Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Today, Peace, and a Prayer


Today. That is what I have. Today. I've got this ongoing never ending hacking cough that is my curse for this lifetime. Chronic bronchitis exacerbated by asthma and it makes me weary. Still I'm blest. I've got a mind and the capacity to sit up and share and live on, chronic or not.

Today. That is what I have. Today. Out to the back Lucy and I went. She sniffed around a bit, did her business, and then found a good spot in the sun to recline. I harvested a few more zucchini, then gave the plants a bit of water before coming back up. Tonight we eat the rest of a tasty pasta dish I made with homemade zucchini sauce, meat, and my own blend of seasonings. It's good enough to eat twice without qualms.

Today. That is what I have. Today. I feel alarmed. Our nation is reaching new levels of division and hatred. Melissa Harris Lacewell shares some racist mail she received. Town halls turning into shouting sessions rather than reasoned discourse. It also makes me sad. How can we harbor such racism and anger? It's beyond me. Do we find ways to confront the disruptors so that reasoned discourse can take place? Germany did not and the result was, well you get my drift.

Today. That is what I have. Today. What part do I play in division? How can I better strive for open ended listening and a willingness to hear that other viewpoint, especially when different from my own. I don't have to agree. But there does seem to be an obligation to listen as well as to give.

Today is a day to strive for peace. As much as I wish I could, those other things fall outside my control. Oh I can confront racism and bigotry, I participate in the larger society, but for that person who is led to simply disrupt, to hate. I have no power over their decision.

There is a Christian hymn I dearly love. Or at least one line of it.

"Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me."

Perhaps becoming the peace I desire is the most evangelical action I can take. It's never easy to do when all the external pressures are there. The concern, the health issues, the voices of no screaming in my ears from all directions. But our world does not exist in a vacuum. Buddha did not teach in a tranquil world, Jesus lived in truly tumultuous times. So it must be in the search for peace.

Today. That is what I have. Today.

A friend who works in a prison ministry came across this poem. It is a version of the Dayenu, a Passover piece. I don't have an attribution for it, but it reflects my mood today:

IT WOULD BE ENOUGH
If morning will come and discover us
If the heart will fill up again, it is enough for us
If, in the warm sun, wheat fields will ripen
If we break our hunger and thirst
It is enough for us

And if a bit of compassion still remains
And we have a reason to be happy
It is enough for us
It is enough for us enough, enough
It is enough for us enough, enough
If we say a good word, that will overwrite the hatred
If we will know a bit of peace of mind
It is enough for us
If we still find love, if we will vow again
If we feel that hope is not lost
It is enough for us
And if a bit of compassion still remains
And we have a reason to be happy
And if the next generation will be happy
It is enough for us
And we will not ask for more
If we stand up and not be afraid
To extend our hand again
If we fulfil only one dream
It is enough for us
If we will solve the only riddle
If we see it is not a fairy tale
It is enough for us

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