Hi Jennifer, This column resonates with me so deeply. Very early on 11/6, I returned to a poem I wrote almost 10 years ago after another event that shook my foundations and left me wondering how to live in true to my values, no matter what happens in the world. Here it is:
WE
Dear sisters and brothers on Planet Earth,
I love you.
Every single one of you.
I don't care what you believe.
I don't care what group you belong to.
I don't care if you agree with anything I think, I say, I believe.
The one thing I know for sure about you, about each and every one of you, is that we are living on this earth together right now.
You may be just a few minutes old, or maybe over 100 years old, taking your very first breaths, or your very last ones.
We all come from the same source and have whirled and twirled our way through the universe into bodies on this planet right now.
We are undeniably connected, not just with each other, but with the past and the future and the source of all life.
We are all tied to the most beautiful, selfless acts in human history
And
We are all tied to the most, horrible, cruel acts in human history.
We are all guilty
And
We are all innocent.
We have all been harmed by our species' tendency to turn to violence as a solution.
We have all been enriched by our species' tendency to seek peace.
Each of us has the potential to love, to hate, to nurture life and to take life.
We are all lost.
But we can be found.
We have all been harmed by thousands of years of history that told us we are separate from each other.
We can find each other with love, forgiveness, compassion, and respect for the amazing planet that sustains us all.
It is OUR home.
We live here together.
No matter what we believe.
My question for you, my beloved sisters and brothers, is simple.
What kind of life do you want for the children of the world?
For your children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and for the generations that follow?
Do you want their lives to be framed
By war,
Vengeance,
Fear,
Ideological conflict,
Separateness and hate?
I do not want this future for my children and grandchildren or anyone else's.
So, I have no choice, but to renounce the illusion that we are separate.
Right now, the only way I know how to do that is to try to rise above my inclinations ~
Horror,
Fear,
Outrage,
Judgment,
Feelings of separateness.
Instead,
I will love without ceasing.
I will pry my heart open to give and receive love.
Thank you for introducing me to Valerie Kaur. I wonder if you've run across Gregory Boyle, a Jesuit priest in LA who works with addicts and has written several wonderful books about the power of love to heal. I read "The Whole Language" six months ago and it still lives with me.
Hi Jennifer, This column resonates with me so deeply. Very early on 11/6, I returned to a poem I wrote almost 10 years ago after another event that shook my foundations and left me wondering how to live in true to my values, no matter what happens in the world. Here it is:
WE
Dear sisters and brothers on Planet Earth,
I love you.
Every single one of you.
I don't care what you believe.
I don't care what group you belong to.
I don't care if you agree with anything I think, I say, I believe.
The one thing I know for sure about you, about each and every one of you, is that we are living on this earth together right now.
You may be just a few minutes old, or maybe over 100 years old, taking your very first breaths, or your very last ones.
We all come from the same source and have whirled and twirled our way through the universe into bodies on this planet right now.
We are undeniably connected, not just with each other, but with the past and the future and the source of all life.
We are all tied to the most beautiful, selfless acts in human history
And
We are all tied to the most, horrible, cruel acts in human history.
We are all guilty
And
We are all innocent.
We have all been harmed by our species' tendency to turn to violence as a solution.
We have all been enriched by our species' tendency to seek peace.
Each of us has the potential to love, to hate, to nurture life and to take life.
We are all lost.
But we can be found.
We have all been harmed by thousands of years of history that told us we are separate from each other.
We can find each other with love, forgiveness, compassion, and respect for the amazing planet that sustains us all.
It is OUR home.
We live here together.
No matter what we believe.
My question for you, my beloved sisters and brothers, is simple.
What kind of life do you want for the children of the world?
For your children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and for the generations that follow?
Do you want their lives to be framed
By war,
Vengeance,
Fear,
Ideological conflict,
Separateness and hate?
I do not want this future for my children and grandchildren or anyone else's.
So, I have no choice, but to renounce the illusion that we are separate.
Right now, the only way I know how to do that is to try to rise above my inclinations ~
Horror,
Fear,
Outrage,
Judgment,
Feelings of separateness.
Instead,
I will love without ceasing.
I will pry my heart open to give and receive love.
I don't know what else to do.
I am connected to you, dear brother and sister.
Please accept my love.
It is the most valuable gift I have to give you.
Jan Krause Greene
This is so beautiful and powerful, Jan! Maybe you'd like to come read it at the Birth Your Truest Story Open Mic on Dec 1 (online)?
Thank you for introducing me to Valerie Kaur. I wonder if you've run across Gregory Boyle, a Jesuit priest in LA who works with addicts and has written several wonderful books about the power of love to heal. I read "The Whole Language" six months ago and it still lives with me.
I don't know him, but I will check him out, thank you Susie!