In a world forever fraught with religious division, St. Thomas Aquinas of the Catholic faith once said, ‘How can we live in harmony? First we need to know we are all madly in love with the same God.”
St. Thomas words during the Christian Crusades as they were fighting to ‘take back’ Jerusalem from the Muslims, is obviously a relevant one. These 700+ years later people protest about the building of an Islamic Mosque on Ground Zero, a place where 2000 people, several hundred of them Muslim, died by the hands of those with twisted religious ideas. We watch, either irate or in numbness, having seen one too many wars, one too many protests on behalf of one too many religions. How can we ever learn to blend the lines of faith in peace and remain ever faithful?
Thomas of Aquinas had the Answer but like so many spiritually inspired, could not make happen the means by which to help others see it. His message is lost on ears and eyes that define God in terms of a religion rather than a universal Truth.
Then as it is now, in a pluralistic nation such as the U.S., the urgency remains to find the means to accomplish peace between our religious faiths while keeping intact a common thread of Love for the same God.
For all of us, from the east, west, north, south and of all nationalities, black, white, brown, yellow….I believe we can and someday will transcend the boundaries of our separateness through forgiveness. Obviously, I don’t pretend to reveal a new idea. It’s been the message of every true prophet since recorded history. What we collectively seem to lack is the understanding of HOW to do it, myself included.
On my own journey of trying to expand my own consciousness, I have found the value of something we don’t often talk of in American culture; learning to live in the Present Moment. It is the means by which forgiveness can occur and conquer even our darkest fears and pain. We all possess the capacity to find the Present Moment; a place where we agree to let go of the past and join it to the present and where the Present is free to extend itself into the future.
From this place of the Present, I watch from the fleeting faulted thing I call a body and know that our God is found in an awareness of Love in the Present Moment, illuminating our true Spirit as we leave our judgments of the past and fears of the future by the wayside. By a willingness to view the world from the Present Moment, we are granted a kind of perception based on acceptance rather than defense. A Course in Miracles, which claims no one religion itself, speaks to this kind of universal perception:
“The bible tells you to become as little children. Little children recognize that they do not understand what they perceive, and so they ask what it means. Do not make the mistake of believing that you understand what you perceive, for its meaning is lost to you. Yet the Holy Spirit has saved its meaning for you and if you will let Him interpret it, He will restore to you what you have thrown away.”
What we have thrown away is the ability to ask, rather than direct; to simply listen rather than assume we know the validity of the threats posed by life’s many obstacles.
In my own experience in finding this common thread, I see that God lives in that deliciously full moment where creation is aware of Itself and I realize with painful acceptance that all flaws are but a filter I put upon perfection just to keep my fear of joining with God and others intact and forgiveness an impossibility.
From this view point I see that this ‘conflict’ of building the Mosque is but a buried, inner fear of joining made manifest in the world outside of us. It occurs to me that the whole world can be used to separate, to anger, to keep us from those glimpses of Love, until we see through the eyes Love, which alone is able to forgive. And then, a whole new world could be born. Perhaps this is the ‘New Age’ of which so many of spoken of; one that will take another 2000 years to unfold.
If we are to rise above the battleground of our differences, someone must begin the seemingly impossible task of expressing the true message of all religions and stating it clearly; Love cannot be found by judgments made on past mistakes. It cannot be found by fearing the future will be like the past. It is found and lived in the Present Moment and all else we do and think is but a defense against that moment where nothing is judged as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ because there is no past or future with which to judge against. The building of the Mosque can be seen as benign as easily as it can be seen as an attack. It is our determination of what we want that makes it what it is. And in a nation that agrees on all religions being able to be expressed with equal emphasis, our determined goal has already been stated in our Constitution, collectively.
We have all risen above the battleground of hate and seen life through the eyes of Love even if only for moments and only if even a few times in our life. It takes very little of this little moment of pure Love to assure us that it is all we need to have Peace on earth. We need to begin to have this conversation with each other, and show examples of it to the world.
It did not take me long in looking for an example of this kind of acceptance of the Present Moment of God’s Love in our recent history and the unity it can create. I was reminded of the incident in 2006 at an Amish schoolhouse in Pennsylvania; the little sisters, 7 and 13 who, when held at gunpoint in their schoolhouse, asked to be the first to be killed, if he would allow their schoolmates to go free. He agreed and killed the 13 year old first, then shot the rest anyway. The 7 year old sister survived to tell the tale of her sister’s ability to stay above the fear by showing only faith in Love.
Like the crucifixion of Jesus, it is not their martyrdom that evokes a sense of sobering joy in me, but their lack of fear and abundance of trust in what the Present Moment was bringing them. Despite the terror, both sisters looked out from within hearts of love and faith and saw only Love and faith outside of them, without need of judgment upon the head of their assailant. Only one who is living in the Present, without any claims to their future, judgment on their killer, or a clinging to their past could be so able to trust in God’s Love being their savior, right here, right now.
Imagine the trust. Imagine the lack of fear, the purity of thought, the Present Love. Now, in the same vein of thought, imagine no religious boundaries keeping us from loving and trusting in the same God with those of another faith and even those who wish to murder us.
And there is another part of this story from which we can learn as well. The schoolhouse was of course, a scene of horrific images and memories. Surprisingly, this Amish community decided to let the place where it occurred grow into a non descript but lovely pasture much like most of their Dutch Pennsylvanian landscape. They found another spot for their children’s school. No marking, no statue, no plaque on the field where it happened. Such non-action is a silent symbol of Forgiveness, knowing all land was sacred land when forgiveness has blessed it.
Never in my lifetime had I seen such a display of perfect love and forgiveness; such perfect understanding of the need for being Present with Love as our guide and forgiveness being the only solution to leaving it behind.
“If you feel the Love of God within you, you will look out on a world of mercy and of Love”….A Course in Miracles. No example in our lifetime expressed the meaning of Mercy more clearly than this did for me.
In contrast to the example of the Amish, both which demand of us the seemingly impossible task of forgiveness, it seems to me the fear and anger displayed at putting a Mosque on Ground Zero is just another mask on the fear of joining. It also veers away from the intention of our forefathers to create a country based on separation of church and state in an effort to protect both state and church, one from the other. It seems to me to be a case of wanting to see division where unity could blossom, if only it were not in the hands of mankind but instead in the hands of those young girls.
If we are all honest, few of us are safe from the need to find division and we do not look for Love in the Present Moment, especially in horrifying situations that return again and again in a mind clouded by pain.
