The Love Connection - Sep 24

When two men, one from Palestine and one from Israel, talk about peace, Liz finds herself curious about that which lies beneath the unrest and war in the world. In today's 5 Minutes In Nature she reflects on that place beyond upset, borders and opinions where there is a space of love. It is from this space that you realise that love connects us all.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to Five Minutes in Nature with me, Liz Scott, Down on the River Ex here in Exeter. I'm looking after my mum at the moment and come down here on my morning walk, Walk along the quay and then make my way up into the city, Have a cup of coffee before going home to make her breakfast and get her out of bed. And it's a lovely time of day. There are rowers on the river, There are runners and dog walkers. The city is starting to wake up. Cafes are starting to open doors and wipe down tables. It's got this lovely sense of a place just coming out of a slumber to greet the day. And today's reflection comes about having listened to an interview with an Israeli and a Palestinian who have written a book and they've both been on the bad side of atrocities in Israel and Palestine. And they've come together though because they both see that the answer is not in furthering war. The answer is in peace. And they are making a stand for peace, They're holding the line for peace. And their conversation comes about through a shared aspiration to live in a world where they can raise their children and their children's children, Which is a world that is not dominated by factions and war and bombs and a sense of other people being an enemy just because of where they were born or the religion that they follow. And I was quite inspired when I listened to them because many times when people talk about the Middle East, It's seen as this intractable problem where there is no answer. And yet here were two people coming together to say, Actually, When we come together as people with a shared humanity, Looking towards a shared, Peaceful future, There is hope. In fact, There's more than hope. We want to create a sense aspiration that this is a direction of travel. Because if we wait for our political leaders to take us in this direction, It might be a long wait. We need to show that this is a direction of travel we want to move in. And I rather like this for a few reasons, This interview. First of all, Because it is wonderful when people get together with this shared aspiration for peace. And it looks like they come from two different warring factions, And yet actually they are two human beings who are aspiring for a place where they can live peacefully alongside each other. So I find that really inspiring. This sort of sense that. . . People come together with a connection to compassion, Humanity, Love and hope. And it reminds me when I get lost sometimes in the rights and wrongs and I get agitated with people who have different opinions to me on what's right or wrong. It's just a really good reminder that beneath the opinions, Beneath the entrenched arguments, Beneath all of that, There is a space. Where love is all that is present. And when I touch that place of love, And when others touch that place of love, Then we've got hope. Because from that we are building a world, We are building a future based on compassion, Love and understanding. And when we have differences of opinion, Because we always will, Because we're human. We can find a way forward because the bigger aspiration is that we can live with peace and harmony together. So today's reflection is that, And you can probably hear the crows in the background. I've just wandered up a hill now away from the river, So I'm a little bit out of breath as well. But that's today's reflection, Really, And I'd love your thoughts on it. Is that there are times when it feels as though we are living in an age where it's impossible to find common ground. That people are. In the culture wars, They're taking strong opinions and being vociferous. And violent in their language and sometimes their actions against people that they think are in the wrong. I kind of see that these these two men really helped me to see that when I bring my awareness back to love. I see the connection between us all. And from that place, That's the place to take action. And that's the place to have a vision for the world. Let me know your reflections. And of course, Don't forget to join me again tomorrow for another five minutes in nature.

Reviews

Thank you for sharing this Liz. It gives me some hope. Living in America is pretty grim and seems to be getting worse by the day. I’m so sad at the disconnect of people I once thought of as sensible and progressive, especially women, who seem to be quite happy to support a political system that does not recognize women’s rights, or anyone of a different ethnicity or color other than white.

The Earth and nature supports us more than we know but there seems to be no respect for conservation or protection.

I keep faith that more will come together and lead from love and compassion. Deep down we all have the same hopes and dreams. We need to rise up and come together.

Sandra 💗🙏☺️

♥️ Thanks for sharing this hopeful message about the Middle East. We are more alike than we are different. We just don’t always realize that.

If only, we all, in every situation you can imagine- were led by that center of Love, what a world this would be! All that is in my power is to try to be that person.
Thank you Liz.

Wonderful Liz. Your talk and recording you mentioned need to be widely shared. Such an important message for our time. When political differences seem impossible to settle, I think back on the situation in Northern Ireland during the bad times and how good people working relentlessly for peace and reconciliation brought about an end to some awful intra-cmmunity hostilities. Best wishes. Tony.

If only humanity would look more for what they have in common, rather than what makes them different. Then perhaps conflicts would have a starting point from which to discuss their grievances. Of course people want to preserve their uniqueness but we probably are more similar than those in charge believe.