 For the next three days I am planning to enjoy the bliss of transitory solitude, ‘home alone’ at the house of my daughter while she is away, keeping an eye on the daily routines of a home and its canine member. The thought of spending time in comfort where no one knows me is quite exciting. Neighbours may wonder who the new face is and, although I may exchange pleasantries, no one will now my story, my life, my achievements or failings. For me it will be the same, meeting others at face value, no other knowledge will influence our exchanges, no judgements based on other’s information. Freedom in anonymity.
I turn on the television and settle down to an hour or so of a programme usually concerned with countryside matters hoping for stunning shots of mountains or moorlands, maybe a glimpse beneath the waves at life forms normally hidden from our view, or perhaps an insight into the world of woodland flora and fauna.
Images of humanity: the legacy of war
What greeted me was quite the reverse: a programme to mark the day Auschwitz was liberated sixty three years ago. Images of brutal destructions and death, thousands of ashen, harrowed, nameless faces staring out from the screen. Acres of harsh countryside, silent trees that bore witness to the degradation of man’s inhumanity to man.
As the programme ended, I sat and closed my eyes for a while, in respect and sadness at the truth of what we, as humans, are all capable of. There but for the grace of goodness go I.
Next to me lay the daily newspaper, and maybe as a distraction, I opened it randomly, revealing a page reporting about a war raging today, at this time, on this planet, now. More pictures of faces unknown to me, all with a personal story that I will never know. No freedom for them in anonymity. Does that make a difference? Do I need to know or understand their life to extend human compassion, to choose who is to receive kindness – captor or captive? What a blessing it is that compassion is beyond judgement. Not for me to reason why, to grant or deny.
Putting on my walking boots, I decided to take Bindi, the Bedlington terrier, for a walk. Maybe dappled sunshine dancing on moss and moist bark would ease the mind and conscience. We crossed the village green and headed for the woods. Even there I could not escape the legacy of war, for the field central to the village was, in history, host to a bloody battle at the time of Cromwell. There were no battles evident today; scars on the landscape had healed. How long though, I asked myself, before the scars of mankind will heal?
Walking through the woods, here too are trees that bore witness to the destruction that results from man’s need for power and authority, to build walls of wire and speak words to inflict pain and division; to segregate, humiliate and destroy.
These same trees now give me comfort and unconditional friendship. Nature does not discriminate in the selfish way we do.
As we move towards the promise of greater understanding, war and injustice, acts of repression and violence are still very much part of our world.
Embracing a spiritual life does not mean escape from this reality; in fact, it insists we become aware of the shadow side of human nature that walks with each one of us; the potential to fuel the continuation of conflict by allowing difficulties within our own lives to become the breeding ground for future unrest.
Hoping that the ‘new energies’ flooding earth will change our consciousness is only part of the deal; we have to act upon this understanding.
If this has made difficult reading for you, there is no apology – only the strongest resolve to help bring about progressive change.
So, how can we honour our brothers and sisters who still suffer?
The path of love and light
By recognising and appreciating all the blessings we enjoy, and using them for the benefit of all. Old hurts dating back generations can be healed, helped by the acts we perform within our own communities today. Surely the peace that we are so gifted to live with will allow us to extend the three little words that can open the hardest heart to the floodgates of love. Putting prejudice aside, we can transform fragility and futility through our faith; helplessness and hurt through our hope; loss and loneliness through our love.
Never underestimate the power of prayer to illuminate and penetrate the darkest of places. Working with the law of attraction, light will find light. Standing directly in the path of love and light denies the shadow any expression.
Now, as March arrives, named after Mars, the god of war, what better time to act in ways of peace and unity?
Getting to know your neighbours, and putting names to the faces, forms a deeper connection. Sharing stories unites us further, revealing common threads that strengthen uncommon bonds.
And the three little words that can transcend and transform, release and restore, make the world go round, in peace?
You are forgiven
Now, that’s the power of love in action.
With love, the energetic vibration of life, Mary
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