Deepak Chopra says it well in his recent book, “The Third Jesus,
“This is why love provides the perfect litmus test. Each of us begins with an awareness that love has failed in many ways. We know we don’t love our enemies; at times we doubt that we love our nearest and dearest as much as we should. We look around and see little evidence that God loves us in the redemptive way that Jesus says he does.”
It is easy to turn our backs on the Present Moment, finding reason to believe in something less perfect like holding another to their past mistakes, or doubt their motives or wishing things were different instead of accepting our present circumstances. On a larger scale, it has larger consequences when we don’t rise above it all. It’s not only easy to take the wider path, it’s part of the challenge of being human. But at some point, as we are watching our world remain stagnant and even possibly culminating in catastrophe due to religious differences, we must all be held accountable for the difference we must make, and the change in our own awareness that must occur for the world to change.
Deepak goes on to say, “Jesus’s teachings are truly learned only when you become the teaching. There is already something deeply instinctive about love in all of us. Yet innate as love may seem, we didn’t become love. We pick and choose whom to give our love to, but when the switch is turned off, we can be completely unloving. The lesson about divine love that Jesus taught is that love is so full of Grace, it leads to transformation; it changes a person’s whole being.”
The devotion to learning of the unconditional Love that the Amish girls were brought up with, served to bring them to that kind of transformation. It shows that when we dedicate and devote ourselves to this kind of understanding, no matter what religion one practices, we ‘become’ the practice. Repeating and practicing at a young age the simple creed of the Jewish faith, “The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’”” is another example of this practice of inner devotion to our shared Creator. And if we are atheist or agnostic, the understanding of a human connection that can help us to heal all wounds is the same because it is the power of Love.
The Present Moment is like a Love that humbles us in its Knowing. It can only be shared because it falls upon us all Now. The Present sees all and judges nothing. It alone has nothing to judge from. By this it erases all lines of color, culture, religion and region for those who wish to find It waiting. Those Amish girls went on the faith that God’s Love in that moment of their death was all there is, and by this, accepted their fate. By this faith they feared nothing.
Who can be the judge of another when the Present removes need of judgment? Its fairness lies in the Knowing that what is, is the way Home. Knowing this, who could throw the first stone?
Why can’t we real-eyes, the symbols of his Love, such as a Church, the Mosque or a little white school house can never be anything but symbols and the Present, when realized as the gift it is, can never hold anything but His Love.
As far as creating a memorial to the dead at 911, and holding it as ‘sacred’ ground, perhaps we can learn from something Jesus said to a follower when he asked for a leave of absence from their travels to bury a family member, 'Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:59-62
And like Jesus would also do, offer alms to those of the Muslim community as the Amish did for the widow of the gunman.
Although we may be far from the little girl’s kind of fearless faith, and certainly far from Jesus, we are just as far from realizing that the war waged by Osama bin Laden is taking place in our country when we begin to quarrel about this Mosque ~ just as he planned.
Certainly, what Osama bin Laden does not want is religious diversity and tolerance, for such a thing takes the power away from those who wish to use religious division against those of other faiths. Our acceptance and support of the Mosque would put a real damper on his zeal for conflict. The bond we share with the Muslims of having several hundred of their own children, husbands, wives, sisters and brothers die at Ground Zero is a bond that is not broken by the fear mongering tactics of the media in an attempt to separate rather than join.
This Mosque is but a symbol of Muslim faith, just as the Ground Zero is a symbol of the victims of religious division. It is not a symbol of the lives and love of the deceased; it is a symbol of their death. Neither symbol needs protecting, because neither one has any ‘real’ meaning.
Again, we would all be the wiser to look at what Jesus felt about paying attention to the purpose and intention rather than the effect or the symbol: “You blind fools! Which is greater, the gold, or the sanctuary that has made the gold sacred?” Matthew 25:17-22
Instead, we argue which Truth is True, when there is nothing true on earth but our ability to join in Love.
Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.” Matthew 5:43-45
Can you love in the past? Can you accept in the past? Can you forgive in the future? Then how can we live in this world of time and not real-eyes time’s purpose is used to argue or join, to keep us blind; or set us free? It can be used to condemn us or release us. We can use time for healing or for hatred made manifest. There are only two choices we seem to have. Yet there is only one Answer.
Jesus also taught of our need to stay Present.
“Take no heed for what to wear or what to eat. Tomorrow will take care of itself.” Matthew 6:34.
He knew the pathway to enlightenment and peace required us as individuals to hold no one to their sins of the past. If we are to truly live the life he knew, we are to forgive, no matter what.
“Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.” Matthew 18: 21-22
I know it’s unlikely we can move up to the consciousness of Jesus by a prayer or by some random article. But we can all begin by making an effort to remain Present with our understanding and compassion on our brothers and sisters and thereby see changes in our consciousness.
Only by doing so can we see that we have built walls from our judgments made in and by time, but the Present wipes away time and the need for judgment.
The Present Moment abandons both time and space and sees only now, for it has no measure with which to judge anyone by.
It does not take from your awareness of Love; it can only give because it extends what it is.
Evidenced by St. Thomas’s words, even those faithful to a chosen religion can teach that our God is not a Christian God, nor a Muslim God, nor a Buddhist or a Jewish God but all of our God. And no savior saves but some of mankind.
While we must remain vigilant for Love as Jesus was, we must stand up to deception and fear in the name of religion as he did, and agree to find common ground, as he did. The media in our country is purposely staying vigilant for division, not for common ground. The more divided we become, the easier it is to control and manipulate the public. Do not be deceived by the world. Be as Jesus was, ‘In the world but not ‘of’ the world.”
The common ground between us is not ‘ground zero’ or any place or religion or political party, but as the two Amish girls demonstrated, the common ground is the inner realization and expression of the fact that our brother is loved by the same God; murderer or saint. And in that we are humbled and joined.
Do not let the seeds of hatred grow where love and forgiveness could just as easily be sewn. Be a gentle reminder to others to keep their faith growing in the fertile soil of our Unity. Let the discernment of the universal Spirit we call the ‘Holy’ Spirit be our only Guide.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
The Forgiving Lesson at Virginia Tech
The horrific events of this week at Virginia Tech have made us all pause. Those of us who study the path of Reason found in A Course in Miracles, see it as but another reason to seek out this philosophy based on relinquishment of the world; or what is also known as the path of forgiveness. To a much larger extent than I ever dreamed possible, I have been freed from the emotional agony or state of confusion that often follows such events. I feel more able to find relative peace in a very conflicted world.
