There is another element that must be present in our
struggle that then makes our resistance and nonviolence truly meaningful. That
element is reconciliation. Our ultimate end must be the creation of the beloved
community.
ML
King Jr. April 15, 1960, in Raleigh,
North Carolina
______________________________
In this time of division
My heart longs for community
In this time of anger and a thirst for retribution
My heart longs for community
In this time of Covid isolation
My heart years for community
a beloved community
a gathering
in whatever way we can gather
in person, on line, in the living rooms of our souls
a beloved community where
the truth is told (even if it is hard)
empathy is everywhere
compassion is offered freely
generosity is the norm
a beloved community where
resources are shared
people are lifted up
the vulnerable are protected
How did we get to this place where
“We're all islands shouting lies
to each other across seas of misunderstanding.” (Rudyard
Kipling, The Light That Failed)?
How did we get to this place where
lies abound
and resentment and retribution are a way of life?
I am a natural introvert who has
worked hard to embrace extroversion
I like my books more than most people
and that saddens me
and yet when I do not have ‘my people” around me
when I do not get those moments of interaction
and am left
alone
I learn what the problem is
it is an inner emptiness
and aching emptiness that makes me feel
vulnerable
as if the trials of the world
will crush me
as if all those troubles will be too much
and I will implode
as if the weight of love
will be too much for me to endure
and so I distance
so much distancing
sometimes we distance quietly,
sometimes we distance aggressively
angrily
however it happens, it happens
and with the distancing comes pain
as we reject and exclude and wound
this morning I look out my window and watch
the sun rise, turning the haze a brilliant orange
and then, pushing harder into the sky
yellow
bringing light to the earth, illuminating
and I know
my heart cries out
telling me
that we must find a way back together
we must return to those deep places within ourselves
where God lives
we must journey inward
and then journey outward
carrying Sacred Love with us
as an offering
and we must find a way back into community
after this coming election
if we merely exchange one power for another
but remain divided
full of anger, thirsting for retribution
“now it is our turn”
(as happened the last election)
we will not find community
we will not find prosperity (no matter what the stock
market does)
we will not find peace
we will not find hope
we will not find love
and what the world needs now
is love
No comments:
Post a Comment