When volatile, violence-threatening incidents occur such as
this past week in Ferguson, Missouri, many feel prompted to give voice to the problems and concerns such events mark, as they see them.
For me, when I stand back from the mayhem, most
significantly I see it in terms of the Dark and the Light sides of the happenings.
What is the good of it? What is the corrupt, the merciless;
the Light and the Dark sides of it all.
And what does my taking a position on it, should I choose to,
represent of me?
Given the recent launching of New Horizons newest blog site,
Exploring Your Dark Side: The
Adventure of A Lifetime, I feel particularly compelled to think of the Ferguson situation in terms of how it reflects the responsibilities of the individual,
myself included.
For each of
us, according to my own personal
values and those of New
Horizons, a facet of our potential
for adventuring through life is to be an
active participant in it. Rather than
a bystander to, at least, pay attention
to situations such as
this. Even if all that we contribute is the simplest of positions; to be that of an observer with a viewpoint, contemplating for a brief moment the
potential for learning from went
right or wrong here, embracing both with
compassion and understanding.
Thus
a grave situation in this present instance might
pave the way to
a better outcome another time
in a similar situation –and – hopefully what pains now,
might in time be healed.
As
Viktor Frankl, noted psychiatrist and
survivor of the Nazi concentration
camps, enjoined, we always have the
freedom to decide how
to think about
things.
Whereas we
may not affect
what has happened
now in Ferguson – and – are too far away, geographically, to reasonably contribute to the
immediate healing so badly needed
there, what can we learn
from this episode to bring about something better?
And, how might
our being like that infamous butterfly in New York ,
affecting what may be
happening in far off Japan, be a contributer, in some
small way, to what Ferguson
will need over time?
Is it not
a truth we can trust that if one is
not a part of the solution than one is a part of the problem?
Today, as I look outside my office window
at the falling snow on this
day before Thanksgiving, I am
reminded of a New Horizons’ Abkhazian Dinner event that has left still
unhealed scars and breaches behind it. These grew out of
an incident of
verbal abuse at the event, without reconciliation to date., almost three
years later.
And, while the divisiveness that grew of this episode was subtle, it remains as a wound that still separates.
It didn’t have to be this way; it still does not!
What
can we learn from this experience?
And what can we do with what we might learn?
I
believe, to date, that I
have done what I could
regarding the incident.
But maybe not. I must
look again at my part in this. Ferguson, Missouri reminds me of this.
So, today,
Anastasia The Super Sleuth
offers you this –
If you cannot
be wholly thankful tomorrow, on Thanksgiving Day, for all
that has come
your way (or
the way of our collective) this day,
at least, be thankful for the
lessons brought. In the
sum total of your
life, the lessons you take from whatever falls before you, near and far, are as
much a
part of the
bounty of your life’s adventure
as the gold.
This is the summing up of the Light and the Dark Sides for each of us. Use
it well for your adventure, especially for exploring whatever might be of the
Dark in you, even if only from your seat as an armchair judge.
In other words, keep pointing that finger back on yourself. And,
especially remember -- don’t sacrifice the Light of your inidividual
responsibility for joining in with the tribal mindset on the Ferguson incident (or
any others) that would have you polarizing on this Thanksgiving holiday.
