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Primitive religion is not believed, it is danced!

Arthur Darby Nock

Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God;
And only he who sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.

Elizabeth Browning



Monday, March 20, 2017

The revealing power of power

Authority, power, and wealth do not change a man, they only reveal him.
                             Imman Ali
____________________________________________________________

I remember my mother say
That if I really wanted to know what a person was like
I should travel with them
To places far, places rough
Places strange

Adversity she noted
Reveals who we are

Nothing like diarrhea to put one to the test

But the opposite is also true
Success and privilege are equally revealing

Truth!

Those who grow up with power and privilege
Those, too often, who attain it
Are proven to be

All things small

Ruthless, judgmental,
People without compassion
Or generosity

We see it so clearly these days
As rich white men with power
Behave poorly

It is not that their ascendancy has ruined them
There was something twisted and sick
Something dark
Woven into their character

for we see those equally rich
equally powerful
who do not diminish, abuse
or judge

What makes the difference
Why can some deal with adversity
And why can others deal with privilege and affluence

While many can’t?

I think it all comes down to where the heart is
To whom, or what
Is the heart given?

To power?
To wealth?
To themselves (yes, it is possible)?

Or to the Sacred?
Which because it is Love
Changes everything

Priorities
Perspective
Behavior

Everything

If our heart is not set on God
Then both adversity
And success
Can destroy us

And we can destroy
Those around us

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