"We did not weave the web of life, we are merely a strand in it.
Whatever we do to the web we do to ourselves."
~Chief Seattle, North American Duwamish People
"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."
~Mother Teresa
"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."
~Mother Teresa
Last Friday the universe shifted. A wave of deep and powerful emotion struck every shore like a tsumami of shock, horror and grief. How could this possibly happen? Twenty beautiful innocent children, 6 and 7 years olds, and the principal, guidance counselor and teachers who lovingly dedicated their lives to teaching and caring for them, were gunned down that morning in the most brutal and violent way imaginable. It is unfathomable; in trying to speak of it, words utterly fail.
Although I wept last night as I sat in my car 3,000 miles away listening to the radio broadcast of President Obama's speech at the Interfaith service in Newtown. He somehow found heartfelt and eloquent words, reminding Newtown that they are not alone, that the whole world has been struck by grief, and hoping that our sharing in the grief might lighten their burden just a little. For a terrible situation for which words utterly fail, I was immensely grateful that he was the one called upon at this moment in history as Commander in Chief to speak so genuinely on behalf of the rest of the nation, and indeed the world. Since Friday I've had an overwhelming urge to fly to Newtown and give the entire town a hug. It felt like President Obama did that for us all last night.
I worked at a publishing house in Newtown for several years and spent a lot of time there. It's Hometown USA—a beautiful woodsy suburban town bustling with commerce and families committed to values of community and family living. One of my family members knows a child who was in Sandy Hook Elementary School that day, who blessings be, was unharmed. The shock and grief reverberated through my heart deeply when I heard the news. But you don't have to live in Newtown or know someone who does to be deeply altered by this experience. Expressions of condolence came from all over the globe: from Queen Elizabeth, Pope Benedict XVI, from China, Israel, Japan, Germany, France, and Russia. In Rio de Janeiro 50 people gathered on Copacabana beach, planting crosses in the sand bearing messages of solidarity in mourning.
There is an ancient Buddhist story that teaches about the interconnectedness of all life. The story goes: In the heavenly abode of the great god Indra, there is a wonderful net that stretches out infinitely in all directions. At each juncture in the net has been placed a glittering jewel. Each jewel, representing an individual life form, reflects all the other jewels in this cosmic matrix. Each jewel is intimately connected to all the others—thus a change in one gem is reflected in all the others.
May we honor the lives lost in this tragic event by striving to understand our oneness, our interconnectedness. We are each a glittering jewel on Indra's Net, intimately connected to all the others, and what we do has an effect on all the others. May we accept the responsibility each one of us has to the whole. May our hearts remain open and loving in the face of this terrible thing, and as we are called to, may we listen to our heart's wisdom about right action...whether it be sending love and prayers to the families in Newtown (and all over the world where peace is needed), or whether it is engaging in social or political action to curb gun violence (becoming the change we want to see)...whatever it is that we are called to do, may we act with love and kindness. Namaste.
Although I wept last night as I sat in my car 3,000 miles away listening to the radio broadcast of President Obama's speech at the Interfaith service in Newtown. He somehow found heartfelt and eloquent words, reminding Newtown that they are not alone, that the whole world has been struck by grief, and hoping that our sharing in the grief might lighten their burden just a little. For a terrible situation for which words utterly fail, I was immensely grateful that he was the one called upon at this moment in history as Commander in Chief to speak so genuinely on behalf of the rest of the nation, and indeed the world. Since Friday I've had an overwhelming urge to fly to Newtown and give the entire town a hug. It felt like President Obama did that for us all last night.
I worked at a publishing house in Newtown for several years and spent a lot of time there. It's Hometown USA—a beautiful woodsy suburban town bustling with commerce and families committed to values of community and family living. One of my family members knows a child who was in Sandy Hook Elementary School that day, who blessings be, was unharmed. The shock and grief reverberated through my heart deeply when I heard the news. But you don't have to live in Newtown or know someone who does to be deeply altered by this experience. Expressions of condolence came from all over the globe: from Queen Elizabeth, Pope Benedict XVI, from China, Israel, Japan, Germany, France, and Russia. In Rio de Janeiro 50 people gathered on Copacabana beach, planting crosses in the sand bearing messages of solidarity in mourning.
There is an ancient Buddhist story that teaches about the interconnectedness of all life. The story goes: In the heavenly abode of the great god Indra, there is a wonderful net that stretches out infinitely in all directions. At each juncture in the net has been placed a glittering jewel. Each jewel, representing an individual life form, reflects all the other jewels in this cosmic matrix. Each jewel is intimately connected to all the others—thus a change in one gem is reflected in all the others.
May we honor the lives lost in this tragic event by striving to understand our oneness, our interconnectedness. We are each a glittering jewel on Indra's Net, intimately connected to all the others, and what we do has an effect on all the others. May we accept the responsibility each one of us has to the whole. May our hearts remain open and loving in the face of this terrible thing, and as we are called to, may we listen to our heart's wisdom about right action...whether it be sending love and prayers to the families in Newtown (and all over the world where peace is needed), or whether it is engaging in social or political action to curb gun violence (becoming the change we want to see)...whatever it is that we are called to do, may we act with love and kindness. Namaste.
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