If you are a Course student, you know that the Course does not advocate having a plan for solving the problems of the world. It teaches that the only plan we need is one to heal our mind, for that is where the world really is. The Course tells us that there is no world out there. The only problem in the world is the belief in investment in it. This is because the world, as we learn in the Course, is the ego’s attempt to project our buried guilt outward. It is a place where we have chosen to hide from God due our belief that we separated from Him.
So, turning the other cheek as Jesus advocates, is the best way to find peace, because it is witness to the fact that you have begun to ‘forgive’ the world of illusions. All easier said, than done, for sure! This is why the message of the Course needs constant clarification….it is very hard to come to grips with this idea.
To accept the Atonement for ourselves, which is what the Course says is our only responsibility, is to forgive ourselves and others, and all we have projected out from our mind, into a world that then seems to witness to death and destruction. That means we do not worry if anyone else forgives or not, or lives a life worthy of sainthood or a life of murder! This can be extended to say that we also needn’t worry if we ourselves or loved ones are threatened by this sort of terror.
We who study the Course, do find ourselves believing we are at various levels of our present state of ability to forgive, and this example helps us to see the fallacy of this. The goal of the Course is to find Peace and to do so, we must remain in non judgment of all the world, and all events, as equally, unreal. An event like this, opens our eyes to see where we as Course students might still have a belief that there are SOME things we consider unforgivable. But to think this is to believe that God can be beaten, and we, the ego, have triumphed over Him. Evil won over Goodness.
Indeed, the world seems a place in which we need to choose between good and evil, wrong and right. But as Jesus says in the Course, there really is no choice if God is all powerful; how could there be? We only believe there is a choice. And this has led to a world in which see reasons to judge one another.
Can judgment lead to anything but finding sin? Can judgment heal? If you look always to the purpose of each thought, you will find you get what you sought for. If we look at the gunman at the college from a place of judgment, we see a reason to believe in sin. If we look at the victims from a place of judgment, we see a need to acknowledge who was more worthy to live, the criminal or the victim? elevating the deceased to a higher level in our mind than the criminal. Again, finding levels of ‘goodness’ and of worth.
THE TEMPTATION OF JUDGMENT
It is not uncommon for those who study this path of forgiveness to want to hold on to the choice that demands acknowledgment of wrong doing, repentance and judgment, because, most likely we’ve been taught to do so by our Christian faith. The Course, though claiming Jesus as its Teacher, teaches the opposite. Judgment and the need to repent keeps us from freedom and realizing our will and God’s are united.
It is easy to fall into the temptation of condemnation. It is easy to follow the footsteps of those leading the way in anger and the desire to publicly denounce terrorizing behavior, which of course, is not behavior that works in society, and no one in their right mind would disagree with that. What the Course says however, is that nothing works in society because nothing that the ego believes can be agreed upon! What is able to join, must be part of a whole to begin with. The ego is by definition, pieces independent from the whole.
It is obvious that it is not the judgment of behavior that leads us Home. It is only in the forgiveness of it that we are able to see no need for condemning, no need for anger or hatred.
In ‘The Lighthouse’, a newsletter from the Foundation for Inner Peace dedicated to the teachings of the Course, Kenneth Wapnick says this in regards looking at both the victim and those we perceive as inflicting the suffering:
“If we are sincere about helping those who suffer, we must be sure we are not angry at those we believe have inflicted the suffering. If we are, we but ensure that in our dream everyone will suffer throughout eternity. Utopian visions, however noble, have not worked because the inner work of forgiveness has not been done. And so if we truly wish to end suffering, we must first end our belief in suffering, which begins in the mind. When this belief is undone, there will be no unkindness in us for guilt will be gone; without self-judgment there can be no judgment of others for we have made up the only important decision there is; the decision to listen to the teacher of gentleness and kindness. ”How, then, can we not be gentle and kind? We will know we chose Jesus and not the ego by our embrace of all people; the ones who suffer and the ones inflicting it. Having accepted the atonement we have become true teachers of the peace that heralds the end of all suffering.”
In summary, we can rest assured it is not the Voice of Spirit within we are listening to when we want to condemn the murderer or preach about right and wrong behavior of any kind. Jesus tells us plainly in the Course:
“The voice of the Holy Spirit does not command, because it incapable of arrogance. It does not demand, because It does not seek control. It does not overcome, because It does not attack. It merely reminds. It is compelling only because of what It reminds you of. It brings to your mind the other way, remaining quiet even in the midst of the turmoil you may make. The Voice for God is always quiet, because It speaks of peace. Peace is stronger than war because it heals. War is division, not increase. No one gains from strife. What profiteth it a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul? If you listen to the wrong voice, you have lost sight of your soul. You cannot lose it, but you can not know it. It is therefore ‘lost’ to you until you choose right.” T.5.II.7
So, in regards to solving the problems of the world such as gunman killing our youth, or bombs killing the Iraqi’s, we need only to see that we don’t want to ‘gain the world’ by trying to fix it. We want to leave judgment of it behind us because by this our state of peace will spread to all of God’s Sons and there will only be kindness, as Ken’s quote tells us. In the present, we need only try to understand by asking Spirit to hold our hand, that both the criminal and the victim need no judgment but only our Love and forgiveness.
The temptation is to listen to the cries of judgment and see them as righteous and good, instead of stopping and asking Spirit what to feel and consequently, how to act. This Voice that lives within us all, will give us discernment, allowing us to live in relative peace in a conflicted world, until we are ready to leave it all behind.
It would be healing for us all to think upon the Virginia Tech incident and others like it and read these words from the Course to us, with Spirit’s hand in ours:
“When you have looked on what seemed terrifying, and seen it change to sights of loveliness and peace; when you have looked on scenes of violence and death, and watched them change to quiet views of gardens under open skies, with clear, life-giving water running happily beside them in dancing brooks that never waste away; who need persuade you to accept the gift of vision? And after vision, who is there who could refuse what must come after? Think but an instant just on this; you can behold the holiness God gave his Son. And never need you think that there is something else for you to see.”
And to those words, I say AMEN!
