Friends, Enemies, and Hatred

Hatred is not the answer. It is never the answer.

At the same time, while I don’t regard those who back Trump and his worldview as my enemies, I certainly don’t regard them as my friends. Those who want to take away my rights and the rights of those I care about are not my friends. Those who spew hate toward minorities and immigrants are not my friends. Those who view victims of sexual assault as non-entities or worse are not my friends. Those who are happy to let our planet die are not my friends. Those who want to deny health care to others are not my friends.

https://www.kentucky.com/living/religion/paul-prather/article219868740.html

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2018 Laurence Kant

Poetry: What it Does

At its most profound, poetry unites meaning, beauty, truth, wisdom, and love.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2014 Laurence Kant

Love

Love stems from the awareness that we are not alone.

Even eagles need a push…

A moving story of an eagle and her child.  ‘The Push, about a mother eagle’s supreme act of love – to give her children a push – when her offspring were ready to leave the nest”:
http://newsletter.simpletruths.com/a/tBMytFMB8PINaB8VatcNnRfx68F/movie

Violent Rhetoric and Tucson

As we see today in Tucson with the attempted assassination of a congresswoman (Gabrielle Giffords), plus the shootings and murders of many bystanders, violent imagery and language can set the context for real-life horror. Whatever your political point of view (center, right, left, independent), let us please pledge ourselves to civility, humanity, and mutual respect.

Pima County (Arizona, Tucson) Sheriff, Clarence Dupnik, says it powerfully:

“When you look at unbalanced people, how they respond to the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government, the anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on this country is getting to be outrageous, and unfortunately Arizona has become sort of the capital. We have become the mecca for prejudice and bigotry.”

“The vitriolic rhetoric that we hear day in and day out from people in the radio business and some people in the TV business … This has not become the nice United States that most of us grew up in.”

Please keep the victims and families in thought and prayer.

Feelings

Every feeling carries with it the faint echo of its opposite: love-hate, courage-fear, compassion-anger. We always have the choice of transforming one into the other.

Love

True love is imprinted in every cell.

Fear and Love

When cultivated, both fear and love expand exponentially. We all have to decide which is preferable.

Love Your Neighbor

Lev 19:18: “Love your neighbor as yourself” actually reads in Hebrew: “You shall show love to your neighbor as you would (show it to) yourself.” In other words, love is not simply a feeling state, but also an act of doing.

Love

To feel true love for another is to feel the presence of the Source.

Love and Death

Love and death are dance partners.

What Ultimately Matters

The most magnificent buildings and career accomplishments pale in significance before a smile, a hug, kindness, love, learning, wisdom.

Loving Your Neighbor

“Love your neighbor as yourself” and “made in the image of God” means: Loving your neighbor takes you on the path to loving the Source.

Love Your Neighbor

“Love your neighbor as yourself.” “Yourself” is not your I, but your divine spark, the authentic you. (Lev 19:18)

Love

Love is the transcendence of self.

When We Change

When we change, others change. When we heal, others heal. When we love, others love.

Dianne and I

Dianne and I sitting across from each other at adjoining tables.  What could be better?

Unlikely Animal Friends

Thanks to Deirdre Good for bringing this to my attention: the unlikely friendship of an orangutan and a hound dog.  A great story of sharing and fun.

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/unlikely-animal-friends-4317/Overview