Interesting Quote

My Oriental Wisdom calendar has a great quote by Buddha for today which says "Overcome anger by love, evil by good, the greedy by generosity, and the liar by truth." It is a powerful concept using the power of good to overcome the power of evil. Father Andrew Greeley recently wrote an article on the encyclical "God is Love" that Pope Benedict just issued. You can find Father Greeley's review here http://www.suntimes.com/output/greeley/cst-edt-greel03.html. Tony Hillerman in his Navaho mysteries brings to life the Native American belief in harmony and keeping on the true path towards yourself, your neighbors, and the earth.

I believe it is no coincidence that religions as different as the three above all have harmony and love as their central core. When I was in an art class at college we did drawings from a live model. The model was in the center and the artists were ranged around the model with their easels and even though we were drawing the same model all the drawings were different because we were all seeing her from a different perspective and through our own artistic abilities. It came to me that God would be like that model. No one religion can capture the totality that is God because we are all seeing him/her from a different perspective and through our own way of analyzing life. Certain characteristics however cross all religions and the common truth that God is love comes from many sources because we are seeing the same thing.

I have a strong need for harmony in my life. I do not like strife and six years of a disharmonious marriage has made me determined to ensure that my life will never be in that kind of upheaval again. I am a person who at heart is a peacemaker. If there is strife I try and calm the waters. I had one person who accused me on a public newsgroup of being naive because I urged an end of a viscous battle between two people and that the combatants forgive and stop disruption of the newsgroup. So be it. If urging the end of evil is naive then I'm naive but in my heart I feel I am doing God's will when I try to help and make peace.

Violence begets violence and hatred begets hatred. The only way to overcome and stop the strife is to try and show others the power of good. We must find a way to help those in need and help them to a better life for themselves and their families. Poverty is one of the biggest recruiting agents for hatred. When you have nothing and you see people who have plenty ignoring your plight it is easy to slip into that despair that allows hatred to enter your heart. I know a lot of people are cynical when they see stars on telethons and out in poor countries with UNICEF and other agencies trying to help. It is easy to think that they are just in it for the publicity but if that publicity brings the plight of the poor to the attention of the world and gets people involved in helping then that publicity is a good thing. People like Bono, Angelina Jolie, George Clooney, etc. have by their very public profiles been able to focus the attention of governments and ordinary citizens on the problems of the world and have showed us how we can help.

Love, what a concept. The picture is called "Full Circle". If we start with God is love and use that knowledge to help our fellow beings to a better life and a peaceful world then we will come back to that fullness that is God in our lives.