“The voice of the Holy Spirit does not command, because it incapable of arrogance. It does not demand, because It does not seek control. It does not overcome, because It does not attack. It merely reminds. It is compelling only because of what It reminds you of. It brings to your mind the other way, remaining quiet even in the midst of the turmoil you may make. The Voice for God is always quiet, because It speaks of peace. Peace is stronger than war because it heals. War is division, not increase. No one gains from strife. What profiteth it a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul? If you listen to the wrong voice, you have lost sight of your soul. You cannot lose it, but you can not know it. It is therefore ‘lost’ to you until you choose right.” T.5.II.7
So, in regards to solving the problems of the world such as gunman killing our youth, or bombs killing the Iraqi’s, we need only to see that we don’t want to ‘gain the world’ by trying to fix it. We want to leave judgment of it behind us because by this our state of peace will spread to all of God’s Sons and there will only be kindness, as Ken’s quote tells us. In the present, we need only try to understand by asking Spirit to hold our hand, that both the criminal and the victim need no judgment but only our Love and forgiveness.
The temptation is to listen to the cries of judgment and see them as righteous and good, instead of stopping and asking Spirit what to feel and consequently, how to act. This Voice that lives within us all, will give us discernment, allowing us to live in relative peace in a conflicted world, until we are ready to leave it all behind.
It would be healing for us all to think upon the Virginia Tech incident and others like it and read these words from the Course to us, with Spirit’s hand in ours:
“When you have looked on what seemed terrifying, and seen it change to sights of loveliness and peace; when you have looked on scenes of violence and death, and watched them change to quiet views of gardens under open skies, with clear, life-giving water running happily beside them in dancing brooks that never waste away; who need persuade you to accept the gift of vision? And after vision, who is there who could refuse what must come after? Think but an instant just on this; you can behold the holiness God gave his Son. And never need you think that there is something else for you to see.”
And to those words, I say AMEN!
Thursday, January 11, 2007
A War of Philosophy
Get Out and Reach Out: The Iraq War
We are but a tiny spec of a generation. Yet, we are experiencing what could be a pivotal time in mankind’s history. We are at war with a mindset. Using guns, bombs, and occupying their villages, will not end this war. The kind of war we are in, is never won, but only stopped.
Only time, wisdom and communication will bridge a gap and create a meeting of the minds of two different philosophies that need never come head to head, but only mind to mind for us to live peacefully.
During the recent talks about sending 20,000 more young men to combat, I heard several people in the highest positions, including the President, remark that this time, we will stay until they stop attacking and killing innocent people. But each time we increase our presence and then begin to move away, they move right back in. That is because it is not their person that is a threat to us, but a mindset; a philosophy that they have given to their brothers and sisters and children. Ideas grow by giving them away, and killing those who have already given them away, doesn’t work.
Unfortunately, to make Peace our main focus will take as much or more time as it took for the radical Muslims to develop their animosity toward other religious and political ideologies and perhaps as long as it took us to go from being a nation ruled by the people, to one that is subject to their government.
Attempting to kill every last suicide bomber, or radical Muslim, is a futile attempt to control hatred and in the end, it only creates more hatred.
Like it or not, I think we live at time we most likely, will never see real peace on earth; not if our current policies continue. All we can do for now is get out, and then, reach out. Get out of their land, let them be, and protect our own. But never stop sending American’s who know how and are willing to speak to them about our ways, and are truly willing to understand theirs. Where are our Ghandi’s and our Mother Theresa’s in America? Where are our spiritual leaders that help others learn what it takes to have Peace on Earth? Send those who can teach others how to learn to live side by side their brother. If they reach one, single person, behind him are a thousand more.
Americans, not known for their patience, need to learn it. It could take literally hundreds of years, and many will die trying, but they will die trying to bring Peace WITH Peace.
We are a spec of a generation. Let’s leave our mark, by vowing to teach Peace by being Peace. Let’s leave God take care of the rest.
We are but a tiny spec of a generation. Yet, we are experiencing what could be a pivotal time in mankind’s history. We are at war with a mindset. Using guns, bombs, and occupying their villages, will not end this war. The kind of war we are in, is never won, but only stopped.
Only time, wisdom and communication will bridge a gap and create a meeting of the minds of two different philosophies that need never come head to head, but only mind to mind for us to live peacefully.
During the recent talks about sending 20,000 more young men to combat, I heard several people in the highest positions, including the President, remark that this time, we will stay until they stop attacking and killing innocent people. But each time we increase our presence and then begin to move away, they move right back in. That is because it is not their person that is a threat to us, but a mindset; a philosophy that they have given to their brothers and sisters and children. Ideas grow by giving them away, and killing those who have already given them away, doesn’t work.
Unfortunately, to make Peace our main focus will take as much or more time as it took for the radical Muslims to develop their animosity toward other religious and political ideologies and perhaps as long as it took us to go from being a nation ruled by the people, to one that is subject to their government.
Attempting to kill every last suicide bomber, or radical Muslim, is a futile attempt to control hatred and in the end, it only creates more hatred.
Like it or not, I think we live at time we most likely, will never see real peace on earth; not if our current policies continue. All we can do for now is get out, and then, reach out. Get out of their land, let them be, and protect our own. But never stop sending American’s who know how and are willing to speak to them about our ways, and are truly willing to understand theirs. Where are our Ghandi’s and our Mother Theresa’s in America? Where are our spiritual leaders that help others learn what it takes to have Peace on Earth? Send those who can teach others how to learn to live side by side their brother. If they reach one, single person, behind him are a thousand more.
Americans, not known for their patience, need to learn it. It could take literally hundreds of years, and many will die trying, but they will die trying to bring Peace WITH Peace.
We are a spec of a generation. Let’s leave our mark, by vowing to teach Peace by being Peace. Let’s leave God take care of the rest.
Friday, December 29, 2006
An Eye for an Eye?
The Killing of Saddam
“Our respect for human rights requires us to execute him, and there will be no review or delay in carrying out the sentence," Al-Maliki said. Associated Press, December 29, 2006
Surely, the world must look at this very public case as a perfect example being held to the light to view the darkness of mankind.
Mercy is the hallmark of a civilized soul. Whether or not another is merciful cannot dictate our ability to be so and to believe it should dictate such, is to be uncivilized.
Vengeance is the mark of man’s weakness, as it attempts to break down Spirit within, not add to it. Man must look at it for what it is; vengeance, incorrectly called justice, is an attempt to destroy the foundation of man’s divinity within, which cannot be destroyed.
In this public instance we can view this as an opportunity to begin to actually follow what Christ and many others have suggested we do. Hope springs eternal, in many who see this as such.
We are not made better people for killing murderers. We are not made more holy by showing our dismay at the evils of man. We are not made more powerful by exerting power over others.
Let us show Mercy and forgiveness to every one, not just some. The message of all Spiritual paths including Christians, is not murder or vengeance; not punishment or public display of power.
