Jane Hirshfield wrote the following poem, speaking to hope and resilience. At the end of our rope, we find we have more to give than we realized. It is a sense “this to shall pass” and we can only live in the present moment, which is fleeting.
Hard times reveal fissures in our world and society. Look at who has been hardest hit by Covid-19: people of colour, elderly, poor, etc. We can then see the fissures and who is left out. This became clearer with George Floyd’s killing. It is not enough to question who is left out, but how these humans are left out, dehumanized in the process. Injustice calls us to take account of the life we live, the world we live in, and ask how do we make this better, for each human being we encounter. Injustice calls us to weigh how we speak and act towards one another and to transform who we are for the better.
There are no easy answers to large questions, despite what politicians, carnival barkers, and reality TV hosts would have us believe with their divisive language and actions. We can embrace that we have more in common than separates us. As Paulo Freire proposed, there is unity in difference beyond superficial multiculuralism.
The heart’s reasons
seen clearly,
even the hardest
will carry
its whip-marks and sadness
and must be forgiven.
As the drought-starved
eland forgives
the drought-starved lion
who finally takes her,
enters willingly then
the life she cannot refuse,
and is lion, is fed,
and does not remember the other.
So few grains of happiness
measured against all the dark
and still the scales balance.
The world asks of us
only the strength we have and we give it.
Then it asks more, and we give it.
When I hike in wildnerness settings, I wonder what is around the next curve, over the horizon, on the other side of the mountain, below the surface, etc. I am unaware of so much. What is essential is I lift into critical consciousness what I can to better understand how I can make the world a better place and act on that as best as I can. I will likely never get to the other side of Kootenai Lake or the mountains on the far side, so I can only imagine what is there, a utopia of sorts. The same applies for the world we live in. The difference is we can incrementally get there, together.
As I am called to be a steward of the world, I am called to be a steward and servant in leading others. Without fully understanding where I am going, I am going there.
After I posted, I was listening to the radio and they played this song. It seemed appropriate.
ivonprefontaine
Teacher as Transformer 
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Thank you Stephen
“As I am called to be a steward of the world, I am called to be a steward and servant in leading others. Without fully understanding where I am going, I am going there,” I love this, C
Thank you Cheryl.
This is like watching those nature shows when we root for the fleeing prey. Once it gets caught we celebrate that the lion can now eat. This turning on a dime coping mechanism, I wonder if it exist only in humans? A thought provoking read.
Appropriate song for these thoughts, I think.
Pat
Pat
I think, where animals thrive on a sense of balance that is Darwinian in nature, humans need to cooperate. Without cooperation, we fall into social Darwinism, which misses the point. Darwin argued that balance is needed in nature. Competition is not always about the strongest. It is about the ability to adapt and change. In humans, I think the ability to adapt and change is premised on love, agape, for one another.
Yes indeed!!
Heart touching message, thank you. Love the song too, goes hand in hand with your words, I feel. Many blessings 🙏🏻
Thank you MaLu. Take care and stay safe.