What does it really take to unite people to a cause? Do we bond
more easily in good times or does it take a crisis? Unfortunately, it seems
like many of us are only motivated to respond when the going gets really tough
– when situations reach critical life and death proportions. Whether we are
talking about war, environmental destruction, a global health pandemic or
economic collapse… nothing spurs the public on quite like a good tragedy.
So is this a bad thing? Perhaps we’d wish for people to see what’s
going on sooner or that it would take less severe circumstances to get us all
moving, yet, it’s through these extreme examples that we can often learn the
most. Out of horrible, desperate circumstances we find incredible examples of heroism.
Like a wildfire that burns long and hard, but leaves fertile soil in its wake,
offering nature the opportunity for new growth – people who have been similarly
devastated have to reach down deep to find the strength to turn their situation
into a positive. But for those who are able to meet such a challenge, the
rewards are often unpredictably wonderful and far-reaching and almost make
sense of the original sacrifice.
Is this, perhaps, what life is all about? A continuous cycle of
birth, death and renewal: proving our metal through the ups and downs, taking
on the challenges that come our way, and growing better and stronger along the
way. I think so.
I truly believe that as a people, we are on the spiritual cusp of
something really wonderful and it has taken our current environmental crisis to
pull us together, so that even the least spiritual-minded among us are forced
to recognize how interdependent we all are on one another. We are not separate.
That is an illusion. And the only way we can thrive on this planet is to
recognize this as fact. We are all connected to each other and to this Earth –
and the time has come for us to re-examine and embrace all the ways we are the
same, instead of focusing so much on what makes us different.
Images: Belfountain Conservation Area in Ontario.
4 comments:
i would agree...our tragedies bind us together...and if we allow they can be great spiritual cliffs....i think we will see much more tragedy in the coming days (not to sound all gloom and doom) but i think as well it can be great opportunity for us...
Beautifully written..powerful, wise and inspiring!
Victoria
Hi Brian - That's exactly it... an opportunity to see what needs to be done on every level.
Thank you, Victoria!
Very thought provoking and nicely written too. I was particularly taken by your comments -
"We are all connected to each other and to this Earth – and the time has come for us to re-examine and embrace all the ways we are the same, instead of focusing so much on what makes us different."
Nice!
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