We must not kill in the name of justice; it is never justice to kill, in any circumstance.
We cannot murder him in the name of ‘righteous’ vindication; it is never righteous to justify our power over life. And vindication is but a show of selfishness to the highest degree.
And last but not least….we cannot kill in response to the cries of anger from victims; we are all victims of hate if we choose to do the same as he did. We can only respond to their calls with love, and in so doing, we help heal them. Murdering Saddam is not healing anyone.
It’s so simple! Yet we listen instead to such complicated reasons for his execution, given in the name of the ‘laws of man’ or ‘human rights’ laws in which we claim one life is more valued than another. There is no more valuable a life, nor less valuable, and no one human being less deserving of Mercy.
Until we all agree upon this, our so-called civilized society will fall and we will all fall victim to our own hatred and judgment.
Diane L. Perretto
Friday, November 10, 2006
Upon the Ladder to Home
Stuck on a Rung
For those of us on a conscious path toward Spiritual awareness, we often use the ladder as our favorite metaphor. Well, I don’t know about any of you out there, but I think I’m stuck on a rung. The number is not important, even if I knew, but seeming to be stuck is my point. Anyone want to lend a hand?
Actually, never mind. Your hand does not exist. And besides, if I tried to use it, I’d fall. And I would truly fall because the moment I believe you can help me, is the moment I have once again, ‘fallen’ for the idea that salvation is outside of me. Frankly, those of you standing here with me on this rung are the only ones I am talking to, because those above us, are most likely listening to others on their rung, since just as we go through a door with no handles and can’t back through it, as we move up a rung, the previous one disappears! So, to my friends on the same rung, I’ve got to tell you a quick story….. even though I know you are not actually ‘there.’ Indulge me, if you will.
I think I landed upon this rung when I believed that the choice for Spirit was a better one than the choice for ego, and I certainly don’t want to go back. The ego is a nasty invention, and although I know I am apt to think I still choose it, I’ve at least got it figured out that it brings only temporary states of happiness if it does anything at all. I was granted a few experiences that showed me glimpses of ‘more’ than what this world of ego rule offers, and so I decided once and for all, not to ask ego for any advice, and also to look at its shenanigans as often and as honestly as possible, in order to keep clearly on the right path: toward awareness of Spirit.
So, here I am, wanting now to go to the next one as you are most likely wanting as well. For quite some time on this rung, I’ve wondered what it was I needed to understand, in order to move on. I waited, and a few years have passed. But in the past few days I’ve had a nagging feeling and a few coincidences to enforce the feeling of an impending ‘leap.’
First I must tell you that all this time upon this rung, I’ve been sooo enthralled and grateful to be able to hear Spirit on occasion, that I’ve been inclined, often, to write many poems and stories I think were divinely inspired. I set up my own blog and I write about what I have learned, so others can enjoy. It seems I can’t stop writing, and have no other place to put them. So, sometimes, in need of an ear out there, I often send these writings to family members who have no idea about what I am speaking, and I try as well to get them published in magazines, but to no avail.. I want others to listen…. to hear what I hear; to be able to share my new found joy! And I suppose I want for others to acknowledge my chosen path, and gifts. This much I acknowledge, but cannot for the life of me, get due satisfaction.
So, today, I took a walk in nature, thinking on this, and as I did, I kept hearing ……’There is no one to impress.’
I answer.…’What?’ inside this mind of mine.
The Voice again says…’There is no one to impress.’
I don’t like the sound of that. NO, Spirit, I have things to say! I want others to feel my joy. I have a purpose, a role to play, and I will do it for the betterment of my life and others.
And He responds, “There is no one to impress.’
I sort of wish He’d at least change the wording or emphasize one word or another, for variety. No, I shake my head, and I finally admit, I wish he would not say that, at all.
But, willing as I am to move on, I asked Spirit, Whose VoiceI heard, that I understand this, once and for all. And then I came to a defining moment of thought.
You see, so far, I’ve believed that we, you and I, are both Spirit and Ego, and that I was choosing one or the other. When I wrote my poetry or stories, I chose Spirit, and the reward was in the writing. But viewing this outside of Spirit, there were no rewards.
That is because, we are not both Spirit and Ego. Because ego is nothing and so are its rewards. All of its projections on which to impress upon, and things it chooses to use as impressive acts to entice us….are nothing. The ego, who attaches himself to the writing is not a ‘thing’ at all; but the words in the writing is indeed of Spirit. The attachment to it, is ego.
But, ego is not in existence. Only my ego thinks it is and thus values the valueless; values what is not there; hoping for rewards in an empty treasure chest.
And as I learn this, do I also see that if there is no ‘me’ writing and teaching, but only Spirit, there really is no one else either. And so….there is no one to impress. There is no one to write to. There is no one to tell of my Joy. There is only One, and He is the joy and the lesson learned.
But let me back up and tell you how I came to understand this, or shall I say...how I have begun to understand this?
So, I say…’But, I have a need to tell of my joy. I have a need to write. Don’t I?” It seems a silence comes back to me. It speaks volumes. I want to throw a temper tantrum but part of me thinks ‘someone might see me.’ I laugh and think...‘How could they?’ They are my own projections on which my devilish ego would love to impress a temper tantrum upon, knowing, then, they will see how very angry and special I am. I will show them! I want to scream, even knowing upon deaf ears it would fall.
Then, I hear the same Voice in my beautiful mind that seems to know things I have forgotten. He says, sweetly, kindly..…’If the Buddha stood in your midst, would you try to impress him?”
Silly question! I snickered to myself. Then, I answered. “Of course not. Who could impress the Buddha?”
Then, another whisper …”If Jesus were to walk with you right now, would you try to impress him? Would you share your writing with him?”
Of course not, I said, as a tear trickled down my lonely cheek. ‘He already knows.’
And then, appearing in this beautiful mind, the Buddha with his big smile, and round belly, and Jesus with his open arms and hands outreached, each spoke. “Then why do you try, with the others, for those others are me.” said the Buddha.
Then...“As you do to your brother, so do you do to me” said our brother, Jesus.
I stopped walking and looked down at my feet and then, looked ahead at the long, rung-less dirt path in front of me. Then I thought, ‘I will try, one more time. I placed my foot in front of the other and I took a step; how easy it seemed.
As I walked, I thought of how I needed to tell You this story ~ my friends on the ladder, so I could thank you all, for being the Buddha, the One, the Christ, the Love in my Mind, reminding me to be still and just remember...
