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Embrace Impermanence

The hurricane bullied toward the coast, cracking lightning bolts over the dark bellies of the clouds and indiscriminately slinging tornadoes to earth. It was useless to pretend that nothing would happen or lament that we were not ready. Life does not wait and does not look back. 

As if invincible, the storm swaggered on, not knowing that it was merely transient – impermanent- and would inevitably encounter a rainbow.

The collision of the hurricane with the rainbow muffled the winds and humbled the storm’s conceit as the rainbow avalanched into a montage of the red, gold and caramel colors of Autumn. A sweet loamy aroma lingered, prophesizing both a beginning and an end. The summer’s vibrant song quelled and the serene serenade of Autumn rose.

In the hurricane’s aftermath, white clouds scuttle back into place and the sun breaks through with excited shafts of light that stroke the collage of leaves and branches covering the battered ground.  Sleek and lustrous water puddles sleep on the sidewalk. Cool autumn gusts sprint through streets, whirling leaves with left over debris into transitory twisters that provoke unwelcome memories. Night comes quicker and lingers until dismissed by the unhurried sun of dawn.

Breathe the cleansed air to dispel the parade of disasters that have taunted resilience and courage and applaud the trees that wave their surviving leaves defiantly, like proud Mardi Gras flags against the unpretentious hues of the branches. They convert Autumn, a potential season of sadness, into a gateway to rebirth and renewal.

I am filled with hope.

I shout like a crazed warrior and relish the sound of my voice resounding through the trees. I listen for an echo and I am not certain that I hear it. Then it comes – like a quiet hymn that stretches the high notes and joyfully soars into an anthem sung by multiple, diverse voices of neighbors, friends and family remembering why and for whom they lived.

We have been changed, transformed and reborn.

Life gives, even when she must take, reminding us to share time’s eternal and magical dance together or be lost.

Shoulders that soaked up the despair spilling out from anguished tears now join together. Shoulder to shoulder, strangers and neighbors remove fallen trees, fashion blue roofs, sweep away debris and plan to rebuild. Those that eased the dark will come back to visit again and again.

With the spiritual power of the fall equinox comes renewal, not reprisal. It illuminates the fallacy of plenty that is merely fool’s gold waiting for nature’s claim. A catchword buzzes from mind to mind – simplicity.

It is possible to create a way of life that is outwardly simple, inwardly rich; a life lived on one’s own terms. It would be a disservice to merely return to what was and not dare to reinvent our lives, to release what no longer serves us in this moment. Adversity and perseverance offer value and a self-esteem that is precious.

In the aftermath of any disaster, when your knees touch the floor, you will know what gives your life purpose and meaning and how you want to live the rest of your life.

Will you sit on the porch steps and listen to the stories your grandparents tell about their youth? Perhaps pack a picnic basket and dangle the hook of a fishing pole into the bayou, wishing only that a trout will take the bait so you can wrestle him to shore.

Do you want to dance to the band and – even if you can’t carry a tune and don’t know the words – sing loudly? Surely you will laugh and keep dancing. Do you savor crawfish etouffee, oysters, shrimp remoulade and red beans and rice to fill the stomach? Will you find the time to attend Church to thank God and ask Him for solace and peace?

It is your choice if and how you will endure. Listen to what the earth is trumpeting in halleluiah colors. Embrace Impermanence. It is the soil that nourishes newness, goodness and turns what is into what could be.

Adversity can break you or make you. Like the wind, it will strip away anything that is superfluous, that can be tumbled or torn and leave behind what is vital. There is a triumph in each experience that may have not been born without it.

Shoulders back, standing tall despite adversity and personal risk, untold numbers tap unforeseen strengths to help others during misfortune, endeavoring to do the right and just thing, even if others take no action at all.

Every challenge successfully conquered serves to strengthen the will, confidence and ability to confront future hurdles. When life knocks you down, it is not always easy to get up and act decisively. Your path through the dimness is made easier in the guiding light of the moral compass.

Look for the rainbow when a hurricane is forecast. Both rain and sunshine bring blessings.


Stars can’t shine without darkness. (Photo by Khamkéo Vilaysing on Unsplash)

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A Singular Birth

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.” (Psalm 46:1-3)

The shepherds are captivated by the baby the angels called a Savior

It wasn’t grandiose, barely comfortable, in fact. There were no pompous greetings; no one took hats and hung them carefully on golden hooks or handed out celebratory stems of fine wine.

