The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. – Attributed to Edmund Burke
I come across that quote ever so often, and I wonder every time why so many of us immediately think that doing nothing means that we didn’t pick up a gun and shoot our perceived evil...or at least smack it upside its head.
Actually, that’s what I believe we’re on this earth to learn...to learn how and why not to shoot, slap, stab or bad mouth. I’m a believer...working hard to be a doer...that we must needs resist our own resistance. We welcome it with acts of friendship...a smile and nod of the head is an act of friendship. We work up to kissing it on the lips...which truly is acceptance with a scepter.
I’m still doing my morning meditation wherein I see Mary, the mother of God, as my shepherdess. I see her as she makes a place for me in the presence of my enemies. I picture my enemies as a skunk (penniless), a snake (friendless), a three-headed goat (spiritual arrogance), a toad (plain old arrogance), a pack of hyenas (the ones I’m thinking ill of), and Mary who spreads wide her arms, and we all dance with her, hugging and laughing and kissing and having a fine time.
The bar between believing we gotta kill our enemies (or get the better of them somehow) and accepting that we can make friends with our enemies is fear. And that is all.
I come across that quote ever so often, and I wonder every time why so many of us immediately think that doing nothing means that we didn’t pick up a gun and shoot our perceived evil...or at least smack it upside its head.
Actually, that’s what I believe we’re on this earth to learn...to learn how and why not to shoot, slap, stab or bad mouth. I’m a believer...working hard to be a doer...that we must needs resist our own resistance. We welcome it with acts of friendship...a smile and nod of the head is an act of friendship. We work up to kissing it on the lips...which truly is acceptance with a scepter.
I’m still doing my morning meditation wherein I see Mary, the mother of God, as my shepherdess. I see her as she makes a place for me in the presence of my enemies. I picture my enemies as a skunk (penniless), a snake (friendless), a three-headed goat (spiritual arrogance), a toad (plain old arrogance), a pack of hyenas (the ones I’m thinking ill of), and Mary who spreads wide her arms, and we all dance with her, hugging and laughing and kissing and having a fine time.
The bar between believing we gotta kill our enemies (or get the better of them somehow) and accepting that we can make friends with our enemies is fear. And that is all.
It is our fear we must make peace with. Fear will ever be with us but it doesn’t have to live with us...it can just visit on occasion. And when we decide enough with the fear, in loving kindness we can release it.
How do we do that? By reminding our self of the promise and the fact that spiritual principles can solve all of our problems. Then turn to God with grace and gratitude...that’s kissing fear on the lips.
Afterthought: Because I am utterly unqualified, I rarely think in terms of making nice-nice on an international scale, but to my mind this is what diplomacy is all about...one country's representative being agreeable to another country's representative who is being equally agreeable right back for the benefit of both countries. In a perfect world...or is it just in a more spiritual world?
Thank you.
How do we do that? By reminding our self of the promise and the fact that spiritual principles can solve all of our problems. Then turn to God with grace and gratitude...that’s kissing fear on the lips.
Afterthought: Because I am utterly unqualified, I rarely think in terms of making nice-nice on an international scale, but to my mind this is what diplomacy is all about...one country's representative being agreeable to another country's representative who is being equally agreeable right back for the benefit of both countries. In a perfect world...or is it just in a more spiritual world?
Thank you.
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