For those of us on a conscious path toward Spiritual awareness, we often use the ladder as our favorite metaphor. Well, I don’t know about any of you out there, but I think I’m stuck on a rung. The number is not important, even if I knew, but seeming to be stuck is my point. Anyone want to lend a hand?
Actually, never mind. Your hand does not exist. And besides, if I tried to use it, I’d fall. And I would truly fall because the moment I believe you can help me, is the moment I have once again, ‘fallen’ for the idea that salvation is outside of me. Frankly, those of you standing here with me on this rung are the only ones I am talking to, because those above us, are most likely listening to others on their rung, since just as we go through a door with no handles and can’t back through it, as we move up a rung, the previous one disappears! So, to my friends on the same rung, I’ve got to tell you a quick story….. even though I know you are not actually ‘there.’ Indulge me, if you will.
I think I landed upon this rung when I believed that the choice for Spirit was a better one than the choice for ego, and I certainly don’t want to go back. The ego is a nasty invention, and although I know I am apt to think I still choose it, I’ve at least got it figured out that it brings only temporary states of happiness if it does anything at all. I was granted a few experiences that showed me glimpses of ‘more’ than what this world of ego rule offers, and so I decided once and for all, not to ask ego for any advice, and also to look at its shenanigans as often and as honestly as possible, in order to keep clearly on the right path: toward awareness of Spirit.
So, here I am, wanting now to go to the next one as you are most likely wanting as well. For quite some time on this rung, I’ve wondered what it was I needed to understand, in order to move on. I waited, and a few years have passed. But in the past few days I’ve had a nagging feeling and a few coincidences to enforce the feeling of an impending ‘leap.’
First I must tell you that all this time upon this rung, I’ve been sooo enthralled and grateful to be able to hear Spirit on occasion, that I’ve been inclined, often, to write many poems and stories I think were divinely inspired. I set up my own blog and I write about what I have learned, so others can enjoy. It seems I can’t stop writing, and have no other place to put them. So, sometimes, in need of an ear out there, I often send these writings to family members who have no idea about what I am speaking, and I try as well to get them published in magazines, but to no avail.. I want others to listen…. to hear what I hear; to be able to share my new found joy! And I suppose I want for others to acknowledge my chosen path, and gifts. This much I acknowledge, but cannot for the life of me, get due satisfaction.
So, today, I took a walk in nature, thinking on this, and as I did, I kept hearing ……’There is no one to impress.’
I answer.…’What?’ inside this mind of mine.
The Voice again says…’There is no one to impress.’
I don’t like the sound of that. NO, Spirit, I have things to say! I want others to feel my joy. I have a purpose, a role to play, and I will do it for the betterment of my life and others.
And He responds, “There is no one to impress.’
I sort of wish He’d at least change the wording or emphasize one word or another, for variety. No, I shake my head, and I finally admit, I wish he would not say that, at all.
But, willing as I am to move on, I asked Spirit, Whose VoiceI heard, that I understand this, once and for all. And then I came to a defining moment of thought.
You see, so far, I’ve believed that we, you and I, are both Spirit and Ego, and that I was choosing one or the other. When I wrote my poetry or stories, I chose Spirit, and the reward was in the writing. But viewing this outside of Spirit, there were no rewards.
That is because, we are not both Spirit and Ego. Because ego is nothing and so are its rewards. All of its projections on which to impress upon, and things it chooses to use as impressive acts to entice us….are nothing. The ego, who attaches himself to the writing is not a ‘thing’ at all; but the words in the writing is indeed of Spirit. The attachment to it, is ego.
But, ego is not in existence. Only my ego thinks it is and thus values the valueless; values what is not there; hoping for rewards in an empty treasure chest.
And as I learn this, do I also see that if there is no ‘me’ writing and teaching, but only Spirit, there really is no one else either. And so….there is no one to impress. There is no one to write to. There is no one to tell of my Joy. There is only One, and He is the joy and the lesson learned.
But let me back up and tell you how I came to understand this, or shall I say...how I have begun to understand this?
So, I say…’But, I have a need to tell of my joy. I have a need to write. Don’t I?” It seems a silence comes back to me. It speaks volumes. I want to throw a temper tantrum but part of me thinks ‘someone might see me.’ I laugh and think...‘How could they?’ They are my own projections on which my devilish ego would love to impress a temper tantrum upon, knowing, then, they will see how very angry and special I am. I will show them! I want to scream, even knowing upon deaf ears it would fall.
Then, I hear the same Voice in my beautiful mind that seems to know things I have forgotten. He says, sweetly, kindly..…’If the Buddha stood in your midst, would you try to impress him?”
Silly question! I snickered to myself. Then, I answered. “Of course not. Who could impress the Buddha?”
Then, another whisper …”If Jesus were to walk with you right now, would you try to impress him? Would you share your writing with him?”
Of course not, I said, as a tear trickled down my lonely cheek. ‘He already knows.’
And then, appearing in this beautiful mind, the Buddha with his big smile, and round belly, and Jesus with his open arms and hands outreached, each spoke. “Then why do you try, with the others, for those others are me.” said the Buddha.
Then...“As you do to your brother, so do you do to me” said our brother, Jesus.
I stopped walking and looked down at my feet and then, looked ahead at the long, rung-less dirt path in front of me. Then I thought, ‘I will try, one more time. I placed my foot in front of the other and I took a step; how easy it seemed.
As I walked, I thought of how I needed to tell You this story ~ my friends on the ladder, so I could thank you all, for being the Buddha, the One, the Christ, the Love in my Mind, reminding me to be still and just remember...
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
WHAT KIND OF FORGIVENESS DO THEY KNOW?
Inspired by the Amish Way
When the very young daughters and grand daughters of the Amish people were shamelessly shot execution style by a stranger one day in their school, the community and families comforted one another then looked immediately to the family of the murderer, taking up a collection on their behalf. This was an offering of more than hope for them to resume a normal life, but an offering which told a tale of true forgiveness. We can use this tragedy of human suffering beyond our comprehension to help us all to see the practical and yet incredibly profound use that forgiveness plays in our lives.
But practicality is not a word one uses when thinking of spirituality. The question really is, how could any one man, any one religion, any anything that is of this world, ever come close to helping us to bridge the gap we imagine exists between our selves and our Maker and is made more obvious by such heinous acts? Yet, this is what forgiveness does, and obviously, why Jesus advocated it.