Those that gathered in this place had each received a most unexpected, yet remarkable, personal invitation and without hesitation had followed – of all things – a brilliant star to a stable in a remote part of a small town.

As the dress code was assumed to be come as you are, guests were clothed in simple cotton tunics that left knees free during labor-intensive tasks like planting, herding or chasing pillaging wolves. Most wore outer garments made of camel’s hair to keep warm and shed rain. Many carried a hooked club made of oak wood that identified them as shepherds.

They crowded around an unsteady manger filled with prickly straw that had been set up behind an inn smelling of dust and manure. There was a sign posted on the door of the Inn- “No Room.”

Captivated by a newborn child hastily enveloped in cloth, the assemblage did not notice the humble poverty of the exhausted mother who could not seem to take her adoring eyes from her son or the father who hovered protectively over the mother and child.

No one belittled the accommodations or deplored the animals, big and small, trampling heavily and noisily around the manger. There was no gossip about how this family ended up here or laments about foolish decisions. They had come to see the baby that lay in the manger, and they too were poor.

A passerby pulled aside a stable hand to ask what caused these stalwart men to leave their flock and brave the journey here. The young boy’s eyes seem to glow with a light that intensified as he told the story he had heard.

“The shepherds were abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock at night. Suddenly an angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid,” he said clasping his hands in prayer.

“The angel said to them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger,” he breathed the words exactly as they had been said.

“And suddenly a multitude of the heavenly host praising God appeared with the angels, singing, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men,” he ended.

The boy turned and gestured to the passer-by to follow him, “Come, come and see the King.”

The man hastened to follow, splashing through puddles of muddy water, wet hay and brambles sticking to his shoes, his heart beating joyfully.

An Unanticipated Birth Place for a Savior.

Would it not have been supposed that the birth of such a King as this, would merit a magnificent ceremonial festival in the grand hall of a palace as a welcome into the world?

Only so if Jesus were not a radical.

As such, He was born in poverty, among animals, with the Roman-appointed king of Judaea intent on slaughtering Him. His life was radical, His death was radical. His love was radical. It changed the entire course of human history.

When Jesus came to earth over two thousand years ago, He encountered two groups of people. People who loved Him and wanted true freedom and those who felt threatened by everything He stood for and feared losing their power and authority. Not unlike today.

As a reformer, Jesus rose up against authority and tradition. His life and teachings a sweeping invitation to something beyond what most of us have settled for. Jesus was a political revolutionary calling for change in human hearts, but also compelling sweeping and comprehensive change in the political, social, and economic structures.

Jesus simply allowed truth to reign supreme. Inundate a culture with truth, and enemies are loved, the marginalized prioritized and wealth inequality exposed for the sham it is.

In today’s society truth is radical.

To accept truth completely in every situation is exceedingly difficult. It requires the patience of a saint and the diplomacy of an ambassador. Every day we are tempted in a multitude of ways to have an incidental relationship with truth by ignoring, stretching or manipulating it. Motivation rises out of political correctness, a need to be admired, convenience or expediency. Truth is not a finely-honed human skill.

Jesus had a lot to say about wealth, causing havoc for money changers, paralleling a journey through the eye of a needle to the ease for the rich to enter heaven and warning that the love of money is the root of all evil. The recalcitrant Prince of Peace told a rich young ruler to sell everything and give it to the poor. He told His disciples the same thing. In essence, we are stewards and managers of everything we possess, no more and no less.

While we acknowledge in theory that the last shall be first as He proclaimed, in practice many still pursue influence and power at a personal, cultural and political level. Still, it can be difficult to love your brothers and sisters when you are subjected to indiscretions, offenses or evil deeds they have committed.

Following Jesus is not an easy path.

Sadly, as life is increasingly lived online, we are in danger of losing real human connection and interaction, enslaving us to the often biased, selfish and egocentric portrait of the world displayed there. It is debatable that theology has yet caught up to technology.

So how is it possible for so many to profess a belief in Jesus, yet ignore the suffering of the poor and the needy? Just how truly faithful to the vision of Jesus are the many, politicians included, who claim to be Christian?

How Do We Respond to the Radical Words of Jesus?

The truth must be spoken; lies discredited; misconceptions, misinformation and hate exposed.

