I’m thinking. . .

I’ve been mulling something over and I thought I’d share in hope of getting some feedback. I’ve become very interested in the Kony 2012 video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc). The cause of the invisible children is one that I’ve followed for some time. In high school my sister and I attempted to create a rally in Concord, NH to protest the crimes that were taking place in the Congo. My friendship with African immigrants and refugees gave me a perspective into the happenings of Africa that I had otherwise been unaware of.  My sister ended up marrying a Rwandan man and they are very active with the African community and hope to one day move back to Central Africa (which I oppose vehemently cause that would mean my beautiful niece and new nephew would be sooo far from me) But for me life played on and I lost some of the activist spirit that had been growing in high school. To be honest I’m not a true activist. I am interested easily but lose interest with realization of the difficulties that come with opposing any large power. I’m self centered and near sighted both things that make social activism difficult to maintain.

Despite these shortcomings I do still want to attempt to “rage against the dying of the light”. What I’ve been thinking is I want to take part in this movement Invisible Children is presenting the world. The video produced is compelling and touching. The cause is noble and highly important. The opportunity for people of the world to come together and work towards a common cause (a good cause).

Here’s what I’m thinking though, what can I do? I can buy a kit, put up posters raise awareness. All for the over arching cause of justice for these people and the other causes as well. But I can do more, maybe not for the issues in Africa but for the issues here. For every action I take to support the Kony 2012 I challenge myself to be an activist in my own community. There are a variety of issues that I am personally aware of; homelessness is on the rise, there are major cuts happening in the public mental health sector of NH, VOICES a local organization advocates for domestic violence victims.

The list goes on, each one of our interests could some how be correlated with activism or service projects. To truly change our world we need to change how we operate in our settings. We can try to change the setting or environment we can do many many things but the quickest most efficient conduit of change is our very own beings. That leads me to a whole lecture on not underestimating the power of our selves, we are pulsing energy filled fantastic creatures. Don’t get me started, I digress, This week I’m gonna explore my options and find somewhere locally, it may be a formal organization it may not, that I can focus some of my energy for the good of my world. And in effect, transform it.

“What is the meaning of life? To be happy and useful.” – Tenzin Gyatso (14th Dalai Lama)

Choice, love and humanity

I’ve been almost consumed with thoughts of humanity lately. Sad thoughts, in my mind realistic thoughts. I don’t know if these new thought patterns are a sign of growing older, a sign that I’m swallowing that bitter pill we call “reality”. What I do know is they make me unbearably sad and hopeless. Yet however I spin it I can’t get away from my realizations that humanity is a lost, broken and pitiful race. Or that no matter the good we create we continually wreck this beautiful earth till its groaning in complaint. The dark has been snuffing out the light in my perspective, something that is new and unwelcome in my mind.
This morning though I was thinking of someone I love and how just being around him makes me smile and feel safe. With this thought I slowly made the realization just what a blessing that is. Despite our shortcomings as a race, despite the pain and hardships we conflict on ourselves we still have these beautiful things like love & companionship. The ability to be with one another and have this bring and give happiness is an unbelievable treasure that has been programmed into this world. And then my pessimistic mind chimes in “yea but look what we can do to each other; look at the trust that can be broken, the bodies that can be harmed. Its best to avoid these joys because look at these pains”. Sure, OK thats also true, and many people choose a path that avoids the risk of these pains but it also avoids the possibility of these pleasures. But the pure power of that decision, the ability in this hectic and confusing world to share together with another being. That is a gift, one that I feel is so specific to our race and that should not be ignored and wasted.
So with that realization I continue on my day. Realizing yes, somethings in this life are ugly and despairing but within all that there is unbelievable beauty. Like being able to call a friend and communicate your thoughts or lying close to someone and feeling their heartbeat. Having the capability to love, this unlocks human potential in a way no other thing will.

the shadows and the form.

A vision of love impressed itself upon my mind. Love is power, is strength, the likes of which is hardly seen. All the prestige in the world all the might of a nation or the force of a man’s muscles doesn’t stand up against love. The earth’s quaking and tossing of waves is tiny and insignificant in the presence of love. I think thats what Jesus left us with, that is why he encouraged us to love our neighbors as ourselves. that is why he spoke of deliverance and freedom. Jesus spoke of mighty power, mankind doing greater things than God himself. We have that capacity because we have love, Jesus sought to remind us of that.

If I may borrow Rob Bell’s mantra, “Love wins”. Simply put that is it. The truth of this universe what is love and all the things that come within that word are so much stronger than anything we can ever face. Well thats quaint I suppose. But you know as well as I know countless stories, experiences and situations where love has not won out. I know families that are rotten through from violence. I know the pain of losing a friend to her own hand. I know of tragedy and mental instability. Horror that makes a person something of an empty shell. Situation after situation the darkness is still there. I am not blind to reality, I’m not unaware of the pain that is seemingly a piece of the human condition. I guess what my point is that I have to look beyond these things. I can not be limited by the darkness because I am so aware of the light.

This pain is but a shadow from Plato’s cave, the reality is found in truth. Love is truth. The truth which is goodness and equilibrium. Truth that repairs all wounds, clothes and feeds all people. Truth that creates life again and again. This reality is concrete, it will not be changed nor defeated. With this understanding I dare to continue on despite statistics and those lessons learned from history. Its time to change the effort and expect results accordingly. We must live in love because it is the form in which we were created.