I read an article in Ode (henceforth in bold). I have always liked Ode but some stuff written in this article is unbelievable. How can anyone write such nonchalant questions and statements such as these (no matter how well-intended)?
“Has this death changed anything for the families of those who lost loved ones through 9/11 or other such atrocities?
We can use this space to think more about personal power and what it means to have it? Personal power is a state of grace, or a flow of life that allows us to accept life-traumas and be at peace anyway.
Justice, is Not about retaliation. It is about about being reasonable and receiving what is rightly ours – life and all that it has to offer. This includes, sometimes, pain and frustration. But ultimately it is about peace and grace.¨
Personal power is about helping ourselves to feel justified in accepting life, that is love, into our inner and outer worlds. That does not mean taking from others, but opening up to what is already there for us to access – that is, the “Universal Understanding” that peace comes from within, that it builds when we hold gracious thoughts of acceptance and prayers for those who seek to destroy. It never comes with more fear, nor the depth of fear that allows another life to taken (or on a personal level another person to be hurt) because we feel justified in retribution.
Peace comes to those who have lost a loved one when they forgive and slowly learn to let go of their pain. As challenging as that is, retaliation only ever feeds more pain. It cannot ever heal the past.
Personal power is about challenging ourselves to overcome fear in the face of that feeling we are being hard done by. And to create peace by choosing the example of grace that others before us have been able to present – an eye for an eye only leaves everyone blind (Mahatma Ghandi).
Power inside of ourselves (or empowerment) is generated not in anger, but in the righteousness that such a peaceful stance creates for us. This righteousness is not ego-driven, but says that we can live our lives in peace if we choose to stand back from others’ anger and not engage. Instead we have the chance to simply turn back to our own lives and manifest or build more of the peace and grace that we want to feel.
We can understand how difficult that is, both globally when terrorism is evident, and personally when we have suffered abuse or mistreatment by others – but whoever said that life was simple and unchallenging? It is not either of these things, and it is our very personal choice to build a base of personal power which brings grace into our lives. That is, to choose a peace-based justice, over retaliation.¨
What is justice? The dictionary says justice is: just (based on or behaving according to what is morally right and fair; deserved or appropriate in the circumstances ) behavior or treatment. The quality of being fair and reasonable and the administration of the law or authority in maintaining this.
I do not want to ask questions like: has this person ever lost anyone suddenly? Did he/she lose anyone tragically in 9/11? but they kept going round my mind. I agree with some sentences but don’t you need to do something to make sure that some other people don’t get hurt, BY THE SAME PERSON over and over, especially since the person has vowed to do it over and over? Yes, the victims need to acknowledge the grievances done to them, we need to accept them and learn to live with it, learn to be at peace with it and let it go so it doesn’t keep hurting us. Yes, you should and need to try and get to the level that you can pray for people who hurt you. I definitely do not think it right to go rejoicing in the streets if and when responsible parties are caught or killed but i don’t think you should just turn the other way and say ok, i have dealt with it and i´ll let it god…WHILE letting the people or person responsible be free to continue as he is and wishes to be, while he has worse plans! I mean shouldn’t the authorities charged with keeping us safe have to and be made responsible to, put the person away so the cycle is stopped? Im not for personal vengeance but it seems to me like letting lions run free while we, the ostrich put our heads in the sand. I think one SHOULD always strive to live and be righteous, to not engage, not even fall into the trap anger (or any other extreme emotion for that matter) pushes you into but in everyday living, at home with loved ones, at work, with friends…relatively normal people…as it is said, ¨whoever said life was simple and unchallenging.¨But, when we are beaten, forced into a corner, raped and killed? – which is what terrorism is – we have to thread carefully.
I do not presume to know or even fathom what would, or if the putting away of the person responsible help in the healing but from the basis of basic human feelings, I think the apprehension or putting away of the person helps people to have closure, helps to achieve a level of acceptance and the process of making peace within and without, paving the way to healing.
I think personal power is the drawing from and deepening of roots to God; having the courage and strength to simply continue living, to go through the process of healing, to pray. I think it takes a great deal to get up and live, and pray not only for oneself but for others too, even when bad things happen. When we depend on just us, there are so many fractures left; only surface wounds are fixed. When one lets go of self and embrace God, one is in His hands. But it is hard.
More questions in my head: Was it done in the spirit of retribution? What IS the right thing to do?… questions indeed.
cocoonstage 