Remember, we are one...

Love is the water of life,

drink it down with heart and soul!

- Rumi

 

This past week, a rainbow of extraordinary beauty, formed over the Coast Mountains, across the Salish Sea from where we live. It seemed a gentle and tangible reminder of how fragile and how short life can be. It lasted but for a few moments.

As tensions rise in this world, we need to take a collective and deep breath. We must discern together what is really important in our lives. For me, it is simple. We must take better care of each other, seeking out peace-filled ways to celebrate and embrace our diversity. We need also to demonstrate greater concern for the island planet that is our shared and only home. I'm not sure much else matters. Anwar Fazal wrote these moving words:

Remember, we are one

We all drink from one water

We all breathe from one air

We rise from one ocean

And we live under one sky

Remember

We are one

The new born baby cries the same

The laughter of children is universal

Everyone's blood is red

And our hearts beat the same song

Remember

We are one

We are all bothers and sisters

Only one family, only one earth

Together we live

And together we die

Remember

We are one

Remember

We are one

Peace be on you

Brothers and Sisters

Peace be on you.

- A. Fazal

So, what then will be helpful? For me, I will try to be kinder, more compassionate, more patient, more willing to love, to forgive, to listen, and to understand others. I will look beyond my own tiny world and focus more energy on the needs of those who are often forgotten. I will try to be more thankful, for therein lies a source of strength. I will find ways to take better care of the earth.

A mere drop in the ocean? Yes, perhaps. But as we have discovered, paddling our sea kayaks on these magnificent waters, it is each and every individual drop that makes up the vast length, breadth, and depth of the ocean.

So yes, I must believe that it will be worth the effort.

May peace be with you and with our world.

Duncan.