Open your eyes

An ethical and moral life is about letting go of indifference and learning how to see…

 

When the Zulu people greet each other they say Sawubona, which actually translates not to “I see you” but to “WE see you”…

One response is Sihkona – “I am here; I exist.”  Another response is Yebo, sawubona – “I see you seeing me.”  Being seen and seeing becomes a contract, a covenant.

 

In order to live a moral life, a good life, an ubuntu life, we must commit to a life of love that means seeing all the things.  See your neighbor suffering and do something about it.  See a stranger laboring under a heavy load and help out.  See lies spoken and shared in Social media and call foul.  See a friend soaring and say, “I see you beautiful creature!” and build their self-love tank.  Love doesn’t pretend, love keeps it real.

          Jacqui Lewis (Fierce Love pp. 209-212)

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I see you

I see you, as you see your vote taken away

I see you, as you are treated as “less” because of the color of your skin

I see you, as you deal with a history of repression and genocide

and mourn lands lost to white greed.

I see you, as you agonize over the death of the planet

I see you, as you lose control over your own body

 

I see you, as fearful and angry you grasp for power

I see you, as you find that no amount of wealth is ever enough

I see you, as liars plant seeds of fear in your heart

I see you, as your old comfortable privileges are challenged

 

I see you, as you struggle with cancer

As depression or anxiety haunt every breath

I see you, as you struggle for breath and COPD claims your vitality

I see you, as your marriage crumbles

 

There is so much pain in this world

I see it

I cannot help myself

It is there, crying out

Asking for compassion, kindness

Asking for honesty

Asking for healing

 

Because I see,

Sometimes I pray

Sometimes I give

Sometimes I speak out

Sometimes I am silent

Sometimes I feel compassion

And sometimes anger

 

I am helpful sometimes

Sometimes I am not

Sometimes I make things worse

Sometimes, I hope, I make things better

 

Not just for myself

But for the planet

And for that person I see

 

May God/Love guide my seeing

May I see the child of God in the person

who is struggling and wounded

May I see the child of God in the one who is grasping,

in the person who out of anger and fear

is causing harm.

May I see not just the pain

But the possibilities

The beauty

The hope

 

Seeing demands action

May God, may love,

Guide my actions

 

May I be a force for love

A force for healing

May I be a voice crying in the wilderness

For justice and equity

 

Lord, help me to see

And Spirit-led, do something about what I see