Sunday, 12 February 2023

A Worm's Perspective

 



IV.


If I had nine, and I was aware of that

number, exactly how many and their span -

I’d try some perspective, just like a cat.

I won’t do something just because I can.

I’ll leave the mountains to the mountaineers,

burrow deeper underground, try the dark,

for once stop equating light with crystal clear.

Try if the earth itself can strike the spark.

I’ll leave it to the birds - the clouds, the skies

and I’ll stick closer to the ground, as close

as the grass and the worm. Nothing king size

but the minutest I can curl to. My toes

crumbed by the soil, no flesh showing, not a hint.

And I’ll wait in all nine. For your footprints.


~^~*~^~


Last week, somewhere on my feed was this idea - love is the sure basis for a more equal, more just world. 


Universal love. The kind of love leaders, prophets and mystics speak about. Love thy enemy, because loving thy neighbour is no big deal after all, there's no virtue in loving what's familiar and therefore, not feared. Learning to love those we fear, now that's something that takes effort, application and discipline, we must get out of our own heads and get into their shoes - if successful, we're rewarded with a glimmer of understanding and compassion, even if we can't get to love. Love is the strongest force the world possesses. Love is a bridge to everything. Hate the sin, love the sinner. Every religion preaches it. Easily preached, near impossible to practice. 


But suppose, for the sake of argument, it were to become a reality, would it lead to social justice? Does love automatically lead to fairness? Are we always even handed with those we love?


And how do we hate the sin and love the sinner and be fair at the same time? The racists, the rapists, the paedophiles, the human traffickers, the swindlers, the gloating creators of unending human misery, the architects of monumental corporate frauds, the corrupt megalomaniac politicians who'll do anything, descend to the lowest level of remorseless dishonesty, to cling on to power - how is loving them going to bring about justice for the law-abiding, compassionate, open-minded citizenry, the non-toxic, non-haters who make up the quiet majority everywhere? 


I know this has strayed a bit from the kind of celebrations I had planned for this month over here, but still...I'm on topic even if somewhat at sea... 


9 comments:

  1. Hari OM
    Capital 'ell' Love does conquer all - but yes, it can be challenging to practice. What might be useful to consider is that as long as we keep up our own levels of Love, creating a place of tranquillity around ourselves, then it will echo out to wider society. For society, if the majority are practicing that grown up Love, even those who stray can be dealt with compassionately.

    They may still require to be incarcerated or corrected in some manner - but even this can be done with Love at the centre. Then there are those for whom the mental makeup is beyond reach even of this Love; for them we must also show compassion and keep them safe - from themselves as much as from society.

    Thus, Love of the capital 'ell kind does not preclude those who err -but it can reach them and make a difference... and will always leave those of us practicing it in moral, ethical good standing.

    ...and I am loving your deep thoughts this month, Nila! YAM xx

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    1. Thank you, Yamini. I get that - that practicing love towards the world in general is good for my mental and physical well being, not to mention my own moral standing. No arguments with that, hate has a negative impact on a physical level and human beings are not naturally made to be in a state of hate 24/7. That's not what I am questioning.

      What I am completely flummoxed about is - how universal love, or loving someone hateful, say for example a right wing politician, is going to lead to a just society? On the contrary, it leads to the exact opposite because s/he once elected/in power, uses that love totally unfairly to directly eliminate dissent by hook or by crook, crushes any opposition and games the system to hang on to power unscrupulously. Most autocratic leaders have a core public that love them blindly but are in no way treated justly by the regime. Enough examples around the world right now. How then is universal love going to bring about social justice? Ever? That's the aspect I'm not comfortable with - love and justice being immiscible.

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    2. Hari OM
      It is a matter of numbers... practicing Capitel 'ell' Love is the most difficult of routes and, just as there are few mountaineers in the world, so too are there few Universalists. But that does not mean they should give up and must keep setting the example, even at risk to themselves. Will there ever be enough to counteract the numbers of 'basists' who are little more than besotted fans of any given regime? I have to admit history demonstrates this may never happen. But the world/ is kept from total self destruction by the presence of enough good people setting a counterbalance... which, unfortunately, requires that sometimes there must be conflict to do the resetting...

      A huge and ever-present debate - thanks for raising thoughts! Yxx

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  2. Nila, apologies, but I've missed several of your posts. What a great idea to pursue 'love' in this Valentine's month. I wish universal love brought about social justice, but sadly, I think too many forces work against it. I came across all of Shakespeare's love quotes recently, and they certainly have stood the test of time.
    Looking forward to lurching into several aspects of 'love' for our WEP challenge. See you around!

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    1. No worries Denise. Shakespeare knew a thing or two about love, certainly. See you at WEP, soon!

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  3. It is difficult to love those who do evil. God calls us to love everyone but that is difficult to do.

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    1. Would we be nearer to an equal world if we did manage to love evildoers?

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  4. This poem goes deep, and that's true of love. Lots of facets and caveats. But that makes it worthy of poems, songs, and heartache. Happy Valentine's to you.

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    1. Yes, it does that, anything worthy of pondering and heartache has to go deep, sometimes uncomfortably so. Glad you enjoyed the poem. Happy Valentine's, Joanne!

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