The death of Osama bin Laden provided an opportunity to really look at what’s going on here? As a woman who provides healing and guidance to others, I watched the news, read Facebook postings and wondered.
I remember the September 11th attacks. I heard stories of near misses of friends being diverted from going to the World Trade Towers in favor of driving their kids to school that day. I felt the grief and loss of so many lives. I wondered why was there so much hate in the world? How could someone hate so much to kill thousands of people? How can I live in this world with this kind of fear and hatred?
Our society is based in fear. We live in fear of what we don’t know. We fear our neighbors, people from different religions, different cultures, different socioeconomic backgrounds and political beliefs. We fear.
Lightworkers, healers and other religious people talk of love, acceptance, forgiveness and yet, we revel in the death of someone who hates and acted on his hate. Why do we give so much attention to him? Why keep him in the spotlight? Why put that kind of energy to it? He deserved no attention. He deserved nothing from us. His death doesn’t end the fear or hatred?
A quote was posted on Facebook by Martin Luther King and it turns out the quote was misquoted. I searched the quotes and found the writings of Martin Luther King. I was blown away. What a mind, heart and soul whose words are still here for us. To learn from and grow from.
On August 16, 1967, Dr. King gave his “Where Do We Go From Here?” speech in Atlanta. In the transcript of the speech there appears this passage:”
“I’m concerned about a better world. I’m concerned about justice; I’m concerned about brotherhood; I’m concerned about truth. And when one is concerned about that, he can never advocate violence. For through violence you may murder a murderer, but you can’t murder murder. Through violence you may murder a liar, but you can’t establish truth. Through violence you may murder a hater, but you can’t murder hate through violence. Darkness cannot put out darkness; only light can do that.”
Where do we go from here? Do we continue to repeat the past? Do we continue to fear what we don’t know? Do we start a conversation about what’s right in the world and shine our own light? Do we reach out to someone we don’t know to try and understand and learn from?
I too am concerned about a better world. I’m concerned about justice and I feel that justice isn’t done until we learn to learn to understand and accept our differences. I can’t advocate violence even though I’m capable of it. I am concerned for truth, but that truth lives within and I live by it.. Darkness resides in us by virtue of being human. Light is also apart of being human. I choose to use my light to show me where to go from here. Light is not just a spiritual concept. It’s a human one as well.
We are in darkness when we choose to hate no matter how good the reason may seem.
Where do we go from here? Martin Luther King Jr. I miss you terribly. I didn’t know how much until today. I am committing to reading your words and understanding your mission more fully.
A light that still shines and shows me where I go from here.
