THE SONG OF PEACE We live in a world of great madness and breathtaking beauty. We are surrounded by a daily barrage of the hate and anger that has poisoned humankind for so long, and yet, shining out from the darkness is the decency that inspires us to love one another with kindness. Shadowed by our anger, love drives us to cherish and protect what truly matters, but in the fires of our tragedy can lead us to strike out with the pain of loss. Conflict after conflict has shown us the cycle of violence leads us back to the place where our hearts are broken by our own hands. There is a temptation to view our species as broken, and many religions reinforce this idea with messages of redemption and hope from a force outside ourselves. This misanthropic view of the world is not solely a religious one, however. Many non-religious individuals fall to the despair of a world seemingly lost in chaotic upheaval and self destruction. What we fail to see, and what studies are showing us is that our species has been getting more and more peaceful. The war and violence we see broadcast 24/7 in our media does not reflect the change that is occurring around the world at this moment. Within each of us resides the capacity for a better world. Hidden underneath the dogma of religion, and the anger we feel toward those still giving in to their lesser selves, there is a decency that can be found that transcends the killing fields of our tautological rage toward past atrocities and the loss of those we love at the hands of human cruelty. We must strive for something higher than the same forces that continually drag us back into the primitive mindset of tribal and nationalistic warfare. Poet Alexander Pope once wrote that “To ere is human; to forgive divine.” I would change this to say that to err is human, but to forgive is also human. What we need to make this world a better place for our children has always been within us, not in some external force. Good and evil were never anything more than the success or failure of each one of us to brighten this world with our love and kindness, or darken it with ignorance and fear. The hope we seek is born every time a child cries out for the first time with a chance to teach the next generation these values of human decency, and the opportunity to show them the grace we grant to each other is reaped in a future where the anger and pain of suffering are met with open arms, and not in kind. The cycle can end with us, if we just believe in what has always been the dream of those who could not be heard above the deadly chorus of a battle hymn weve sung to each other for far too long. Discover your voice and drown the cries of anger and hate with a song of the love and beauty you want to see in this world by finding it in yourself. #gaza #peace #Israel
Posted on: Mon, 28 Jul 2014 00:20:54 +0000
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