Words... Have... Power...

Someone asked a question.  And I needed more than a few lines to answer..

Words – Love, tragedy, cooperation, prayer, meditation, Listening, God, Universe, joy, anger, grief, illness, peace, death, life, birth, failure, success, ugly, soft hearted, kind, light, tears…  Love. 

I could go on for pages with words that are ‘loaded’ for someone… So let me just say: 

Our past experiences color our interpretation of each of these words.

Because we are surrounded by a number of things that are being called tragedies … that’s there I’ll start.

What makes a TRAGEDY? Our belief that something “shouldn't have happened,” along with our grief & anger about it. What if… its purpose was to open the hearts of those of us involved or left behind?

Remember the outpouring of loving kindness that surrounded the tsunami in Japan.  People worked together, helping strangers, feeding, clothing, giving shelter to someone they just met.  People

covered in mud, in shock, who maybe just lost everything, maybe even their family.  Loving support was given. Looting was rare. People caring for each other.  Would that have happened on its own?  I don't think so.

 

A friend told said that after a hurricane devastated New Orleans, the recovery was going really well.  People were cleaning up the aftermath, helping each other.  Supplies were pouring in from all over the country, funneled through charities, churches, schools.  Until the bureaucracy got involved.  Essentially the recovery ground to a halt and people expected the government to take care of the rest of the cleanup. 

Does it manifest tragedy to focus on the possibilities of how truly bad it can get?  I think it does.  If only because we look at the rain, instead of looking at the silver lining... the forest fire was put out. (or some other ‘something’)

What if... somehow everything that looks bad... is actually a blessing in disguise?  An abused child grows up to change a broken system so that children are no longer punching bags. A forest fire clears out the chaff of years of deadfall & new trees sprout up growing a stronger forest.  A volcano erupts devastating everything for miles - its ash nourishes a land robbed of its nutrients by over farming.  A disease threatens a continent and the medical genius of other continents rise to the call and deal with it once and for all.   Triggering a revolution in how medicine works.

Do we ask for help when we are struggling - from some inner wisdom or higher power?  Yes. 

Do we do our best to listen for the answer?  Yes. 

You may call this Inner Dialogue. Listening to the Still Small Voice.  Prayer. Meditation,

Imagination.  We can feel it when we are connected to something greater than just ourselves.  And this is our point of power.  It is the point where we are calm enough to hear the answers, and solve the riddle before us.

In order for humanity to survive, we must learn to listen to that inner wisdom and to each other.  This goes for the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ and everyone in between.  We are all needed to make this

world work.  We need the guy working as a janitor at a school, just as much as we need someone who has vision to teach us to work together once again.  Somewhen, a kzillion years ago, we forgot how to be cooperative on a grand scale.

So do yourself a favor.  Learn to Listen – with more than your ears.  Listen with your heart and your soul.  Don't look at the tragedy.  Look instead for the silver lining.  The love that you put into every moment ripples out from each small loving act into the world, changing it.

Your words have power… the power to hurt a fragile heart, or to heal one.  Even if that heart is yours. 

Use them wisely.

Gayle McCain