Singing With One Voice
Lately I’ve turned on the news to see more evil than good in the world. It sucks us all into a place of despair.
Grief and pain are not easy to witness, and to be honest, they cause us to question the why of it all. And so, this last week’s therapy sessions were filled with checking in with clients about how they were being affected by the needless violence occurring in the USA. How can we not cry? How can we not feel the sorrow deep in our souls?
A minister friend of mine announced on Facebook that she would hold a service so that people could gather in community on Saturday. If I were in the US, I would attend so that I could offer support to those in need. I’m here, and a good seven hours ahead, so I’ll be sleeping. I think I’ll pass on words of support anyway.
I can’t turn away from this sadness.
What do you do when the sadness becomes so intense, and the violence becomes something that we can’t ignore?
I used to swing a sledgehammer when I was younger: I put it down in exchange for a better way of resolving issues. That way is peaceful thought.
The older I get, the less I want to be reactive, and the more I’ve healed from the action on the battlement, the more my world view changes. It isn’t that I don’t want to see change: it is that I realize that I’ve screamed at enough people to know that screaming won’t fix it, and some people can’t stand conflict.
Conflict is a reality of life. Conflict pushes us into harsh realizations that change must happen in order for us to move forward. Conflict asks us to become honest with ourselves, and others. Honesty moves us forward to new understandings. Once we know a better way, we are required to follow where it leads us. To not follow it is as if we fail ourselves.
When I put the sledgie down, I didn’t turn away from the part of me that wanted to see change. I discovered that I could do things in a gentler manner. It hasn’t been easy, and I’ve messed things up more than once. Peace isn’t easy. Peace is one of the hardest things we work for, and as mentioned above: peace is not the absence of conflict. If we do it right, the hard conversations bring change and growth for everyone.
Here I sit, getting this out so that it will get posted. What’s to be done with disagreement? Ultimately, we all need to end the rhetoric, put down our words of criticism, and find the words of strength and agreement in each other.
We’ve all suffered the damage caused by the unrest in this world. We’ve all suffered the pain of loss in some form. Isn’t it time we each put down our sledgehammers, open out ears, and listen more than we speak?
I’m not wanting to recite the violence in the world that is happening right now.
I’m wanting to recognize that peace begins in our own homes and neighbourhoods. It spreads from there. Put down your sledgehammer and stop the violence with words and acts of understanding. The politicians and warriors might not get this, but you and I can! Let there be peace on this earth, and let it begin with an act of listening. This song says it well.
Let’s sing with one voice.
