The level of violence in the United States and in the world was already much too high.
And then, there was this week.
It’s too much to bear.
Yet, we must go on.
But not with violence.
Not with vengeance.
We need to stop to reflect, to examine our problems as a society, to consider how to act with greater justice, mercy, peace, and love, to put the best solutions into practice, to uphold the dignity of each person and protect their safety.
We are all wounded, which makes us vulnerable.
Many want to repay violence with violence, but that is what has gotten us into our current untenable position.
The way of non-violence is not easy, but what has the way of violence gotten us?
I wish there was a way to magically draw us into harmonious communities, but there isn’t.
All I can do is look to my own thoughts and heart and keep them focused on positive change, not violence and vengeance.
And I can beg you to do the same.
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Reblogged this on ladyleemanila and commented:
I’m with you here, Joanne 🙂 on positive change ❤
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Thank you so much for the reblog and for the support. It takes all of us to work for positive change wherever we find ourselves.
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Excellent reminders, but I can’t help feel the ‘third coin in this bowl’ are the quite invisible people in positions of extreme power and privilege, who may or may not orchestrate certain events a. because they are fiscally and politically able, and b. to ensure we as a nation (or those in other ‘warring’ nations) never do some of the beautiful things you’ve suggested in your post. I suppose if this were true, your words and suggestions become even more important and timely.
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Thank you for your thoughts, K’lee. There are definitely those people in power, some invisible but others quite visible, who are heavily invested in the status quo or worse, who are always putting forth a narrative of us-versus-them, you’re for us or against us. It takes a lot of people to move a country, although there are countries that do put human welfare first to serve as positive examples. For many of us, we may need to act on a more local level, such as our neighborhood or town.
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I absolutely agree local action is at the heart of a larger scale of change. There is undoubtedly a massive shift in global consciousness happening as we type/speak. We in many ways, have this marvelous technology; capable of transfering our images, words, and thoughts in the blink of an eye. Here’s hoping more people come to use it to create potent, powerful communities, not destroy them.
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Definitely!
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Reblogged this on Just Fooling Around With Bee or The Bee Writes… and commented:
No comment needed!
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Thank you for the reblog, Bee!
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Clearly the world needs more kindness, love and less hate and fear and guns. The sniper event in Dallas, while awful, is not all that surprising to me, however. I was wondering when someone (lone gunman or other) was going to fight back against the police for the seemingly endless stream of murders of black men and boys.
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I think what is most strange to me about it happening in Dallas is that the police force there seemed to be working hard at being diverse and responsive to the community. They had been marching with the protesters and people were peacefully heading for home when the mayhem started. I would have been less surprised if the violence had happened in one of the communities that has recently suffered the loss of a black man or boy due to police.
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I’m sure they have been working hard to be diverse in Dallas, but that doesn’t make up for the vast indifference there seems to be towards the murders of so many innocents. A boiling point has been reached.
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Who can tell what will happen next – or where?
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True. Trying times we live in.
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