paris, france. beirut, lebanon. friday, november 13th, 2015

We talk about paris, but 50 dead in beirut as well, and more in gaza, but that, by now, is expected. it has gone on so long, with international approval or blind eyes, that we shrug our shoulders and look the other way, at staged, unreal realities surrounding masquerades and platitudes, tv wannabe families and other blow-up dolls.

What compels someone to take another’s life?

What fuels their anger? their sense of entitlement?

The only answer i see is fear. a fear so deadly they can only meet it with death.

They don’t overcome it.

They don’t win anything.

It is not faith that propels them to kill, because faith is a grounded way of being, resting safely in knowing; faith has no questions.

Belief is different. belief can be am amazing force, but in paris and beirut today we see the power of belief in action. sadly, in destructive action. belief needs constant approval, proof, nurturing.

Belief can fluctuate like blood sugar, and spike into madness but also into magnificence.

We talk about innocent lives, but aren’t they all? who are we to judge the innocence of the lives taken and of those who took them?

Those who die while taking lives chose to believe that their gruesome deed will gain rewards, something precious and desirable.

Now the life takers and the lives taken are lying side by side, equally dead.

The waves of sadness, anger, and disbelief, numbness, paralysis, horror, fury, hatred, and more fear are washing over everyone who feels affected and connected to these events.

Those who indoctrinate are as responsible as those who chose to absorb and live the dogma, and destroy.

We are angry. we are sad. devastated, but also… now… afraid.

A thousand “what ifs” paralyze us – what if it happens again? what if it is closer to us next time? what if it had been us this time? this is where we have to take action.

The beautiful thing about us humans is: we can!

We can turn this around. it is by our beliefs and our actions that we can turn this around.

If they can use their beliefs to destroy and instill fear, we can use our beliefs to rebuild, fortify, and instill confidence and trust.

We Can Instill Confidence and Trust. We Can Choose Faith. Let us Breathe. Let us Pray. We Control our Breathing. We Control our Thoughts and Beliefs. We Can Act. We Can Educate and Be Kind. We Can Speak Up and still Be Kind. We Can express our emotions and still Be Kind. We Can scream our frustration and fear, and still remember Kindness. We have to choose Faith if we want to overcome this. we also have to choose discipline – responding to war with war is only fueling the fire of destruction.

Responding to war by assembling a flock of people who choose random and purposeful acts of kindness will empower us.

There are more of us who spread kindness. we are the bigger force.

I believe in you, the one who reads this, that you are with me on wanting to heal the world, not rip open its scars. let’s talk. share, discuss, not argue. we can agree that we both are neither right nor wrong, but that we have different experiences that shape us, yet one or more of our values are shared, and let’ focus on that and how we can make this stronger.

We’ve got work to do, thoughts to change, and kindness to spread.