Prayers for our present future
The daily, global, citizen-driven, ecumenical council:
Prayers and thoughts as you start your day:
Take your pick(s) (one size does not fit all):
1) (NOTE: this first one is borrowed from "Millie Niss", with permission. I start out with it, because it has become so easy for us (and I, too, am obviously guilty as charged as I have already shown with past blogs) to let the first kneejerk default be to this sort of negative approach in our thinking today. So much so, that it wasn't until a second reading that I recognized that it was peppered with innocent 'truisms' from my childhood like "don't play with matches"). Having said that, though, there's a real and pressing global need for that pressure to not only continue, but to mount unassailably until we outshout and outdrown the "Let them eat cake" attitudes that currently prevail from those we consider political leaders:
seal your lips with duct tape
put plastic sheeting over your dreams
do not talk to men in turbans
instead seek the nearest law enforcement agent
virus check your words
beware of accents
wear a gas mask to the park
don't go near the water
eschew all travel to hot places
don't eat snow
vacuum the insides of envelopes
never step on a sidewalk crack
always carry mace
broken mirrors bring bad luck
never attend public meetings
put a webcam in your mailbox
handle library books with rubber gloves
do not play with matches
call the bomb squad if the neighbours put their trash out early
avoid parked cars
knock on wood daily
recite the pledge of allegiance in your sleep
always sing in church
cross the street when strangers come
buy powdered milk
stock up on paper clips
have a supply of batteries
to power your remote
never mute the president
don't make noise during sex
throw salt over your shoulder
carry a gun
don't be nice to immigrants
report all contact
never go out without an undershirt
keep your fly zipped at all times
paranoia is your friend
loose lips sink ships
the enemy could be your mother or lover
never trust your feelings
if you follow this advice
you will be perfectly safe
today is code orange
let the government take care of you
there is no need to be alarmed.
(P.S. I almost feeling like adding
"Everything I Learned in Kindergarten, 2006 - v2.0!!)
2) or, be humble, as you quietly remember the wisdom and respect of our forefathers.
3) The Hindu religion appears to have a complexity of prayers. Perhaps I'm misreading it. I should study it more someday.
4) Open yourself to a more meditative, inner-looking view, perhaps.
5) The well-known Christian one, of course, belongs in the list, especially in a Western society.
6)The Jewish faith is certainly welcome at the table.
as are so many others, impossible to list here. But, under the circumstances we face today, would it be too self-effacing if we at least took off our blinders long enough to recognize that, essentially, we're all saying the same thing.
No matter which one(s) you may have chosen from the above list, given our current global situation, there is a moral imperative for anyone of any faith to at least briefly , kneel beside our Islamic brothers, in the same way we used to try and find ways to "walk a mile in my mocassins if you would understand me". It's not up to anyone else. It's an indivdual task.
No matter what the background anyone of us has; no matter to what extent our religious convictions drive the daily decisions we make, somehow, somewhere we must bring back the fundamental commonality of them all. Just as the myriad of spoken languages are meant for some humans to communicate with others, obviously, not all languages are understood by everybody. We still talk.
Given the untold myriad of religions and religious beliefs that various groups of humans draw spiritual strength and guidance from at varying capacities and times of need, we still need to remember that the underlying fundamental of ALL of them has to be some variation of "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you".
My gift, to whatever corner of the world trips across this site today, are the following two links:
First: this one.
And, secondly, this(e-mail this one to someone else, if you like).
PEACE and TOLERANCE.
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