Crusade for justice, equity and opportunity for all those who have been systematically held back, punished, cheated, abused, ignored and isolated by providing everyone the opportunity to earn, save and build wealth not just the privileged.

We must do all that is in our power to stop selfish, self-centered, power driven speech, actions and plans from our governance because the truth is that they are working for the people, not the other way around.

Rebuild a vision of a country that is truly of, by and for the people to replace the image of a future controlled by a handful astride the human heap.

Be willing to be vulnerable.

Work for the common good, making the new, beneficial, life expanding discoveries accessible to all.

Reexamine mass hurt by bringing both survivors and perpetrators together to address human rights violations.

All people must acknowledge their mistakes and forgive each other. Banish the camouflaged trappings used against each other and connect through our common humanity, honoring the human soul, spirit and essence.

Claim the right to be free from brutality, oppression, government, power, greed and hate, casting off injustice to herald diversity.

Condemn those who exploit the people and follow those who love their fellow man. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the foremost practitioners of the politics of Jesus, selflessly embraced the ethic of love and understood that the purpose of love was to take down the pillars of oppression.

What Kind of World Can We Expect if We Follow the Radical Politics Jesus Introduced into the World?

We would welcome the stranger and together would publicly work out what that means. Politicians and followers of Jesus’s politics would use love and justice to evaluate and measure the government’s work.

Grievances, cruelty, lies, inequity, disparities, inequalities could be aired and heard openly as penalties, punishment and consequences are assessed for those violating human rights. Knowing this would encourage us to work together, discuss our needs, anxieties and differences.

Our voices would be heard by all, proclaiming our solidarity.

Know that not everyone will accept you. If people hated Jesus, there will be those who hate you too, but that should never stop you from your quest for justice, equality and equity.

Jesus invites us to live a radical life and demonstrate His love, His forgiveness and His healing to this broken world.  Accepting His challenge to be a radical who walks in forgiveness and compassion as did the Messiah, means we can manifest change.

There is no alternative but to face the past squarely and step into the future.

Celebrate the miracle of Christmas with me.

So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

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Awaiting the Rainbow

He who is not every day conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life.  
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Satellite Image of Hurricane
Photo by NASA on Unsplash

Summer’s touch lazed on the browning lawns and neutral grounds and the puddles of lingering rainwater from last night’s thunderstorm mirrored flashes of afternoon sun rays that could liquefy asphalt in a minute. The summer flowers flaunted their flamboyant colors under a blue sky peppered with redundant fluffs of clouds that seemed to age as I watched.

The outlines of their ghostly white surfaces began slowly greying near the edges. Then, as if the Rougarou had thrown buckets of swamp water over them, they transformed into muddy grey and black masses. The clouds butted together, overlapping each other and hissing out warning streaks of lightening.

It was the absence of bird song and the skittish overaction of pets and people that foretold the approaching marauder.

From the weather satellite, the hurricane seemed as soft and fresh as a meringue pie. Its trajectory was to hit the Gulf Coast and keep on moving inland. No one wanted it to land on their table, but it had to go somewhere.

Might as well try and catch a bullet because it was on its way and nothing would stop it.

When the hurricane’s path was confirmed, neighbors hustled in and out of screen doors, their arms loaded with supplies to pack into the car. Plywood was hauled out of the garage and hammered in place over vulnerable windows; insurance documents gathered and grocery stores raided for bread, water and other staples. Fully loaded vehicles waited impatiently in long lines to fuel up on their way out of town.

Anything that was not secured was nailed down. That covered a lot of stuff, but wood and metal pieces large enough to kill in a 90mph+ gale were first in line.

Some, like me, stayed. The decision revolved around the severity of the storm, the predicted path, the availability of a safe place to go to and how likely your home would be under water once the storm landed.

The feel of the rising wind blustering my hair into a flurry of wind whipped strands,snapped me back to the present and reminded me of the need to plug in the generator. The power would be lost sooner than later.

The hurricane started sluggishly, tangential winds rustling the trees. I smelled the sweet, pungent aroma of loamy earth air released by the rain that quickened like deceitful tears falling from impenitent eyes. I watch the trash cans summersault a last dance with the gusting winds that swelled, died and rose again.

The wind was beginning to animate the lake into resentful gray foams of salty water that barraged the shore, causing precarious board walks to shudder. Even in the middle of a hurricane, as the storm rages, the bottom of the sea is calm. There is no storm below. 

