Sometimes I'm certain that the Apocalypse is upon us. My chicken hawk president
and his compliant Congress want to send other folks' kids (but certainly not their
own) to Iraq to kill for peace. Somebody murdered people near D.C., and the capital
of the most heavily armed nation in the world was panic-stricken. The airwaves
are afloat with politicians declaring that they care about you and me, but few
of them seem authentic. Financial pundits are referring to the Enrons of the world
as just a few bad apples when it's obvious that the entire apple cart is rotten.
To protect our freedom from those who would destroy it, our government seems intent
on stripping us of personal liberty.
What then can we do to keep a level head and a loving heart in the midst of
all this disarray? What can we do to bring about a more compassionate, just and
safe world?
Sometimes the temptation is great to turn away, to proclaim there is nothing
that one person can do, to become cynical, to go into denial about the need to
do anything, to go back to sleep. But once we have awakened, is unconsciousness
ever really an option again?
Cynicism, denial and hopelessness are merely forms of victimhood, placing the
blame somewhere else for that which ails us. Let me suggest another way: radical
responsibility. Rather than blaming others, this path requires us to ask ourselves
at every challenge, "How did I help create this situation and what can I do to
resolve it?" Sometimes this is not easy, especially when we are certain that someone
else is fault. But doing so puts us, not others, in charge of our lives.
You, all of us, are here for a purpose. You have a mission to fulfill - to
discover your unique gifts and share them with those around you. You likely have
a vision for a better world, and when you fully live your purpose you help to
create that world. Some may call you an idealist or a dreamer; wear that title
with pride.
This is a time to surround yourself with those who nurture you, who understand
and respect your hopes and dreams. This is a time to be with those who support
you to walk your talk, to live your true values, not those advanced by our would-be
leaders and the media.
Remember that everything happens for a reason. Yet even so, you are not relieved
of your duty to do what can be done to alleviate the pain and agony of others.
And you have a responsibility to deal with your own distress. For while you cannot
control what life sends your way, you have complete control over how you will
respond to it. You can create suffering for yourself by sitting around wishing
things were other than they are; or you can do all that you can do and feel the
satisfaction of the results that you produce.
Imagine now that you have no concept of childbirth. Then imagine that you have
walked into a room in which a mother is in the midst of labor - with all the attendant
wailing, straining and gnashing of teeth. What would you think? What would your
first reaction be? Today we are participating in the birth of a new cultural paradigm.
Our world is in labor. And being a part of this chaotic and confusing process
can sometimes be scary, sometimes awe-inspiring. But have no doubt that an irreversible
trend is at hand - a movement toward greater love and respect for one another,
for all living things, for the entire earth. And, as always, we have a choice:
We can go kicking and screaming; or we can acknowledge ourselves for our role
in this creation and enjoy the ride.
Contact Bruce Mulkey via e-mail at brmulkey@charter.net
Copyrighted Bruce Mulkey, Asheville, North Carolina
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