And not only Jesus. Forgiveness can be said to be the equivalent to non-attachment in the eastern religions. Buddha’s main concern was to end the suffering of man. It is done, according to the eastern philosophy, by learning to not attach oneself to the temporal world but to the Oneness of all Things eternal; with peace being the result. Forgiveness lends us this same effect of peace, but Jesus teaches us how to get there, by the practice of forgiving, which made him a very practical teacher.
Our anger and frustration at violent acts such as this recent one keeps the gap forever widening between us and the perfect benevolence of God’s peace. The answer to obliterating this gap, this righteous indignation that in the end only breeds hatred for others, is in the answer which Jesus suggests is the answer: Forgiveness. But it is not Jesus who can bridge the gap; nor Buddha, nor anyone in particular. Yet it is what Jesus tells us we need understand to allow forgiveness to happen where we need to focus.
Most of us have a vague understanding that forgiveness is divine. Even with that small amount of understanding, forgiveness has at one time or another brought us to an awareness of a state of peace we do not understand; usually realizing afterward, we could not have granted ourselves this state, of our own accord. No doubt, God’s Peace is upon our mind and heart strong and clear at times, yet only to wither when we hear such sad stories of mankind’s inhuman acts. Imagine then, as it was for the Amish; if it were your own child murdered! And so, we look with respect and awe at our Amish brothers and sisters, to understand what kind of forgiveness they have come to embrace. It certainly must offer an unchanging state of peace, even among such painful events as this.
WHAT SORT OF FORGIVENESS DO THEY KNOW?
So, we all ask, after something like this especially, what exactly IS forgiveness? After all, no one can, in their right mind, ‘forgive’ or ‘condone’ or ‘pardon’ murdering children. The forgiveness which the Amish live by, sounds very, very much like the understanding that I have learned from the spirituality found in A Course in Miracles. Both of them, based on the foundation of Christian thought.
In the Course we are taught that forgiving is not an act of pardon, but is more of an experience of empathy that extends beyond the physical world, pointing to the idea that it is indeed divine, and yet can be experienced by us as humans, to reach that ‘other world.’ That is why it is termed a course in ‘miracles’ for there is no greater miracle, than the one that changes anger, hatred and sadness to love of the deepest and most giving sort.
To be willing to have this ‘experience’ one needs to understand first and foremost in our mind, that our bodies are not our True Nature and therefore, we need to see past the body and the body’s acts, of our selves and others, to be able to even begin to entertain the idea of the sort of forgiveness that truly heals such inner turmoil as this.
You might say that ‘seeing past a body’ can not be called a practical piece of advice! But in the Course, it is not said we need to know how to see past another body’s acts, but only that we are willing to do so. The rest is divine.
And so, what does ‘being willing to see past the body’ really mean?
It begins by being willing to believe that our human perception of acts; even murder, and all of what we see and hear and think every day, is not necessarily…. true. Before I lose you and tangle myself in a metaphysical maze of thought, it is really not nearly as complicated or as ‘wild’ as it sounds to begin to believe this. What is important to grasp is that what we perceive is not to be held as true, or false, but as meaningless when it is a perception made from a mind that cannot know truth. BUT (and it is a big but,) there is another side to our ‘perception’ from which forgiveness is understood by man and obviously, which the Amish advocate and the Course teaches. That side is from a Holy perspective.
In other words, we can have perception come from a part of our mind that does know truth, but it is not the part we call our ‘self’ which most of us identify with, only because we have not yet met….another Self! It is the part we call the Holy Self, or Holy Spirit and it is entirely our choice when to begin to find this other Self. The Course promotes honest and constant self reflection to uncover an unconscious but ferocious fight against knowing this Higher Self. The ego’s buried need to remain our chosen state of awareness becomes fortified and stronger, the further buried it remains.
From what the Course terms, ‘true perception’ of Spirit, we see truth reflected in the world around us and thus begin to heal our many wounds of the ego’s world. It is not Truth Itself we see in the world, for the world is only symbols and can only reflect God’s Truth. God’s Truth could never be evil, or wrong, or anything which can be judged by man. And so, knowing this, such an event as the murder of these little girls, leaves us with one conclusion. What must have occurred did not reflect God’s Truth. And God’s Truth is how we live and all that we need, to know. And so, we leave the judging of what we do not know to Someone Who knows. And we trust, 100%, it is all good. It simply could not be any other way when we see it through the reflection of Spirit’s eyes.
Coming from ego’s perspective, we use judgment based on the ego’s world which would find it right and good to condemn and punish all such acts, being both judge and jury. And from the Holy Spirit within, from which I would presume the Amish are coming, the question then becomes, ‘How can one not forgive what we could not truly know, or understand?’ This is how forgiveness begins, and lends a new Light to life, but it is not how it ends.
However, I can’t tell you how it ends and I am sure the same goes for most in the Amish community. Like them, I have not totally forgiven everything or everyone, or every act I see, in which event, would I then be in Heaven’s embrace. According to the Course it can take but a second to do this, but it seems, many lifetimes occur before we are willing to let go of this ego’s perception we hold so dear, though buried. Many lifetimes of wondering why God would let such things happen, until we see, He wouldn’t.
And so, I am still in the process of joyously learning to choose Spirit as much as I can, and thereby learning not to label all I see as good or evil, wrong or right, and paying attention to when and why I have a need to do this. I am sure beyond a shadow of a doubt, when I am able to forgive entirely, as Jesus taught, I will have found ‘Heaven’ where a broken world no longer needs forgiven.
When the very young daughters and grand daughters of the Amish people were shamelessly shot execution style by a stranger one day in their school, the community and families comforted one another then looked immediately to the family of the murderer, taking up a collection on their behalf. This was an offering of more than hope for them to resume a normal life, but an offering which told a tale of true forgiveness. We can use this tragedy of human suffering beyond our comprehension to help us all to see the practical and yet incredibly profound use that forgiveness plays in our lives.
But practicality is not a word one uses when thinking of spirituality. The question really is, how could any one man, any one religion, any anything that is of this world, ever come close to helping us to bridge the gap we imagine exists between our selves and our Maker and is made more obvious by such heinous acts? Yet, this is what forgiveness does, and obviously, why Jesus advocated it.
And not only Jesus. Forgiveness can be said to be the equivalent to non-attachment in the eastern religions. Buddha’s main concern was to end the suffering of man. It is done, according to the eastern philosophy, by learning to not attach oneself to the temporal world but to the Oneness of all Things eternal; with peace being the result. Forgiveness lends us this same effect of peace, but Jesus teaches us how to get there, by the practice of forgiving, which made him a very practical teacher.
