Lately I’ve been witness to an ungodly amount of suffering. People very close to me are suffering personal tragedies that just boggle the mind. Criminal cruelty of crazy people, cruelty of random cells morphing into disease. When you watch someone you love suffer, you can fall into a feeling of helplessness. You probably feel that way, too, if you read the news. You see people collapsing under the grief and it seems words can be so weak.
That is exactly the moment, I think, when you need to start channeling your strength and digging into the faith you have despite all odds. Whether it’s faith in God or the innate goodness of humankind, we need everyone of you to dig in. To believe in a miracle is an act of defiance. To demand justice is an act of defiance. To soldier on despite the crippling grief or blinding fear is an act of defiance. To accompany someone who suffers is an act of compassion AND an act of defiance. To stand up for them when they have no voice is a moral duty.
How you do it is not important. If sending up silent prayers is your gift, we need you on board. If doing research on justice and law is your gift, we need you. If writing letters or making phone calls to the powers that be is your gift, we need you. If marching is your gift, we need you. If being kind to everyone you meet is your gift, we need you. If putting some beauty out into a broken world is your gift, we need you. If we pool our gifts, we can turn things around.
Please lift each other up. Reach out to someone. Absorb someone’s tears and turn them into diamonds. Listen. Offer solace. Be present.
Shine a light. Join others. It works.
