The view from my friend's hard earned PEACE |
Keeping The Peace, The
Colorado Shootings and Other Sunday Morning Musings
A few mornings
ago, when I first learned of the mass killings at a late night premier of new
movie, I was sitting and writing as I do each morning. On that morning though,
my daughter had miraculously gotten up early and was sitting across from me.
I read the
news, held my head in agony and then told her what had occurred. I looked up
and saw my own reflection as she mimicked the same gesture of extreme sadness.
“I hate when
these things happen,” she said somberly. I turned on the live feed and my
daughter politely asked me to turn it off. “I don’t want to hear it.” She said.
I could see
the pained grief in her eyes and I did as she requested. Then I asked a
question. “How is it then, that you and your siblings have dragged me to
zombie, vampire and chain saw massacre movies over the years?” I reminded her that
they always laughed at me when I cringed and covered my eyes to the graphic
violence in the movie.
Her only
answer was “That’s different; it’s not
real.”
What she and
most people don’t understand is that our exposure to violence really does
desensitize us to it.
That day, most people watched the news in
horror, commented on gun control or the need for harsher punishments but then
went about their business as if everything would just right itself.
Please take the
time to watch the documentary I AM where the question is posed, “What is wrong
with the world?” The answer comes back I AM. Then the film maker points out
that I AM is also the answer to the question of what is right with it.
We are the problem and we are also
the solution. What we cause, we can change. While you may argue that you had no hand in the
situation, I can point out that doing nothing is the problem.
Peace doesn’t just happen; you have
to work at it and then you have to work at it some more.
I live in a
beautiful and peaceful environment. It is incredibly clean and orderly. Without
being seen, my sister Chris moves about cleaning and organizing on a regular
basis. We all try to maintain what she has done, but she is diligent about
cleanliness. The floors don’t clean themselves and neither do the unseen areas
behind the appliances.
When people
come here they always comment on how remarkably clean it is and we all look at
Chris who quietly does her thing. Still, everyone in the house has to play
their part to help maintain the work she does.
I hope you
are feeling me. What I’m saying is this,
God, the government, society and the almighty “They” can only do so much to
make our lives work. We must meditate, pray, get up and work to improve our own
lives and the lives of others so that the world we live in may be better as a
result.
Within your
home and life there must be discipline and creativity. You need just enough
disorder to remind you to put things back in order.
If you want prayer in
school, teach your children to pray at home and when they go to school the
prayer will be there with them.
We are the problem and we are the
solution.
Just as I
told my daughter, I’m telling you now that the more we turn our backs on problems,
the greater those problems become.
“Do not fear your enemies. The worst they can do is kill you.
Do not fear your friends. At worst, they may betray you. Fear those who do not
care; they neither kill nor betray, but betrayal and murder exist because of
their silent consent.”---Bruno Jasienski
Be you, be well, be
better
Bertice Berry, PhD.
This is a great entry because it addresses not only the individual transformation, but also offers excellent insight into society transformation as well & also the subtle dangers of silence & omission.
ReplyDeleteYou highlight simple solutions that individually we have the power to recognize and meditate on. If we feel we don't have the power, or choose to stay silent, then, we need to work on developing that power and re-evaluate our individual choices. But it won't happen on its own.
This is where we individually can seek empowerment & then take action to work hard to use that power in a way to not just benefit ourselves, but others too. But it begins with honest recognition of where we may need help & humble acceptance of a solution that we must be willing to embrace. Your words encourage that nicely.
Thank You for the Journey & Transformational Blog.
May others truly benefit from the words you share. Warmly, j o h n