On land, leaf filled debris erupted into spontaneous, crazed raves that pirouetted around tree trunks and tossed signs into a growing abyss orchestrated by rumbling thunder, spot lighted by crackles of lightening and sparks from felled light poles.

I lifted my face to the blanket of clouds that obscured the sun’s fading intensity, experiencing the threat in my heart, body and soul. The rising wind raced through the streets, torn leaves whorled into frenzied whirlwinds, forecasting hidden devastation lurking in the hurricane.

I silently prayed I would not see the sky turning green, or sense the wind die down and the air become very still, or hear a loud roar as if a freight train is coming. Please Lord, spare us from tornados.

Like a Leviathan, the hurricane twisted and writhed across lakes, rivers, bayous and land, leaving a wake of chaos. My senses were on overload.

The hurricane winds taunted anything standing. Tiles rocketed off roofs in harmony with the clattering of window panes and the stuttering of aging beams. The creepy, whistling, savage roar of the wind howled a catastrophe that made my hair stand up on the back of my neck.

When the hurricane is overhead nothing can deaden the clamor.

Neither could I blot out the pummeling, relentless din of the rain. Rising waters are dangerous and I have known terror and utterly unaccountable aftereffects when storm waters breeched the door step of a home.

Still I had to know. I stepped cautiously onto the porch. I could see the water was swelling across the lawn but not yet a threat. I fought the wind and shoved the door closed with my left hand as my right hand made the sign of the cross.

I winced at the booming sound of large branches falling heavily across the road and then jumped higher than I ever thought I could as a thunderous moan shook the house. The lament seemed to come from the earth itself. Inexplicably, I began to weep as if mourning an old friend.

I pulled a soft fleece blanket around me and huddled down in a fetal position on the sofa for what seemed like evermore.

With a start I realized that the pulsating encroachment of the hurricane had begun to wane, signaling that it had satisfied its vengeance and was moving on to repeat its rant and vent its fury on other places before, exhausted and perhaps repentant, it blew its last breath and disappeared from sight.

The wind calmed and a faint peach-orange glow dawned, eliciting a collective prayer of thanks that hounded away the last raindrop. The air was clam, clear and almost fragrant from being so thoroughly cleansed. Each breath of the fresh air filled my senses with a joy that made me want to yell at the top of my lungs that I had made it through the storm.

As the sun began to rise, I saw it rested in a perfectly clear, blue sky. I caught my breath at the contrast that momentarily mocked me. With leaden feet I stepped into the carnage. There was no yellow brick road waiting to lead the way home. For many there was no home.

When the wild, wind dance subsided, debris that minutes before had been air borne alighted in outrageous displays and improbable places, blocked roads, blanketed vehicles, decapitated roofs and downed trees. The grass still coated the ground, unable to be plucked by the wrathful hurricane.

Nothing was as it was.

My heart ached to see the ageless oak, my loyal friend, laying prone across the front yard like a brave warrior. Her great root ball defiantly towered above the ground and knurled limbs claimed the land which, for decades, she lovingly sheltered.

As I stepped over the debris and fallen trees I blew a kiss to mother earth; may she recover from the assault and the ruthless pain that set her reeling.

Hurricane season carries a humbling reminder that, despite modern technologies, nature is unpredictable. Global warming has created instability, making the storms more volatile and multiplying the number of hurricanes and tornadoes.   

In truth, you can’t stop the hurricane; you just learn how to survive if you are in its path and recover once it has past. To some it seems futile to rebuild a new life on shifting sand. Still it speaks to resilience, faith and hard-headed human beings.

Perhaps it is the horror-film-like feel of the experience that tricks our mind into believing it never really happened.

Adversity is a chance to shine, to rise to a challenge. Only then will you feel the rainbow and discharge the hurricane, grateful for the blessings of rain and sunshine.

“One who knows the Mississippi will promptly aver—not aloud, but to himself—that ten thousand River Commissions, with the mines of the world at their back, cannot tame that lawless stream, cannot curb it or confine it, cannot say to it, Go here, or Go there, and make it obey; cannot save a shore which it has sentenced; cannot bar its path with an obstruction which it will not tear down, dance over, and laugh at.”