Our anger and frustration at violent acts such as this recent one keeps the gap forever widening between us and the perfect benevolence of God’s peace. The answer to obliterating this gap, this righteous indignation that in the end only breeds hatred for others, is in the answer which Jesus suggests is the answer: Forgiveness. But it is not Jesus who can bridge the gap; nor Buddha, nor anyone in particular. Yet it is what Jesus tells us we need understand to allow forgiveness to happen where we need to focus.
Most of us have a vague understanding that forgiveness is divine. Even with that small amount of understanding, forgiveness has at one time or another brought us to an awareness of a state of peace we do not understand; usually realizing afterward, we could not have granted ourselves this state, of our own accord. No doubt, God’s Peace is upon our mind and heart strong and clear at times, yet only to wither when we hear such sad stories of mankind’s inhuman acts. Imagine then, as it was for the Amish; if it were your own child murdered! And so, we look with respect and awe at our Amish brothers and sisters, to understand what kind of forgiveness they have come to embrace. It certainly must offer an unchanging state of peace, even among such painful events as this.
WHAT SORT OF FORGIVENESS DO THEY KNOW?
So, we all ask, after something like this especially, what exactly IS forgiveness? After all, no one can, in their right mind, ‘forgive’ or ‘condone’ or ‘pardon’ murdering children. The forgiveness which the Amish live by, sounds very, very much like the understanding that I have learned from the spirituality found in A Course in Miracles. Both of them, based on the foundation of Christian thought.
In the Course we are taught that forgiving is not an act of pardon, but is more of an experience of empathy that extends beyond the physical world, pointing to the idea that it is indeed divine, and yet can be experienced by us as humans, to reach that ‘other world.’ That is why it is termed a course in ‘miracles’ for there is no greater miracle, than the one that changes anger, hatred and sadness to love of the deepest and most giving sort.
To be willing to have this ‘experience’ one needs to understand first and foremost in our mind, that our bodies are not our True Nature and therefore, we need to see past the body and the body’s acts, of our selves and others, to be able to even begin to entertain the idea of the sort of forgiveness that truly heals such inner turmoil as this.
You might say that ‘seeing past a body’ can not be called a practical piece of advice! But in the Course, it is not said we need to know how to see past another body’s acts, but only that we are willing to do so. The rest is divine.
And so, what does ‘being willing to see past the body’ really mean?
It begins by being willing to believe that our human perception of acts; even murder, and all of what we see and hear and think every day, is not necessarily…. true. Before I lose you and tangle myself in a metaphysical maze of thought, it is really not nearly as complicated or as ‘wild’ as it sounds to begin to believe this. What is important to grasp is that what we perceive is not to be held as true, or false, but as meaningless when it is a perception made from a mind that cannot know truth. BUT (and it is a big but,) there is another side to our ‘perception’ from which forgiveness is understood by man and obviously, which the Amish advocate and the Course teaches. That side is from a Holy perspective.
In other words, we can have perception come from a part of our mind that does know truth, but it is not the part we call our ‘self’ which most of us identify with, only because we have not yet met….another Self! It is the part we call the Holy Self, or Holy Spirit and it is entirely our choice when to begin to find this other Self. The Course promotes honest and constant self reflection to uncover an unconscious but ferocious fight against knowing this Higher Self. The ego’s buried need to remain our chosen state of awareness becomes fortified and stronger, the further buried it remains.
From what the Course terms, ‘true perception’ of Spirit, we see truth reflected in the world around us and thus begin to heal our many wounds of the ego’s world. It is not Truth Itself we see in the world, for the world is only symbols and can only reflect God’s Truth. God’s Truth could never be evil, or wrong, or anything which can be judged by man. And so, knowing this, such an event as the murder of these little girls, leaves us with one conclusion. What must have occurred did not reflect God’s Truth. And God’s Truth is how we live and all that we need, to know. And so, we leave the judging of what we do not know to Someone Who knows. And we trust, 100%, it is all good. It simply could not be any other way when we see it through the reflection of Spirit’s eyes.
Coming from ego’s perspective, we use judgment based on the ego’s world which would find it right and good to condemn and punish all such acts, being both judge and jury. And from the Holy Spirit within, from which I would presume the Amish are coming, the question then becomes, ‘How can one not forgive what we could not truly know, or understand?’ This is how forgiveness begins, and lends a new Light to life, but it is not how it ends.
However, I can’t tell you how it ends and I am sure the same goes for most in the Amish community. Like them, I have not totally forgiven everything or everyone, or every act I see, in which event, would I then be in Heaven’s embrace. According to the Course it can take but a second to do this, but it seems, many lifetimes occur before we are willing to let go of this ego’s perception we hold so dear, though buried. Many lifetimes of wondering why God would let such things happen, until we see, He wouldn’t.
And so, I am still in the process of joyously learning to choose Spirit as much as I can, and thereby learning not to label all I see as good or evil, wrong or right, and paying attention to when and why I have a need to do this. I am sure beyond a shadow of a doubt, when I am able to forgive entirely, as Jesus taught, I will have found ‘Heaven’ where a broken world no longer needs forgiven.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Painted Trains, and Other Thoughts
Memories of America
Old men,
Folding chairs
Skinny ankles
White socks.
Young men,
Playing horseshoes
Picket fence
And hollyhocks.
Summer.
Muggy days
Alley echoes
Children run
Shady spots
Warm wind
Storms brew
Mother’s calling
Getting caught…..
Freedom
Suntan
Freckle face
Sweaty head
Dirty hands
Sleepy eyes
Cotton sheets
Painted trains
Dream land.
Innocence
Same men
Same boys
Bloody bullets
Shooting spar
Shoot first
Always win
Kill your brothers
Win the war.
Judgment
Empty chairs
Dying children
Crying widow
Mother’s pain
Gain nothing
Lose all,
No more,
Painted trains.
War
Old men,
Folding chairs
Skinny ankles
White socks.
Young men,
Playing horseshoes
Picket fence
And hollyhocks.
Summer.
Muggy days
Alley echoes
Children run
Shady spots
Warm wind
Storms brew
Mother’s calling
Getting caught…..
Freedom
Suntan
Freckle face
Sweaty head
Dirty hands
Sleepy eyes
Cotton sheets
Painted trains
Dream land.
Innocence
Same men
Same boys
Bloody bullets
Shooting spar
Shoot first
Always win
Kill your brothers
Win the war.
Judgment
Empty chairs
Dying children
Crying widow
Mother’s pain
Gain nothing
Lose all,
No more,
Painted trains.
War
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)