, kindness and love in action.
Okay?
Please.
Let's.
(In the Name of the Mystery of Love in whatever way love, caring, nurture, justice, peacefulness, kindness, mercy, grace and joy is expressed actively wherever people live, In my case that is expressed by "The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. But I respect what you profess and believe as long as gentleness, kindness, blessing, love, joy, righteousness, justice, peace, liberty, equality, sharing and caring are manifested through what you profess to believe.)
One of my grandsons writes a lot of sentences to guide him in how he is expected to behave and to treat other people and the latest one I noticed him writing had something to do with treating others the way he wants to be treated. Probably almost none of us does that all the time.
We're only human and as Huey Lewis sings, "we're supposed to make mistakes." But the more we try and keep trying; the more we raise our children and grandchildren to honor and respect themselves; their family members; their neighbors; their teachers and schoolmates and others who serve them every day; (and you get the idea) . . . everyone they meet and know . . . the better life will be for us all.
Why do we end up going through the same trials and tribulation with people who use violence and the threat of violence to oppress and control and threaten people instead of all pf us working together to make sure that others have the opportunities to have all "the blessings of liberty" that we want for our selves and our family members?
It's gotten old.
Enough is enough.
Violence and the threat of violence do not ensure anything except death, chaos and impoverishment.
Peace has to start in each person's heart and can never be guaranteed by weapons.
Unless the swords are indeed "beaten into plowshares" and the shields "turned into pruning hooks" even more people will be murdered, maimed, made homeless, starved; terrorized, kidnapped, enslaved; raped, massacred, oppressed.
Enough is way too much.
We stop all of that by starting with our family members . . . our neighbors . . . the citizens of our rural areas . . . our villages, towns, townships, counties . . . our states and our nation.
We don't have to get the government or organizations to do it. We can do it. one by one. One person being helped. One family given more opportunities; one neighborhood made safe with people who have opportunities to learn; to work; to start businesses and schools and clubs and organizations.
We can do this with the help of the Goodness of Love in our hearts and souls.
We can.
All we need is the will to do what we can do for one another because we are all in this together.