Flooded Road after Hurricane
Photo by phillip-flores-38wqGW802RM-unsplash.jpg

Posted on

An Unprecedented Collapse

Represents equity, equality and justice
Equity, Equality and Justice for All
Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash

A silent shadow is creeping across the land. I cannot yet discern its shape but it is deathly dark, arrogantly relentless and void of warmth as it rises defiantly. It reveals itself in the greed of the super-rich, the ruthless hunger for power among unethical politicians, the violence splintering the country and the fear that cowers human hearts.

It discharges anger and suffering until the air stinks with decay and oppression weights the shoulders. Cries for peace are suffocated with shrouds of hate. There is no simple, rational or ah-ha reason why democracy is slipping away. Now is a dangerous time

When the shadow crosses the Light, familiar touchstones, wellbeing and benchmarks are merely mirages that cannot be reached. Life suddenly becomes surreal.

Where is the strategy for a tomorrow that is a mere hallucination?

Historically, Americans have accepted challenges foisted on them and fought back. Today, they are gamed with intimidation and implicit threats by self-centered, arrogant legislators and lawyers, intent on creating a world of us-versus-them-thinking that magnifies our perceptions of difference rather than our shared fate.

In America, social bonds collapse as the economy fragments. Caring relationships have become luxuries. The sociological impact of polarization and increasing censure of one’s political opposites is an emergent consequence.

The pathology that stabs the soul, is that Americans appear to be content to simply watch one another die. They are not shocked and stunned or even resigned, but merely indifferent as their neighbors, friends, and colleagues die too soon and, often, alone.

Americans seem not to feel a need to stop this social predatory way of life. They turn their heads, shut their eyes and go about their daily business.

Bipartisanship has been chased into a darkened cavern guarded by power-incensed hypocrites. The current rhetoric of hostility to a perceived challenger has metamorphosed to an extreme level where revulsion is a stronger motivator than loyalty. Anger has become the primary tool proponents of negative partisanship use to rouse voters.

In a lucid world, there are some individual and societal benefits from political polarization and conflict between opposing viewpoints. Many individuals find it easier to understand and comprehend a partisan perspective rather than grapple with the complex approaches to issues and situations that include diverse pros and cons. There are economic perks for businesses that are able to take advantage of and monetize the behaviors of emotional partisans seeking corroboration for their opinions.

The original intent of establishing three separate branches of the federal government was to use open-minded analysis to work through conflict. Handled correctly, optimal solutions emerge from the process.

What happens, however, when elected representatives who refuse to negotiate, compromise or consider revision of their dogmas, dominate Congress? It has been shown that, when Legislators become so rigid they will not even acknowledge the needs of their constituents, policy actions, budget compromises and government-run national institutions are shuttered.

It is no secret that money is a titanic stimulus for elected representatives to cling to policy and courses of action favored by big money donors. Not surprisingly, such groups often obtain policy promises from candidates that exclude the concept of compromise.

The COVID19 pandemic displayed the disdain the federal government holds for traditional family institutions, religious institutions and the economic system. The lack of trust and respect for Scientific process, higher education, the mass media and the role of state government flashed like an I’m Okay -You’re not Okay message in holographic colors on our TV screens.

Such biting views of institutions and social structures promote distrust, anger and internal infighting, instead of active efforts to fix problems and address threats. Fake, fabricated news and information create confusion about the validity of current issues and the angry disagreement on essential, basic facts feed the loss of confidence in government.

Lack of accountability has become our operating principle.

Our domain has become a polarized society where people make snap judgments about others based solely on their political leanings. Gone is the custom of taking time to get to know people newly met to discover common interests. The purpose of the new meet and greet is to determine where someone stands on the political scale in reference to your position.

From this new perspective, individuals draw broad assumptions that define many aspects of who that person is. There is little thought of exploring what they have in common.

As polarization deepens, collaboration evaporates. Individuals are frightened to share their true beliefs with others because differing beliefs can lead to derision, arguments and even violence. Beliefs are self-filtered and, frequently, self-silenced.

An appetite for self-protection sprouts special-interest bubbles based on religion, sexuality, gender, race and many more categories. Inside the bubble, people cower among their counterparts and speak a mutually accepted language without fear of reprisal for words, ideas and concepts unacceptable to another group. Personal trust is strongly coupled with personal views on issues related to institutional trust, whether it is the military, police officers, business executives or religious leaders.

