“If one man can cause so much pain, imagine how much love we can create together.”–Gannestad.
By now, we have all been inundated with images and stories about the shooter in Aurora, Colorado. The tragedy is beyond understanding, the “whys” will likely go on unanswered for a long time, the sadness and shock run deep.
In the middle of all this fear, how can we connect to a feeling of safety and love?
Is it just me, or have you noticed that fear zaps the oxygen right out of the breath of love?
We all want safety. And, I propose that the real safety we crave comes from taking daily action. Action, each and every day that is born from love and radiance, that is rock-solid centered in faith and open-heartedness. Terrorism (which this certainly qualifies as) feeds on fears and worries. By choosing to keep thoughts of gratitude, acceptance, compassion for ourselves, in the midst of this or any life challenge–we defeat the terrorist and dismantle his horror-machine.
So, when someone ignorantly bumps your elbow in line at Whole Foods, you have a choice. To stew and make a story about “the selfish entitled people”, or to let it go. A child or aging parent needs you (yet again), we can choose to feel resentful, or we can offer to do it from the core of our being (or wait until we are in a better space to act).
We have a choice in each moment– to reach for thoughts that enliven our spirit, or thoughts that hold us hostage and berate. And, if the drumbeat of your life is so loud you can barely hear yourself think, then find the places (internal or external) and people that give you peace and hope. And breathe.
So, what would happen if you sit in the middle of faith, even (or especially) as the wind rattles your windows. Our children, our loved ones, our community need us to do this. The time is now. The only viable way to preserve safety in our lives and to let go of the fear is to open our hearts to the love that is already present. Like Gannestad beckons, imagine how much love we can create together.