Many people die every day in our world, and many are born. Spirits enter and exit all the time, entering always in the same way, but exiting in a myriad of ways. People die of diseases which finally get the better of their bodies; they die of starvation or heartbreak, or at the hands of terrorists, or a gun in the hands of another. Some people fight death, and some welcome it. Some fear dying, and others feel it is a fitting end to a life well-lived. Some look forward to what adventures may lie beyond what they perceive as a transition.
Today, as millions of people on my continent are pausing to remember an event that changed our lives and will haunt our collective psyche forever, I feel the need to pay tribute to the human spirit. Let's celebrate the feistiness of humanity. Let's honor the love of brothers and country which causes men all over the world to fight for what they feel is right. We may not agree that fighting is the highest solution, but let us honor each other's views, cultures and passions.
We all deserve remembrance, and celebration. Humans are capable of a staggering variety of thoughts and acts. Our imaginations have no limit, and the same freedom of choice and power of imagination that allows us to conceive and pursue inspiring dreams, and perform remarkable feats, also allows for acts of depravity or bitter retaliation. There are depths of despair and anguish as high as the highest hopes, aspirations and feelings of happiness.
We, as humans, are so complex and yet so very simple. We have advanced so much, and still display such primitive ways. How can the dichotomies of the world exist, I ask myself? How can incredible technologies such as the internet and satellites and the study of quantum physics exist in the same world that children die in their mother's arms for lack of enough food?...Because I cannot comprehend the whole picture or make sense of it all; because I know that I must focus on what I want to see happen; because I feel my small contribution is to bring peace, loving thoughts and the attempt to listen and understand others, today I choose to focus on what is amazing about all of us and about life.
- I celebrate each newborn child and the poignant beauty the parents are witnessing,
- I celebrate every 'why' asked by every child around the world,
- I celebrate the teachers who answers the 'why's' honestly, and those who are afraid and do not,
- I celebrate the various stages of each life, and how unique and different we all feel,
- I celebrate our similarities; our basic cravings for approval and love and appreciation,
- I celebrate those who are crusading to make the world a better place,
- I celebrate those who turn away from hate and anger and anguish and instead attempt to create a life of love and peace by living lives of love and peace,
- I celebrate women - and men - all over the world who are struggling bravely to create a better life for themselves and their children,
- I celebrate each person who has decided to no longer resolve their issues by violence,
- I celebrate each person who is awakening - who is experiencing just an inkling or a glimmer that there may be a better way,
- I celebrate the grief people are feeling on this day, for it speaks of the depth of their love for those who are gone,
- I celebrate my own life, and the roller coaster of emotions and experiences that it has been thus far,
- I celebrate those with more wisdom than I have; may I be a good student of life,
- I celebrate YOUR life, whoever and wherever you are.
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2 comments:
"Life is a miracle and an adventure...." Amen to that!
Jean Browman
Cheerful Monk
Transforming Stress Into Personal Power
Wonderful reflection
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