Paper the walls of the bubble with some unique brand of discourse – slanted social media, narrowly focused journalism, sensation-seeking media, pathological lies – and captivity is complete. The sound of new, different and novel conversation that could have led to solutions and compromises equally beneficial to all is muffled. Polarization intensifies as an insatiable force.

Take a deep breath and taste the toxic atmosphere created by current leaders and heads of state who play to the dark sides of human nature. The air is heavy with mistrust, fear, apprehension, cynicism, disenfranchisement and hatred of those who are seen as different. Blinded by the resulting haze, the circle of light spotlighting a true leader continues to blur.

This catastrophe of human prospects dishonors this country. The time has come to gather our essential baggage and seek a loftier position.

It is up to rational, empathic and determined Americans to find the critical path, recapture the common ground and salvage the American dream before the light fades to dark. We can only thwart malignant polarization if our efforts are in the interest of all persons and for the common good of everyone.

Such an undertaking demands solidarity and rejects any attempt to divide our country. Strive to promote conversations about the mutual needs of all people and do not back down from the truth that only some are getting their needs met. Cast-off chatter that activates harmful stereotypes.

This moment is where each person lives and where positive, powerful action is possible. Now is that time to live as though your positive acts will jolt a chain reaction, culminating in paybacks beyond imagination.

What we imagine becomes what we build. What if we actively imagined and willfully designed a new culture focused on equity that is worthy of cheers and devoid of fears? It is not only possible, but probable. Did mankind not have the courage and foresight to leave the caves behind?

Ground yourself in reality. Follow the yoga practice of becoming aware of your feet touching solid ground and listen to the whisper of the guru. Feel your feet, feel your feet. We desperately need everyone to feel their feet.

Diversity may be the hardest thing for a society to live with, and perhaps the most dangerous thing for a society to live without. ~ William Sloane Coffin Jr.

Posted on

The Lost Ingredient

Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all! By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall.`John Dickinson; Photo by LOGAN WEAVER on Unsplash

Alice did not know what she would find when she plunged into the rabbit hole. But she knew she was following something – something alluring and captivating that she was compelled to investigate.

Love comes in unexpected forms.

Perhaps it is time for me to find new rabbit holes for burrowing. Conceivably, I might discover a fresh lair that leads to my heart’s desire, my life’s purpose where minds, hearts and hands join together to change the world.

Too fairy-tale-like for you? I give you that. But I defend my right, as a known Pollyanna, to slip improbable wishes into the folds of my soul and let them dance unfettered in my dreams.

Throughout time, people have been searching for the magical elixir that will permeate the ever-changing, growing and deepening maze of empty rabbit holes that, when filled, will lock the whole world together in solidarity.

Is love the answer? There is a high probability of that. We are gifted with many types of love,

The love of a parent for a child can change a grown man into a wash rag. Each day you inhale the instances of smiles, whimpers, victories and suffer the heartaches that both sadden you and strengthen the bond of parent and child. What is not possible within the breadth of that love?

You don’t need to search far to flush out love in any family. Love appears in the words, actions, respect and honor extended to the rights of other family members – even if you disagree with their choices. Families work together to engender a selfless love and extend sincere, no-strings-attached forgiveness to each family member.

Whether true love blooms or fades is the purview of both people in a relationship. To build a bond strong enough to last a life time, each partner must show his vulnerable side. Trust that can only be achieved through honesty, is the extraordinary measure of the love between two people.

True love is structured on respecting your mate as a distinctive, autonomous individual. Love will bloom when we stay connected with that part of ourselves that desires physical contact and joyfully gives and receives affection. Such love is not domineering, not calculating and not menacing.

Brotherly love is feelings of humanity and compassion toward one’s fellow humans, an extension of the natural affection associated with near kin, toward the greater community of fellow believers. In Leviticus 19:18, it is said Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

This is where we have faltered.

Simplistically, a neighbor is a person who lives near another. Looking a little deeper, it refers to one’s fellow human being. Neither definition encompasses the complexity, diversity, injustice, estrangement, outrage, animosity and furor that has alienated neighbors in the modern world.

One word that comes close is racism.

