POWER TO SURVIVE
Someone recently asked me quite cordially and honestly how I could believe in God when so many bad things have happened to me in my life. Loss of a mother at an early age, loss of a son in his 20’s because of the acts of a drunk driver, disabled husband, disabled daughter, relative who spent 7 years in a psych ward and a daily battle against acts of hate, racism and retaliation for such from so many persons opposed to interracial relationships and marriage because they see it as racial genocide.
We all have problems and when we hear about someone else’s challenges, we sometimes realize how small ours really are. So why believe in a Higher Power or a God or appeal to a group of gods or goddesses or divine beings and/or the Universe for intervention? Why even look to the power of scientific investigation to reveal how simple it really is to bring harm to others in the name of population control or ethnic purity of some kind?
My answer to all that is quite simple: What would life be WITHOUT a coping strategy?
I don’t consider my spiritual connection to be an opiate or an escape. It is a way that I stay IN the world instead of running from it by using drugs, alcohol or other chemical elixirs would destroy my chances of survival. Yes my survival is dependent on using the POWER OF FAITH.
And that leads to another question: Why try to survive when life is so challenging?
My answer to that is also quite simple: What would life be WITHOUT LIFE?!
My Higher Power helps me to rise above the din, to see the possibilities, to hope when it seems that there is no hope, especially when there are humans walking (or running) around trying to tell me that the pain and troubles inflicted on me by uncaring humans were caused by the Creator.
In my path that I walk there is but one choice for humans: FREE WILL…there are slews of possibilities in any given moment which would give me happiness and bring harm to no one. I have options. And those options can involve making a choice that would bring harm to others. There are ways of telling from the start whether a choice is harmful…one which involves greed…for greed always brings harm…and listening to the heart beat of those who would be harmed is important. That is IF we are ALL important.
What I write here today is written from my heart. It describes my commitment to growing each day. That is growing closer to a Creator who loves Creation. Since this is an open forum I share these thoughts for educational purposes. If you do not believe and/or feel or cope as I do, I hope that you have found what brings you joy. For it is not for me to make your choices nor is it for you to make mine.
And even if we cannot see our common ground just now, I am hoping and praying that someday, tucked away in our hearts and/or minds, we will find a way to work together to bring happiness to ourselves and others without using the greed that brings unhappiness to so many.
IN THE WAY OF PEACE, NANHI-MARIE.