The World Is Full of Violence
The world is full violence and delusional insanity and violence and delusional insanity seem to be winning. Conspiracy wackos in Spain are now threatening meteorologists who they accuse of controlling the weather in Spain and causing the severe droughts to prove global warming which they claim is a plot by the “deep state” to control people. Some one has been watching too many sci-fi movies but, seriously, the Breaking News is just as bad. The epidemic of gun violence in the USA is out of control. Copy Cat Killers are all waiting for their 15 minutes of glory. Everyone suffers. But not as bad as the Ukrainians who have stood up to a delusional despot who has Stalinist fantasies. Their nation has been brutalized. The tragedy is immense. My heart is breaking. It’s not over yet. Then there are the hurricanes, the typhoons, the earthquakes, the volcanoes, the famines, the droughts, the tornadoes and the plagues.
Overwhelmed. Yes, we all feel overwhelmed. The depression, anxiety, and fear grab us and tempt us. But all the prophets, saints, and poets call us to not be tempted but to be strong. In the dark of night, that seems impossible. I take strength in the words of the Roman Catholic Monk, Thomas Berry who observed, “Suffering and death which cannot be explained…are part of the universe…a part of creation. Facing suffering and death is what gives rise…to the heroic.” We are called to be heroic, not to slay the dragons of the world but to slay the dragons of our selves. To find courage, love, virtue, and strength in ourselves: to bury the dead and love the living…to love others and ourselves. Death will knock on each our doors. Who will he find when he opens the door?
