It's 2:30 am Saturday morning and per my normal, I'm wide awake. But there is nothing normal about the world this morning. We all went to bed, and are waking up, to more news of the terrorist attacks in Paris. Realizing in just a very short time the world has changed, again, by the self-serving acts of a bitter and desperate, delusional group of people. I don't know if it's just my current state of mind or not, my state of personal uncertainty, but I feel like we've been straddling two different worlds for some time now, with the potential of this recent act of violence shifting us in a scary direction. It's as if we're all a part of a strength and balancing game where depending on where our next step lands, determines which world we'll inevitably fall into. One of darkness. Or one of light. I picture everyone standing in line, a foot in each world, trying to keep equal balance, feeling the teeter of each precarious step forward. Like the unstable sensation you get while walking across a tension bridge. The feeling that if one person leans too far in one direction, it will trigger a chain reaction and we'll all follow. And I just can't understand how we got to this point. History keeps repeating itself with its bitterness. With its hatred. With its bouts of entitlement. With its war on religious freedoms. With its judgement on personal/individual freedoms. Right when I feel we're moving forward with acceptance and peace we're stepping backward even further with self-righteousness and judgment from fear of what we don't understand or from impenetrably skewed perceptions of reality. Two steps forward and 5 steps back does not make a Cha-Cha, regardless of how many memes on Facebook try to jokingly suggest. It's ignorance that pulls us back. Jealousy, greed, and self-absorption. And emotional, one-sided perceptions.
I've learned a lot over the past year about perception. And have learned once you place 100% selfish emotion into what you perceive to be true, there's no penetrating it. There's no way to ever see another side. Which is what drives people to the horrible extremes displayed in the attacks on the US on 9/11, and the attacks on France now. But where does it begin? How are we taught that fighting, violence, or revenge are the answers for change or progress? How the EF do we give certain people that much power to lead us in such a wrong direction? What troubles me is that this happens even on the very smallest of scales: schoolyards, boardrooms, churches. Even within the very confines of a family's living room. Is that where it starts? Are we really that incapable of thinking for ourselves? Incapable of seeing what is wrong or right? Of taking responsibility for our own actions? Of even knowing what is wrong or right anymore? Perception is mighty powerful. And when driven by emotion, that balance between the dark and the light becomes ridiculously fragile. A slippery slope.
I used to believe, hope rather, that all it took was a tragedy such as the attacks on Paris and NYC to give us all some new perspective. To wake us the fuck up to how ignorant we can be, focusing on meaningless issues like a red cup. And how trivial and senseless some of the schoolyard/boardroom/living room fighting can be, changing our perceptions to make a change for the better. But now I just fear it will feed those already falling into the darkness. I fear more of this is coming.
I feel like I'm watching a world I no longer recognize through the lens of a View-master. Remember those? News stories and experiences from my own life in stills on the 3-D reels, clicking through them one at a time as I try to maintain my own footing. Every step forward we take is so fragile. And unstable. I understand how difficult it can be to remain open. To fight the urge to be swayed in one direction or the other. But I try. We have to. I mean, it's human nature to take sides when we're emotionally involved, emphatically marching onward to support our belief systems. But shouldn't it be done with grace? Shouldn't it be done with an open mind and open heart? With the greater good being peace? Can't our perceptions and resulting behavior be based on rationale AND emotion? The problem is when you perceive something with too much emotion and not enough rationality, you risk losing the capability of seeing the truth. Just because you believe something to be true, doesn't mean it is. And this just sets us up for heartache, and divides us. Who knows what drove these psychos to attack. To actually plan, and implement this tragedy. What one person wormed their way into their heads, filling them with false power and hate, and made them believe violence was the path to progress. How any of that can actually sound rational to someone is so very foreign to me. And it desperately squanders my spirit.
My heart is so heavy tonight. Events such as these should change the way we behave in our own living rooms, in our communities, and ultimately in our world. It should shake the blinders off of those who wear them. And at the very least, force us to pay closer attention to which direction we eventually want to swing in. We as individuals can make a giant difference. But people need to learn to think for themselves first. Need to learn how to remain open without being led solely by emotion. And learn how to take responsibility for themselves. It makes us more knowledgeable. And with more knowledge we can move forward smartly, together. Imagine a world with no "sides". Just peaceful teams moving forward tangentially with the same goals in mind. It just takes balance. And genuine selflessness. And the ability to keep our hearts open.
I know the people of France will pull together to get through this. And recover as best they can, eventually. But, as the rest of us in the world watch through the eye piece of the viewer, will WE? It's time to pick the direction you want to walk in. Be mindful. Let this senseless tragedy guide your direction and lead you to the light. Just remember, the path you choose ultimately has a direct affect of all of those around you, so "be the positive change you wish to see".
Trouver votre paix, mes amours.
 |
| Photo credit: Wallpaper image of flag by "think0". |
No comments:
Post a Comment