Light of the World
Shine on me,
Shine on me,
Love is the answer
Shine on us all,
Set us free, love is the answer...
Like a trap door that suddenly sprang open, I was flooded with memories of growing up in the sixties and seventies, too young to be part of the civil rights movement or the Vietnam War protests, but old enough to feel the emotions of the times and have a sense of what was happening in our country. I was a Beatles fan and John Lennon's messages of universal love and peace resonated strongly with me. It was a period of great disruption: marches and protests, rallies and, yes, sometimes violence. Similar to what is happening today. A great need for justice arises in the hearts of humanity and the status quo is interrupted.
But change always requires disruption. It requires people of conscience to say "enough is enough! and to demand the change that must come for us to move forward. Most importantly, it requires love, in the agape sense: love of man(and woman)kind. Love that reaches beyond the limitations of the law of the day if it is unfair; love that transcends the darkness of hopelessness and despair; love that embraces all people as equal, each one deserving dignity and respect.
I was watching a news show the other night about the protests in Louisville, Kentucky. The reporter on the ground was saying that as soon as the National Guard stopped strong-arming people and moved away, the local police started moving in, listening to people and shaking hands, sometimes stopping to pray with protesters and really paying attention to their concerns, at which time the mood of the protest changed to something beautiful and transformative. WE NEED MORE OF THIS!
Love is always the answer...
Give me love, give me love
Give me peace on earth
Give me light, give me life
Give me hope, help me cope
With this heavy load
Trying to, touch and reach you with
Heart and soul
Give me peace on earth
Give me light, give me life
Give me hope, help me cope
With this heavy load
Trying to, touch and reach you with
Heart and soul
-George Harrison
We need to spend more time together, supporting and learning from each other, deepening our relationships... "we" means everyone who wants peace and justice.
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