Racism, whether it is intentional or unintentional is a system of structuring opportunity and assigning value based on the social interpretation of how one looks, that unfairly disadvantages some individuals and communities, unfairly advantages other individuals and communities, and saps the strength of the whole society through the waste of human resources.” — APHA Past-President Camara Phyllis Jones, MD, MPH, PhD

The COVID-19 pandemic clearly emphasized that overall health status is heavily influenced by socioeconomic factors. Appallingly, these health disparities are the product of years of intentional disinvestment in communities, including lack of access to basic services, jobs that paid less than a living wage, shortage of affordable quality housing, unavailability of education and health care.

These basic needs were shrouded by a system that allots value, structures and opportunity based on the color of a person’s skin. Less likely to be discussed openly, is the propensity for whites to take their privileges for granted. They hear the tune but not the lyrics.

Accordingly, many whites are reluctant to give up and share their privileges with their brothers and sisters of color. It is problematic for people to acknowledge the damage created by systems from which they personally benefit.

The outcome of failing to acknowledge or understand the inevitable systemic disadvantage created by turning a blind eye to prejudice and injustice is to negate the rights belonging to all human beings to choose a seat at the table of opportunity.

Knowledge is empowering. Once you grasp the injustice of racism and the wrong of classifying an entire category of human being as second-class citizenship, how can you not choose to act? There is no alternative but to squarely face the past .

Brotherly love encourages a healing, heart-centered approach to extinguish the false belief that any people are superior to others based on their skin color. To achieve social justice, equity and equality, we must commit to collaboration with people of color, rather than to cast them as others.

Fostering openness and transparency nurtures mutual trust and allows, even in a society as polarized as today’s United States, new opportunities for shared action to blossom.

As we endure this pandemic, our collective notion of what is possible has already changed, forcing us to revise the very concept of change. Once the start button is pressed, change is hard to stop. At its best, it expands fervently, gulping new ideas, prying open closed minds, facilitating leadership and cultivating mutual trust. Such a bold journey is only sustainable if there is a single-mindedness empowered with clear accountability and propelled by diversity.

The truth must be told, lies debunked, misconceptions corrected, misinformation repressed and hate obscured by love. Fabrications lie to us about what we need to be happy.

When we express a viewpoint and listen openly to other perceptions, minds expand and hearts swell with new hope. While one novel idea is valuable, the impact of many diverse, analytical and innovative voices contributing in a spirit of cooperation, embolden exponential growth.

One thing is clear—to have any hope of crushing racism in a society where mutual trust appears to be profoundly broken, you need a critical mass of citizens who are willing and able to participate.

Americans, battered by intensifying polarization in politics and cultural façades, are hungry for the truth. Whether the battle stems from disinformation or hostile attack by a virus run amok, the end result is cynicism, loss of faith and distrust in the government’s rhetoric that they are acting in the best interest of every citizen.

In reality there has been no vision. We must implement changes in America that will guarantee our country is truly of, by and for the people. Politicians refuse to visualize a future that is not a game of King of the Hill, where the winning move is to reach the coveted gold-encrusted top and look down on the carnage of broken promises, defeated human beings, flattened dreams and twisted hopes.

It’s clear that the nation’s leadership has failed in its duty to protect us. They have forgotten that public trust is imperative in governance and that trust depends on telling the truth. In a time of universal deceit – telling the truth is a revolutionary act.

The obstacles to success can sometimes appear overwhelming. Apathy sets in and passions fade, causing the movement to diminish and wither before real change is achieved, a possible result of inflexible white complacency.

Politics and polarization are increasingly formidable enemies, powered by partisanship, false information, self-centered actions and the unblinking focus on winning elections. As the pandemic continues to accelerate in the U.S., increased societal fear of becoming sick and state-led clampdowns breed distress and elevate distrust.

We have been living for many decades in what Italian philosopher Antonio Gramsci called a time of monsters. His quote expresses what we are coming to understand, the crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying and the new cannot be born; in this interregnum a great variety of morbid symptoms appear.

After all we have been through, nothing seems normal and everything appears fragile, yet astonishingly worth saving.

I wish I could say that we are all in this together, but there is still much to do. There can be no privileges without responsibilities. There can be little progress until we believe that we are bound together by destiny. There can be little hope unless freedom is equally shared. There can be no pride in who we are unless we change the conversation that only asks what’s in it for me?

Celebrate the love you have. Love is the weapon that slays dragons. It is the prize for our transformation. Let brotherly love be the new hope.

Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable…
Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.
– Martin Luther King, Jr.

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