Setting: 180 W about 30 minutes ago. A terrible 3-car crash, two vehicles pretty bad most likely with minor injured drivers, one flipped upside down.
Humanity, at its best, immediately swung into action. About a dozen men, some construction workers, some from their vehicles, showed up with tools from random trunks, using tire irons as crow bars trying to free the passenger(s) of the flipped vehicle.
Humanity, at its worst, in the truck directly behind me: Crazy man yelling, "F. F. F. The whole f-ing highway!?!?! You gotta take up the whole f-ing highway? Come on, m-f-ers!!" This continued for some time and I simply could not, could NOT, hold my tongue. I calmly (seriously, I was quite calm) walked to his vehicle and informed him, just in case he couldn't see what was happening up ahead, that there were passengers pinned and people were trying to help. Crazy man: "I KNOW, but the whole f-ing highway!?!?! Look at all these people!!! Everybody's gotta be a f-ing hero". I said, I mean I shouted, "YES! Thank goodness!" and walked back to my car. What I said didn't make an inkling of difference to crazy man. But it did to me, realizing my heart was substantially more grateful & hopeful this morning ... despite crazy man's lack of empathy/sympathy/compassion/human-ness.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
just one thing
Sometimes I go to Target for just one thing ... just to prove that I can do it without getting distracted by all the stuff that wants to jump into my basket, my life. It's very liberating. :o)
Monday, June 4, 2012
Twelve Steps ...
Just started reading Karen Armstrong's Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life. I'm hooked already and I'm still reading the preface.
Charter for Compassion:
The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.
We therefore call upon all men and women ~ to restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion ~ to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate ~ to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures ~ to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity ~ to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings—even those regarded as enemies.
We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic force in our polarized world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries. Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity. It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensable to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community.
Music to my ears.
Charter for Compassion:
The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.
We therefore call upon all men and women ~ to restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion ~ to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate ~ to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures ~ to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity ~ to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings—even those regarded as enemies.
We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic force in our polarized world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries. Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity. It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensable to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community.
Music to my ears.
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