I’m aching to plan a funeral for meanness. Unfortunately it’s alive and kicking. One example from my own life is a neighbor telling hateful lies about my religion and personal life to some of the other neighbors and threatening to call the police on our children playing outside. Possible responses run the gamut of insults, pranks, verbal attacks or an outright fight, but I just want to avoid her and anyone else who chooses to be unkind, critical or mean.
Road rage, political mud slinging, bullying, terrorists, domestic violence, despots, hate crimes and other ways people treat each other horribly are often in the news. Ugly sells. But only if we’re buying. Are we buying? Some would paint a pretty bleak picture of how our world is going downhill fast. But don’t we have some say in that? Can’t we stand up and say enough is enough? Or are we stuck in the insanity? It’s been said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results (a quote often mis-attributed to either Franklin or Einstein). So how can we continue war on a personal, community or national level and expect peace?
What if we did things really differently? Like buying into those crazy ideas that Jesus and Gandhi and Buddha had. Turn the other cheek? Forgive 70 X 7? Go the extra mile? Love your enemies? Do good to those who despitefully use you and persecute you? What would happen if we chose to live this way in every aspect of our lives?
This week we’ll be honoring the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 destruction. I remember watching the towers fall over and over again with my heart pounding and tears running down my cheeks. I was worried about former neighbors who lived in the Washington D.C. area, especially the paramedic daughter of friends who was working at the Pentagon crash site. I hugged my kids more and we sat on our porch with our lit candles, holding vigil for the victims and their families. We watched the tribute shows and donated money to help. And then our country went to war. I know there is a time and a place to defend freedom and I appreciate those who put their lives on the line to protect those who are defenseless. But how can we promote more civility in our world unless we are civil? How can we teach kindness without being kind? How can we expect peace unless we choose it on a minute by minute basis, like when that jerk cuts us off in traffic, or we’ve had a frustrating day and a family member does something just to push our buttons.
As crazy as it seems, and sometimes in the face of discouraging odds, I want to choose peace and love and courtesy. I’m certainly no model citizen for always being nice, but I can imagine the world being a safe and loving place to live and I want to do my part to bring that dream to reality, even if it means forgoing the opportunity to get revenge on my neighbor. So let’s plan a funeral for meanness, because it will take all of us working together to make that happen. As John Lennon sang ‘You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one’ and I’ve included just a small sample of others who also imagine a better world, will you join us?
Join people from around the globe in a scientific experiment on peace intentions honoring 9/11… http://www.intentionexperiment911.com/Welcome.aspx
Latter-Day Saint Charities “provides emergency relief assistance in times of natural disasters. In addition, their primary community development programs include clean water, neonatal resuscitation training, vision care, wheelchairs, immunizations, food production, and other health programs.”
http://lds.org/haiti-relief/relief/homepage.htm
Washington Post Guest Commentary by Thomas S. Monson:
9/11 destruction allowed us to spiritually rebuild. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/guest-voices/post/911-destruction-allowed-us-to-spiritually-rebuild/2011/09/08/gIQAbkjKCK_blog.html
It’s not all bad news out there as this website with real news shows…
The foundation for I AM (based on the movie I AM) wants to “help usher in a more loving, kind, compassionate, and equitable world for all.” This site offers a few ways to help others in our society.
