I have not posted for some time. The holiday has come and gone; a new year and new decade begun. A 113 year old woman passed away and a U.S. Congresswoman was gunned down in Arizona. People, who days before were threatening each other in the halls of Congress, have taken a step back to take a look at themselves and the words they speak.
We have cultivated a respectable hindsight as a nation and as a world. In tragedy, we most often step up to the line and do the fair and compassionate thing.
However, it is time for the world to step into the future, not in the sense of knowing what it will bring, but in the sense of fostering foresight. Explorers and inventors have foresight. They imagine the unknown and make the decision to step into it.
The future I speak of cannot be bought with coin or power. It cannot be bought at all; it must be chosen, one person at a time, until more, not less, have made their choice.
What happened in Arizona propelled us forward to say things like, "words carry outcomes." "Free speech carries outcomes". We all bear responsibility for the world in which we live. We all bear responsibility for the good and the not so good things that happen. Individually, we must each decide what is meant by this responsibility and the answer will define our future.
We cannot afford to be faint of heart, even if we are afraid and uncertain. For us to create a world where less, not more, violence occurs, we as individuals must look first within ourselves and then decide how we have and do play a part in the heritage of war that still besieges so much of our planet.
Do not believe that anger and blame only affect the place where you stand and the person or persons you are targeting. Anger and blame spread a mindset and an energy. They provide a spark that is ignited by others of like mind. If you want a different world, then you--You--must take the first step. I must take the first step. It is not up to our leaders. It has never been up to others. It has always been up to us.
Begin, not by throwing barbs at those you disagree with, regardless of how you feel. Begin with a moment of silence in which you look at your own words and actions. Until you have made peace with these, universal peace remains an act of hindsight and, my dear friends, peace must be a forward motion.
