Chaos

 "One must have chaos within oneself in order to give birth to a dancing star."

~ Friedrich Nietzsche

Chaos. This world seems to be in a perpetual state of chaos. So many reports of seeming injustice. Court decisions that seem impossible to understand. A young boy struck down at age 17 and the perpetrator of his death found "not guilty" by a court of law. A woman sentenced to 20 years in prison for firing shots at her alledgedly abusive spouse for whom she already had taken out a order of protection. Women losing their rights to make decisions about their own bodies in more and more states. Fear so strong in some communities that people will refuse a rape victim entrance into their home. What in the world is going on?

Friends indicate to me that these type of things, and worse, have always been unfolding in our world; however, now that the Internet has become such an important part of our daily experience, we know about everything immediately. No longer must we wait until these things are in the history books for our children and our children's children to read. It is front and center on every channel, every minute, every hour, every day.

As I have long believed, this nation and others are riveted to tragedy. We watch the drama unfold on TV. We cannot get enough of it. Criminal cases are televised. News teams are sent out to tragedies and immediately ask those affected, "How does this make you feel?" I really hope I am never asked how a tragedy makes me feel 'cause I know a lot of colorful language will be forthcoming. Your child is dead. Oh, please, give me a break. How do I feel?

It is my long held belief that what we focus on multiplies. I must admit I can become focused on the "bad" out there too. It saddens me more than I can describe. Why after centuries have passed can we not rise above all this killing and criticizing and judging? Must we live in such fear? At least, I think fear is at the root of most of these tragedies.

• Fear because this person looks different or dresses differently or acts differently. 
• Fear because we think our rights are being taken away and we have to fight to get them back. 
• Fear there is not enough food, enough water, enough anything. 
• Fear about just about anything that is not what we consider the norm. 

And yet.....

What about the caterpiller that begins to spin a cocoon. Does the caterpiller have any fear? Maybe. But something tells it to begin this process. If we were to open the cocoon we would find a mess not a butterfly. Something is at work though creating what will ultimately become a butterfly. A beautiful miracle of life.

It is my fervent hope that this and every other nation on this planet we call Earth are in the cocoon stage of life. Hopefully, the chaos that we all know so well is bringing all of us closer to the beauty life can be. Possible those souls who have left us too soon or who are imprisoned have contracted to do this to further the evolution of humanity. Maybe they are all stars awaiting the first chords of music so the dance can begin.

I shall close this blog entry with the statement from President Obama:

"The death of Trayvon Martin was a tragedy. Not just for his family, or for any one community, but for America. I know this case has elicited strong passions. And in the wake of the verdict, I know those passions may be running even higher. But we are a nation of laws, and a jury has spoken. I now ask every American to respect the call for calm reflection from two parents who lost their young son. And as we do, we should ask ourselves if we’re doing all we can to widen the circle of compassion and understanding in our own communities. We should ask ourselves if we’re doing all we can to stem the tide of gun violence that claims too many lives across this country on a daily basis. We should ask ourselves, as individuals and as a society, how we can prevent future tragedies like this. As citizens, that’s a job for all of us. That’s the way to honor Trayvon Martin."

Peace and blessings to all who have lost a loved one to violence.

Namaste,

Mareda