The long view

It's been a hard day for those of us who are still sane in the United States. We have been betrayed by those who had promised to keep us safe, and I fear we will look back upon this moment and wish we could go back to it and relish our ignorance at what is to come. 

The words of Julian of Norwich have been echoing through my head all afternoon. 

"All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well." 

This isn't some trite positive thinking line, because she also wrote,

"He said not 'Thou shalt not be tempested, thou shalt not be travailled, thou shalt not be dis-eased'; but he did say, 'Thou shalt not be overcome.'"

This is the long view. 

So take care of yourselves and do what you need to do in order to be ready to do the hard work when it comes. Do what you can right in front of you. Help the hurting right in front of you. Feed the hungry right in front of you. Speak the truth to those around you. Stand up for the persecuted who are near you. All of our small circles of influence will overlap and together we shalt not be overcome. 

Do not let the evil around you overwhelm you into non-action. 

Do not let the evil around you cause you to lose sight of your own humanity and the humanity of those around you. 

Do not let the evil around you cause you to fear. Fear leads to either inaction or reaction, neither of which serve you or the broader world. 

Love and kindness and generosity are overwhelming forces for good. They are our superpower. Use them with abundance and extravagance. We can only do this together, though, in community. 

Good will overcome evil. We know the end of the story.

All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.

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