Sunday Reflections

Carol A. Hand

Living_root_bridges,_Nongriat_village,_Meghalaya2

Photo: Living Tree-Root Bridge (Wikipedia)

What are we thinking about as advocates when we see needless suffering and injustice?

Do we think about the world as we’d like to see it or the evil that needs to change?

I’ve read that this is an important question, and my experience has told me it is.

We’re so quick to forget that we are more interdependent than we often realize.

We breathe each other’s air, the energy of our thoughts penetrating other hearts.

Let me focus on what could be although my heart is heavy with grief when I witness more cruelty.

Let me focus on building bridges and inclusion rather than walls that isolate and divide.

Copyright Notice: © Carol A. Hand and carolahand, 2013-2016. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Carol A. Hand and carolahand with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

25 thoughts on “Sunday Reflections”

  3. My heart is heavy, I’m losing hope so fast…I’m forcing myself into active hope but I find myself having trouble breathing…thanks for your words, they summarize what needs to be in our hearts

    Liked by 2 people

      1. We must be strong and support each other’s work even if that is only to write about what we see and feel. We need to find the others and support them too. The world is turning uglier and the heart is sinking, but we must not allow love and compassion to die…

        Liked by 1 person

  4. Words that are so appropriate at this time, but also from all time, our future is what we make it, good or bad. Your point on interdependence is so obvious, yet so overlooked. What a wonderful world we could have, if only……….

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you for your thoughtful comments, Buster. We are, indeed, interdependent. It never ceases to amaze me that so few realize that fact or understand that by working together and sharing, life could be better for everyone.

      Like

  6. “Do we think about the world as we’d like to see it or the evil that needs to change?”
    ~ I think we need both, Carol. We cannot achieve what we cannot conceive and, at the same time, must let go of what holds us back from our goal.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Appreciate your thoughts on this weekend that began with such horrific news. What happened in Paris does in some ways build bridges and you see that in how people from all over the world tried to express their empathy with Parisians. But it also isolates and divides and we’re likely to experience the impact of that long after all of our Facebook profile pictures have stopped being shadowed in the French flag.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Important observations, Ken. Tragedy does bring some people together as you point out, often united by fear and the urge to retaliate to protect their shared interests and privileges.

      Like

  9. Pingback: Reading and Sharing “News” | Silvia Di Blasio

  10. What that can be, is good Carol! We grieve for Paris but, at the same time, must stay united to do the needful for lasting peace / to solve. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_State_of_Iraq_and_the_Levant#Human_rights_abuse_and_war_crime_findings

    Excess negativity, dwelling and unwarranted divisiveness, particularly over the myriad of less relevant issues (without moderate solutions) are the fodder of extremist groups. Conversely, there will be less incentive to join ISIS, if people discern reasonable hope* and are more critical of malicious behaviour, e.g. ethnic cleansing, slavery. With fewer seduced by the extreme and divisive (e.g. joining the ISIS) it translates, in part, to diminished terrorism and less reprisals.

    *the big picture improves e.g. poverty elimination for the first time in History. 1B out of poverty between 1990-2015, and the last 1B poorest to be alleviated by 2030.

    Liked by 1 person

  11. I’m with you, Carol. Let’s build bridges by sharing what we know. Wishing you much success with your book and look forward to reading it when it’s published (or before? let me know if you need a beta reader before you publish/would be delighted! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  12. I appreciate your lovely comments, Bette. I am also grateful for your offer to read the manuscript when it’s done and edited. It may be a while before I’m finished. I already know that it will be much longer than the 50K words that I need to complete for NaNo in eight days. (Only 8K more to go…)

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑

%d bloggers like this: