God Up Above, Hide all this hatred till you fill us up with Love - Dave Matthews Band lyric
My greatest desire currently is to grow deeper into the heart of empathy and compassion. To do this I have had to dissect my world-view, the frames with which I think and view the world and other human beings. I have had to become more aware of my sticking points, my own capacity for bigotry against those who think differently than me. To do this I have to be really honest with myself about those I have hurt, and I have to honestly forgive those who have hurt me. I have to seek reconciliation on both fronts. I think I am getting better … but jeez is this a long process! My sticking point it seems are those who I perceive as not being empathetic to other beings such as the poor, the suffering, the disenfranchised, the fragile eco-systems of the earth – the list could go on for quite a while. And yet to have a truly compassionate heart I must find ways of having compassion for these less than empathetic folks too, without letting go of the search for justice. I believe justice is not just for me, not just for you, but for everyone – and by justice I don’t mean punitive justice, but reconciling justice – the kind that makes each being into the fulness of who they or it can be. Many have said we are all interconnected and until all are fully the beings they are meant to be I cannot be who I am meant to be, you cannot be who you are meant to be. I believe this to be true.
