When ‘I’ is replaced with ‘We’ then even Illness becomes Wellness
(anonymous)
News coming out of Afghanistan these last few months has been overwhelming. After 20 years of US military presence, tens of thousands of lives lost and trillions of dollars spent, it all abruptly ended on August 30th 2021. The debate about ‘would ofs’, ‘could ofs’, ‘should ofs’ is endless and will go on for quite some time. But what is without question is the desperate plight of the thousands left behind and their fear for the future.
9/11, Covid and the masses at the southern border have shown us how small a world we live in. Like a ripple in a pond, the impact from the struggles of our fellow humans in far off places, eventually reaches our shores. We are one large community inhabiting one very small planet. This realization, coupled with the numerous troubles of the world, can quickly become overwhelming to the point of paralysis.
When I was younger the world was divided into good/evil and right/wrong. I was taught, and believed, that good people were rewarded and evil people were punished. There were villains and heroes…and I desperately wanted to be the hero.
That was fairly easy as a child. Listen to your parents, be kind to others, don’t lie or cheat. But the more I experienced the world first hand, the more I saw these two distinct worlds blend and morph and often coexist. Life became complicated and finding the ‘right’ path to walk became harder to discern.
‘The road to hell is paved with good intentions’…read the one Chinese fortune cookie I will never forget. While I think this is rather strongly stated, as a parent I know all too well that virtuous actions can have horrible results and the opposite holds true as well. I’ve also seen men of little integrity rise to great heights and heroes of 9/11 die young from lung cancer. I’ve seen good rise out of evil and evil rise out of good.
So I’m often left asking …. in today’s world how do I find the hero’s path?
For me it comes down to community and connection. Yes, it’s a crazy messed up world, but the one thing that seems uncomplicated is the value of walking through it with someone. No harm has ever been done sitting with someone, listening to them and truly connecting with them. I believe a strong community heals. In fact I’ve come to believe that it is one of the best tools we have against evil, hate, anger and pain. To ‘see’ another is one of our greatest human powers and to be ‘seen’ and belong is one of the greatest joys.
Over the last 20 years I have had the honor to walk with all of you, through moves, family changes and difficult political times. You have taken time out of your busy schedules to gather at our home, to reaffirm for me and for our greater community the healing that comes from saying I see you and I support you. I am grateful to all of you for showing up and supporting not only those in need but those doing the hard work. Behind the scenes I have seen what it has meant to them and how nourishing it has been.
So thank you. Thank you for being part of this community. Your community.
On this, our 20th year, we want to celebrate what we have built as well as warmly welcome our new members. The Afghan evacuees are among those who desperately need to know that their new community sees them, supports them and welcomes them.