Refuge

2012 has been a bloody year, one filled with civil war in Syria, mutilations in Mali, out of control wildfires, extreme weather and mass murders. Just when I feel safe again another story of horror reaches my consciousness. A young Indian woman brutally raped and beaten on a bus dies last night from her injuries. What was done to her was heinous and unspeakable giving me pause to wonder whether we humans are really the most intelligent animals.

 

This year has revealed more than ever that humans are not exempt from the cruelties of life, sharing that common ground with all other animals and plant life on this planet. Each one of us, be it a  wolf, a redwood tree or a human being, is born, matures, relishes in the pleasures of life, suffers and eventually dies. There are no exceptions.

These thoughts trouble me. I want life to always be cheerful, to believe that everyone has a roof over their heads, food in their stomachs, the love and protection of family and friends. I don’t want to hear that there are people in the world, so filled with hate that they will inflict harm to anyone or anything that crosses their path. Safe in my home, these stories haunt me. I have no way to understand the intense fear felt by those directly experiencing that hate and yet, I too, share their fear.

When I have moments like these, I seek refuge in nature. Listening to the wind, watching snowflakes fall to the ground, laughing at the antics of wildlife in play reorients my thinking. Gone is the anger, the fear, the worry. Given that each of us possesses only a finite number of days in which to experience this lesson called life would it not be a better use of our time here to devote our energies to bringing out the best in ourselves and those around us?

As we all move through the highs and lows of our lives, it would be useful to stop and appreciate the bond that connects us with each other and natural world. Understanding that inflicting violence upon our neighbors, our environment hurts us as well. Put in that framework, what can we do to bring peace to our world?