Yet another mass shooting... this time Orlando, in my home state. And the rhetoric on my Facebook newsfeed is the same as every other time - regulate guns!! ban Muslims!! Obama sucks! And I find myself unable to get behind any of these things this time. Banning a whole group of people is unreasonable and hateful. Eliminating assault rifles seems like a great idea and may be a good step but I think to myself "People who want to kill will find a way to kill" - i.e. boxcutters and airplanes or fertilizer. After a few inspirational posts and at least one argument, I came to a realization - the only real way to stop the violence is to stop the underlying cause - evil.
Yeah, I know what some of you will say - evil? really? That's where she's going with this? Yeah - evil. For those of us who are religious, we recognize there is an actual evil in the world. For those who are not so into the metaphysical, I can boil evil down to a part of the brain that activates before aggressive behavior as this article points out - hey Science! And one day maybe scientists will even find a way to control this part of our brain but, until then, we need to fight and defeat evil however we can to stop these atrocities in our world. And that's what I want to write about. I'm thinking about blogging regularly about ways we can fight and defeat evil. Maybe this will just be one post. Maybe I'll get tired of it after a while but if I'm good, I'll keep it up and maybe help myself and others to make this a better world.
My first topic - love. Love is of course the one thing that has been said over millennia will defeat evil. But, is this too simplistic? Many would say yes but I think if we took love to its extreme, we would see a vast difference in our society.
Of course it's easy to love those we already care about: family, friends, even some coworkers and acquaintances. But, to defeat evil, we will need to go far beyond this. We will need to somehow, some way, love those we don't like. If everyone had a modicum of love for every single individual in the world, we would not kill each other or steal from each other or cheat each other, or...
Too idealistic? Probably but it's in the quest that victory over evil is attained. Too hard? Could be but Christians have been teaching this for 2000 years, Muslims since Muhammad, and Jews long before that so there must be something to it. Even the 60's Love children have been telling us for at least decades that "Love is all you need". So how do we do that? How do we actually love someone we don't even like or who hates us or wants to hurt us?
Love is an action word - it's not just a feeling. If you limit love to a feeling, it's only good for one person- you. But if you project that love outward through actions towards others then it benefits you and your target. So I say act in love toward someone you don't like, even if you're not feeling it. This is the hard part! At first it doesn't have to be something that person sees, if you're worried about backlash. Start with simply thinking nice thoughts about that person, identifying good things about them. If you're religious, say a prayer for them and especially about caring more about them.
Then, when you're ready, write something down, maybe a note you may or may not give to them, maybe just your thoughts about them - caring thoughts of course. Even if you don't do something yet that directly affects them, you will likely begin to feel a softening for them. This is the beginning of love. Sometimes it takes some time and practice but you will feel something positive for them. Ok, maybe start with an easier target if the first one you choose isn't working.
But, eventually you will see an opportunity to actually show something positive toward that person you don't like, a simple smile, a wave, a way to help them in some small way - it doesn't matter. But find something that starts to foster nicer feelings between the two of you. And then do what you can to help that to grow into a brotherly or sisterly love for that person.
Can we agree that if Omar Mateen had done this for the people in that night club (we already know he went there several times) he may have taken a different course? What if someone in that night club had 
done this for him - befriended him? What if each of us does this with one person at a time in our lives? Could we maybe make a difference in our life and theirs? I can't say we will prevent the next disaster with this alone but it's a start.
Love someone you don't like. And then Love someone else you don't like. This is how we start to knit ourselves together as a human race that cares about each other and fosters the one thing that can defeat evil - love!
Quotes about Love conquering Evil:
Yeah, I know what some of you will say - evil? really? That's where she's going with this? Yeah - evil. For those of us who are religious, we recognize there is an actual evil in the world. For those who are not so into the metaphysical, I can boil evil down to a part of the brain that activates before aggressive behavior as this article points out - hey Science! And one day maybe scientists will even find a way to control this part of our brain but, until then, we need to fight and defeat evil however we can to stop these atrocities in our world. And that's what I want to write about. I'm thinking about blogging regularly about ways we can fight and defeat evil. Maybe this will just be one post. Maybe I'll get tired of it after a while but if I'm good, I'll keep it up and maybe help myself and others to make this a better world.My first topic - love. Love is of course the one thing that has been said over millennia will defeat evil. But, is this too simplistic? Many would say yes but I think if we took love to its extreme, we would see a vast difference in our society.
Of course it's easy to love those we already care about: family, friends, even some coworkers and acquaintances. But, to defeat evil, we will need to go far beyond this. We will need to somehow, some way, love those we don't like. If everyone had a modicum of love for every single individual in the world, we would not kill each other or steal from each other or cheat each other, or...Too idealistic? Probably but it's in the quest that victory over evil is attained. Too hard? Could be but Christians have been teaching this for 2000 years, Muslims since Muhammad, and Jews long before that so there must be something to it. Even the 60's Love children have been telling us for at least decades that "Love is all you need". So how do we do that? How do we actually love someone we don't even like or who hates us or wants to hurt us?
Love is an action word - it's not just a feeling. If you limit love to a feeling, it's only good for one person- you. But if you project that love outward through actions towards others then it benefits you and your target. So I say act in love toward someone you don't like, even if you're not feeling it. This is the hard part! At first it doesn't have to be something that person sees, if you're worried about backlash. Start with simply thinking nice thoughts about that person, identifying good things about them. If you're religious, say a prayer for them and especially about caring more about them.
But, eventually you will see an opportunity to actually show something positive toward that person you don't like, a simple smile, a wave, a way to help them in some small way - it doesn't matter. But find something that starts to foster nicer feelings between the two of you. And then do what you can to help that to grow into a brotherly or sisterly love for that person.
Can we agree that if Omar Mateen had done this for the people in that night club (we already know he went there several times) he may have taken a different course? What if someone in that night club had done this for him - befriended him? What if each of us does this with one person at a time in our lives? Could we maybe make a difference in our life and theirs? I can't say we will prevent the next disaster with this alone but it's a start.Love someone you don't like. And then Love someone else you don't like. This is how we start to knit ourselves together as a human race that cares about each other and fosters the one thing that can defeat evil - love!
Quotes about Love conquering Evil:
“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them
that curse you, do good to them that hate you,
and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That
ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven:
for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on
the just and on the unjust.”
- Jesus Christ
“I
believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in
reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil
triumphant.”
― Martin Luther King Jr.
― Martin Luther King Jr.
"All you need is Love"
― John Lennon
“I hope
that real love and truth are stronger in the end than any evil or misfortune in
the world.”
― Charles Dickens
― Charles Dickens
“Cruelty
and wrong are not the greatest forces in the world. There is nothing eternal in
them. Only love is eternal.”
― Elisabeth Elliot, A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael
― Elisabeth Elliot, A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael
“The
actual, expanded consciousness, reality of our planet is that all of life is
LOVE; our very existence is LOVE. Everything that exists is just varying
degrees of this LOVE; polar absolutes do not exist. Good versus evil is pure
illusion. Even the most seemingly “negative” person with ill intent is still in
the spectrum of love.”
― Alaric Hutchinson, Living Peace
― Alaric Hutchinson, Living Peace
1 comment:
I really do appreciate your message, particularly the reminder that "Love is an action word - it's not a feeling."
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