This may turn into a novel of a rambling post, but I have things on my heart that need expressing.
For the past two days I have been talking with a friend about their struggles and difficulties, both recent and throughout the past several years. Among a number of things, these conversations caused me to reflect on a very simple, very important truth. We, the citizens of earth, *NEED EACH OTHER!* Yeah, I know, in internet etiquitte terms, I just shouted, but it's something worth shouting over and over and over again...we need each other.
Yet, in our world, it's far too easy to leave people stuck in the mire of their problems, emotional, physical, spiritual, practical or financial. Any outside observer of our world would get the idea that it's easier to hate than to love, to abandon rather than care for. We get so wrapped up in ourselves, our dramas, our plights, challenges and personal hurdles that after a while, the other person or persons cease to matter.
We got it wrong, somehow. "Looking out for number one..." should never been a catch phrase in our world, and if so, it ought to mean looking out for our neighbor, our fellow man...not just ourselves.
As part of this whole thought process, it just so happened I heard a remake of the Beatles song "All You Need Is Love" (by Grace Potter), while standing in a line at a local Walgreens. Maybe, for some people, it's trite and cliche, but it is very definitely true. Pair it with the song "We Can Work It Out", and there's a double barrel shot of the idea of loving one another, and working out any problems or differences, no matter how small. To mix song images, incorporating a thought from David Crosby, life is short, and yes, these tracks in the dust won't last. We are moving through here very fast, and we need to make this ride as comfortable and enjoyable for those around us as we can. It's not about pleasing them or fulfilling their every whim. It's about seeing to their basic needs. It's about not leaving them in a situation they cannot otherwise solve on their own. In some way, shape or form, we all need help on some level or another...whether we care to admit it or not.
Love is the substance the universe is made of. If you're not partaking of that substance and sharing it with others, you do the universe a disservice. If you walk awaay from those in need because "I have my own needs to worry about..." you do the universe, and its inhabitants an injustice. Your contribution, if you will, doesn't have to be huge or herculean, but just enough to lift that person a little higher than they were when they started out. So, brak down the walls, the barriers and reach out. You never know who will accept that helping hand and smile in eternal gratitude when remembering what you've done for them.
