Holding the Line of Love in Chaotic Times

 Hey Y'all, 

    It's been a chaotic and trying several months for many of us in the world. It seems there are daily news reports on this tragedy, this crisis, this violence, that law, this law. It's enough to make anyone with at least average intelligence and abilities, as well as any amount of empathy - feel as though they're losing their minds. How can so many not see the same horrors that we are? How many people are simply ignoring things because it "doesn't affect them?" 

    For many of us, it starts to feel like we don't know the people around us, like our perception of the world has been wrong for a very long time or we were aware of *some* of these things, but not all. Many of us look to family, friends, teachers, leaders we looked up to, people we loved and respected and we're left wondering how on earth we didn't realize how different our life perspecties and beliefs were? Perhaps certain situations or events have only brought the division more out in the open, as we're being forced to confront the fact that our world might be a lot more divided and polarizing than so many of us realized.

    For trauma survivors, the world is already a harsh and uncertain place - most of us have probably already met a devil or two, we're already aware of the evil that can lurk around corners, hide in the dark, in many instances, evil is out in broad daylight wearing a charismatic smile and saying all the right things or what people want to hear.

    This is a time of great uncertainty, chaos and for many of us, it's physically and emotionally draining. It's saddening to see how much humanity has lost it's human-ness, that we forget that those on the other side are human beings as well, that someone loves them and they matter to those who love them. When the answer should be - ALL humans matter because they are human.

     There is much violence, anger, hatred and much evil in this world - it often doesn't look like the evil we imagine when we think of evil. In many instances, evil can look like complacency, false security and staying silent when others are being hurt, not helping in instances when we're perfectly capable of doing something to help. 

    And, in some instances, there may be nothing else that we can do, on an individual level, in our community, etc - except to bear witness and create a record so that things are not forgotten through changed narratives or "lost history." Sometimes, all we can do is continue to love one another and help in the instances we can and hope to be a source of love and light for all who cross our path.

      There is much beauty on this planet of ours, there are many good people and there is a lot of good still happening. Our job is to help hold the line of love in chaotic times, be a buffer for pain and suffering, to provide love and support to anyone who might need it and make the world a brighter place one person and encounter at a time. If we continue to love, the darkness can't win.