Perhaps we humans, as a species, realized we came to this extraordinarily beautiful jewel of a planet in a universe so vast that when we nightly looked at the stars we were reminded we were nothing more than dust specks. Instead of feeling joy in our being here amongst the other glorious creatures—the animals, plants, the skies, rainbows and sunsets—we aligned with our fears and our insecurities and fought with one another for tiny vestiges of superiority.
We, as a species, have done such harm. Rather than coming together to celebrate being, we divided and divided and divided again, factions against factions, making up “races”, insisting on gender hierarchy, and using killing as a way to shore up our puny, scared selves. Using superiority as a shield we attempted to separate ourselves from other living beings all around us, a monumental error of insecurity.
All that was necessary was trust. Prophets came to open our hearts and minds yet our flaws turned these teachings as weapons against one another.
We did not—have not—learned that trust, love, compassion, cooperation, respect and sharing are all we ever needed. All dividers were false flags. It was a test. We failed.
There are acts of kindness amongst us, fleeting moments of awareness of deeper purpose and caring, each and everyone a reminder of what really matters, yet the mass of awfulness is an obsessive force spread by media, our shiny objects of bad behaviors drawing us away from our inner selves that long for love which we know must be present. Somewhere.
I am only beginning to understand that our individual experiences of sorrow, loss, pain, disease are actually pathways that open us to others. Those who have not (yet) gone through this process are easily identifiable in their confidence and belief they are not like others particularly like those in obvious distress as evidenced by a lack of material resources, by evidence of non-health, and by so many more tiny markers of judgment. Separators. Us versus them. How thin that line of perceived safety really is. Once crossed and fully experienced the reward of “troubles” can be understanding; compassion; “There but for the grace of god, go I.” Such knowledge / awareness is hard earned but for those willing to go deeper the gift of such experience would not be surrendered or exchanged. The false tinkling of laughter, of condescension, the bubble wrap insulation or whatever form that seems easiest route, is a ruse.
Take your sorrow, your pain, your rough and uneasy road and bless it for the vision and knowledge which it allows. All around you are travelers on the path. Sharing the sorrow is a heart opening, a true healing, a blessed opportunity.
The Marginal Way 