I was reading a quote by a Holocaust survivor discussing the horrors of war. He talked about how there are those who wait for a savior to come, one who will end all wars and one who will establish peace. He talked about how this was problematic and there existed a better way to live our lives. In his words:
I grew up hearing others "hope," "wish," and "wait" for the "Second Coming" or the "Coming of our Savior" who would "right all wrongs," "balance the scales," "set things right," etc. I've listened to countless religious folks talk about the deplorable conditions in our wicked society. They lament the evil and eagerly await the return of their King whom they believe will destroy the wicked and create a "Zion" society where the righteous shall live in peace and happiness.
Just writing all of that feels wrong. How can we look forward to a day when any of our fellow brothers and sisters will be destroyed? How can we sit and wring our hands and lament the supposed "evils of society," while "hoping for a brighter day?"
I don't dwell on the evil, in fact, I rarely see it. When I do, I recognize it as the aberration from the norm for I see far more beauty and light. In fact, for every untoward act, I recognize 100 million acts of kindness. I believe that good always outweighs the bad.
We see what we believe, and our thoughts become our reality. That is why I choose to see the good. I don't see depraved human beings being led by the devil. I see divine creations doing their level best and learning life lessons. I recognize that there are Gods among us, and that as Gods we are the saviors of the world. We must act singly and with others. . . to create joy through our lives, here and now--not wait for some savior to come and save us and create a reign of peace. We can all do as St. Francis of Assisi did and pray, Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. And we can recognize that God gave his begotten sons and daughters to come down to Earth to redeem the world, and each other, through love. Love is the greatest influence for good, and the greatest means for salvation. Let us be Saviors through our love.
The seed of this culture is the determination within individuals, and then small groups and communities, to devote our lives to the greatest vision of all time: not to wait for a savior one day to deliver us; not to wait for a government to pass truly just laws; not to wait for a revolution to right the wrongs of a cruel world; and not to mount a crusade to overpower some distant source of evil beyond ourselves. Each of us singly and with all others, is answerable for creating joy through the way our lives unfold, here and now.
I grew up hearing others "hope," "wish," and "wait" for the "Second Coming" or the "Coming of our Savior" who would "right all wrongs," "balance the scales," "set things right," etc. I've listened to countless religious folks talk about the deplorable conditions in our wicked society. They lament the evil and eagerly await the return of their King whom they believe will destroy the wicked and create a "Zion" society where the righteous shall live in peace and happiness.
Just writing all of that feels wrong. How can we look forward to a day when any of our fellow brothers and sisters will be destroyed? How can we sit and wring our hands and lament the supposed "evils of society," while "hoping for a brighter day?"
I don't dwell on the evil, in fact, I rarely see it. When I do, I recognize it as the aberration from the norm for I see far more beauty and light. In fact, for every untoward act, I recognize 100 million acts of kindness. I believe that good always outweighs the bad.
We see what we believe, and our thoughts become our reality. That is why I choose to see the good. I don't see depraved human beings being led by the devil. I see divine creations doing their level best and learning life lessons. I recognize that there are Gods among us, and that as Gods we are the saviors of the world. We must act singly and with others. . . to create joy through our lives, here and now--not wait for some savior to come and save us and create a reign of peace. We can all do as St. Francis of Assisi did and pray, Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. And we can recognize that God gave his begotten sons and daughters to come down to Earth to redeem the world, and each other, through love. Love is the greatest influence for good, and the greatest means for salvation. Let us be Saviors through our love.
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