Honoring John Lewis. Before Representative Lewis died, 5 years ago yesterday, a reporter asked him “what he would say to people who feel as though they have already been giving it their all but nothing seems to change.” Lewis answered: “You must be able and prepared to give until you cannot give any more. We must use our time and our space on this little planet that we call Earth to make a lasting contribution, to leave it a little better than we found it, and now that need is greater than ever before. Do not get lost in a sea of despair,” Lewis tweeted almost exactly a year before his death. “Do not become bitter or hostile. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble. We will find a way to make a way out of no way.”
The outrage we feel is normal. You’re not losing your mind, you’re just being a good, empathetic human being who feels a bit powerless in the face of vitriolic hate and emptiness of the very soul. Find a way, in quiet moments, to be creative; it opens our minds, soothes our soul, brings us right into our bodies and reminds us of our spirituality, our truth. Untangle it all….
It has little to do with religion, in my humble opinion. Rather, I think of it this way:
We are not human beings in search of a spiritual experience…we are spiritual beings having a human experience. Teilhard de Chardin (19th century French philosopher)
All you have to do is witness the passing of someone you love deeply (human or nonhuman!) to know this in the depths of your being. They are all still here. A huge comfort.
I cannot WAIT to make some Good Trouble! How about you?
Avanti…no time to lose!
love pk