Every generation seems to find an identity for itself; a name that sticks and is quoted in the media for all to remember. I often wonder if history will look back and call this millennial era 'The Last Crusade.'
That scares me. It scares me a lot. So this is the last thing I'm going to say directly about the violent dilemma the world seems to find itself in right now.
The Bible and the Torah and the Quran as well as the holy words of Buddhism, Hinduism, Shinto, Taoism, Zoroastrianism and all the world's many religions, were all written by mankind trying to interpret inspiration from "beyond" or "within" (however you choose to interpret that).
All were written within the framework of the wants and needs of a culture in its time.
That's important.
And there are things to be learned and discussed thoughtfully from the good parts and the bad parts and all the parts in between.
What one finds is that there is an intrinsic, shared morality that we all, unfortunately, violate regularly: Treat others as you wish to be treated.
Sounds easy. Sounds practical but, in practice, it's not.
It's actually quite complicated.
We are, by nature, an aggressive and territorial species. The peaceful message at the root of religious dogma worldwide is one way of trying to placate and control that nature. We don't always succeed. I don't always succeed.
So, from now on, I'm making a promise to myself in this public forum, such as it is.
To begin, I want to apologize to my friends and acquaintances of all cultures, faiths and belief systems for any of my past words or actions may have offended you or those you hold dear.
Sometimes an opinion no matter how strongly felt, is best left unspoken in the interest of others', as well as one's own, peace of mind and well-being. I have often been guilty of forgetting that.
I'm not going to get drawn into a conversation of hate (however veiled or blatant) anymore. Whenever the news of the world bothers me or makes me angry or otherwise upset, I'm going to channel that energy into something productive and helpful and hope it is a move towards positive change on some small scale.
Maybe I'll write a letter to one of my foster kids instead of ranting on Facebook.
Or maybe I'll decide to give more of my time or resources to help those less fortunate either here or abroad. But I promise to channel that energy into something that reaches out instead of slapping down.
I'm only human. I can't guarantee this is how I will feel tomorrow but this is how I feel today and I'm taking my life one day at a time, hoping every day will be a step forward towards mutual understanding, solidarity, community and hope.
Feel free to pass this on if you wish. Or not.
The more people reminding me and holding me to this promise, the better.
