In these dark times with the atrocities of war flooding onto our television sets and into our havens, I am as confused and sad as most of you are.
My heart breaks with every child rushed into a crumbling hospital and then breaks even more when life leaves a little body.
I do not claim to know enough about the conflict in the Middle East. I know a little and am researching it more and more. So perhaps I have no right to voice an opinion. But what I do know is that innocent children on both sides, have died and are dying every few minutes. Innocent men and women too. I don’t even want to think about the animals. And like most of us, I am horrified by the visuals. I am saddened by the heartlessness of many and gladdened by the open hearts of so many others. Just when I want to dive into the depths of despair over our human race, I see incredible bravery and acts of kindness that make me glad to be alive again.
Man’s inhumanity to man is an earworm at the moment. I see leaders of countries who disappoint me and others who shine a light and offer hope. As so many of us do, I swing between hopelessness and despair and then back to believing that we as a species still do have something to offer.
Prejudice leads us to fear the ‘others.’ Fear grows into hatred and this divides us into camps. The ‘others’ are then dehumanized and so the cycle continues. But what if we come to understand that we are all interconnected? We are one human race and we have one planet to live on. There isn’t another option … yet.
My friends do not fit neatly into one camp and never will. I offer my deepest condolences to you all for your losses at this time and grieve deeply with you. Please know that you are not alone in your tears. There are so many of us, all over the world, feeling the pain with you. I urge you too, to reach out and remind all your loved ones that they do have a place in your heart. We all need that, urgently.
We have both good and evil within us. Let’s dig deep and soften our hearts. Allow our kindness to surface. Be ready to embrace all of humanity because the world desperately needs us to.
From one human being to another, I offer you only my love.
