Dumbfounded!
An old message returns as a reminder for the strange days we're entering
Yesterday afternoon, as I sat in the sanctuary of the Unitarian Society, the stained glass rose window was lit by the setting sun. Long shafts of color drifted across the walls. The play of color brought me peace as I knew that, regardless of the political outcome of the election, tomorrow there would still be beauty and that life would go on.
Later, as I sat with friends watching reality unfold, the question came … the same question that is probably shared with millions of us this morning … what do we do now? This morning, we have mostly conjectures … one friend talks about Australia, another ponders the senior Peace Corps,
I think back to an experience in Mexico long ago.
It was a trifling moment, not up to the radical degree of what happened yesterday, and yet, it came back to me so I’m sharing it.
I was at a “consciousness in business” conference in Puerto Vallarta, returning from an afternoon walk when I saw a young man walking toward me focused on something in his hands. It was before cell phones so it might have been a book. The sidewalk was narrow and he was walking on “my side” with no awareness that we were on a collision course.
Suddenly, a message came to me:
He with the most awareness must make the first move.
So, of course, I stepped off the sidewalk to let the young man pass and I don’t think he ever noticed me at all.
That feels like where we are this morning. We are, potentially, on a collision course and, even if we are on the “right side,” we may have to be the ones who change directions in order to avoid violence and chaos.
While we may not have the operational control needed to implement the visions we’ve glimpsed during the Harris/Walz campaign, we can continue to work for democracy and the ideals this country was founded on.
We still have our voices and our awareness of the complications and possibilities ahead of us.
We can hold on to peace,
embrace our friends, family and neighbors,
supporting each other through the coming challenges.
May we hold strong as we go through the coming times of this beautiful and heartbreaking world.
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I am glad you found some peace and perspective in front of that stained glass window. It reflects your own inner beauty and resilience. 'Roll up your sleeves' is the best advice going forward. With all the resources your posts have shared over the last two months there is no shortage of opportunities to keep working for justice and peace. We turn our energy to local needs, national debates, and international hunger for peace keeping. There is not one person who can accomplish all that needs doing. Nor is there one person who can keep us from engaging on behalf of our neighbors far and near.
This is a lesson I learned when walking public labyrinths. The path in is the same as the path out for most designs, so if I meet someone coming the other way, there is a decision to make. I always try to make it with consideration and empathy, or what is the point of the labyrinth?