Dear friends,
There are times in history when storm waters seem to rise around us.
We are living in such a time.
The news hits us like waves.
We are exposed to images of conflict,
Of suffering,
Of the planet itself under strain.
Too many voices raised in anger.
Communities divided.
The future can feel uncertain in times like this.
And it's only natural,
Only human,
To feel frustration,
To experience a sense of powerlessness.
We are wishing for things to be different.
Yearning and watching out for a kinder world.
It can be a painful wait.
But we are told by the wise not to push these feelings away.
We are told that these are genuine and understandable emotions.
And we should acknowledge them honestly.
So what to do?
It helps if we can manage to bring ourselves away from the external triggers to our emotions.
If we can find a way to move into quietness.
And how do we do this?
We can bring ourselves into this present moment by taking a few slow deep breaths and allowing our body to settle.
In fact,
Let's do that now.
You might find it helpful to draw your attention to your physical surroundings.
For example,
The chair or cushion supporting you.
The world may feel unsteady to you because this is how it is just now.
But even so,
In this room,
In this very moment,
You are supported by the chair or the cushion.
And you can feel the reassuring and ever-present force of gravity.
Without gravity,
We'd all be floating around like astronauts in the space station.
And for believers and those open to the possibility,
God,
Or whatever we conceive God to be,
Is a support as well.
In Psalm 46,
We read,
God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
Notice that comforting phrase,
A very present help in trouble.
So let's have a one minute pause now,
A time to allow ourselves to simply breathe and be present.
Welcome back.
It's only natural to be distressed about the state of the world and the level of inhumanity we see in the news just now.
This concern is not a sign of weakness.
This is proof of how much we care.
We feel this way because we love life and we love people.
It pains us to see people suffer.
If we didn't place a value on peace and justice and the well-being of the earth itself,
We wouldn't feel this way.
So our concerns are real.
Our pain and our fears,
They are real as well.
But we mustn't allow ourselves to fall into despair.
Fear can become overwhelming.
It can drag us down,
Making us less able to take whatever action lies within our power to improve things.
Now,
As you may know,
I live in Dublin,
In Ireland,
And we can look to the Irish language for a little help in this area when it comes to fear.
In Irish,
We say Tá agla orm.
Literally translated,
This means fear is on me.
Tá agla orm.
Notice the difference between saying fear is on me and saying I am afraid.
Fear is on me tells me that fear has not taken me over.
Fear is not my name.
Afraid is not my name.
It's just a case that fear is being felt by me right now.
And despite our fearful feelings,
We must remember all the people who are practising kindness and working every day to make this a better world.
Pablio adds his voice to the many good people working for peace.
He says,
May every kind word,
Every gesture of reconciliation,
And every choice for dialogue be seeds of a new world.
Now,
These words represent not only a wish,
But a reality.
Because we know that every kind word,
Every gesture of reconciliation,
And every choice for dialogue are the seeds from which a new and kinder world will emerge.
Reminding ourselves of the many people working for a better world helps us keep a sense of proportion.
And this remembrance helps us from falling into despair.
There's the simple fact that none of us alone can change the whole world.
Unless we happen to be in the fortunate position of possessing a power where our voices will be heard by one and all.
Which is a reminder to us of the opportunities for good that lie in the hands of the people who are in power at any one time.
What a gift that is.
And what a responsibility.
But for us ordinary mortals,
The burdens of the world are not burdens that we have to carry alone.
We do what is within our power to do.
Remembering the well-known prayer in which we ask for the serenity to accept the things we cannot change.
This part is important now.
We ask for the courage to change the things we can.
And of course for the wisdom to know the difference.
This wisdom that we pray for is on the boundary line between compassion and action.
So we are compassionate.
We are not indifferent.
What we do is this.
We act within our own circle of influence.
And that is where our power to bring about change resides.
Even in the stormiest of times,
We have choices.
We can choose to speak kindly,
To act justly,
To speak truth to power.
We can support people who suffer.
We can refuse to respond to hatred with hatred.
These positive choices are open to each and every one of us.
And they matter so much.
They matter in ways that we may never know.
As Mahatma Gandhi said,
In a gentle way,
You can shake the world.
Let's have another one minute pause now.
Welcome back again.
So let the life and actions of each of us be a force for love,
A force for good.
Let each of our voices be used to speak the language of kindness.
In our efforts to bring about a better world,
We must keep a balance.
We do need to stay informed,
But never allow ourselves to be discouraged to the point of overwhelm.
In the poem,
Desiderata,
We are reminded,
Many persons strive for high ideals,
And everywhere,
Life is full of heroism.
We have to remember those words.
In times when we are faced with an inundation of bad news,
We must encourage ourselves by thinking of the many people,
The world over,
And there are millions upon millions of them,
Quietly and faithfully.
Every day,
Working for justice,
And for a better tomorrow.
We know that a better tomorrow,
A world of peace,
Can never be brought about by force.
And so to summarise today's reflection,
This work of staying afloat in the storm is an important work of our time.
Probably the most important work of our time.
We may need to limit how much news we take in.
We may need to step away,
To rest,
To restore ourselves.
This is not avoidance.
You could describe it as taking care of your inner life,
So as to allow you to take care of the world outside.
When the task ahead of us is too much for one person,
The remedy is to seek out and co-operate with so many others who share our values.
We can initiate and take part in conversations that build up rather than knock down.
Become part of communities of co-operation,
Especially those that cross traditional boundaries.
As Helen Keller wrote,
Alone we can do so little,
Together we can do so much.
Let each of us be part of that together.
In working for peace and a better tomorrow,
We can take a lesson from the sea.
It's encouraging to know that although the surface of the ocean can be violent,
Beneath the disturbed surface there are deeper currents,
Steady and slow moving.
And it's the same with our lives.
Beneath the turbulence of our time,
There is in every place a deeper current.
We are part of that deeper current,
Undisturbed by what's going on,
On the turbulent surface.
We can reach that deeper current by taking time to stop and become present.
In that deeper current we can find rest and renewal,
And the ability to quietly and calmly make a difference.
To conclude this meditation,
I'd like to share with you another quotation.
Again,
This is from the beloved Max Ehrman,
The author of Desiderata.
Let me do my work each day,
And if the darkened hours of despair overcome me,
May I not forget the strength that comforted me in the desolation of other times.
Namaste.
