Human
Spirit
“We
deem those happy who from the experience of life have learnt to bear
its ills without being overcome by them.”
Carl
Jung
Watching
Parisians come out to mourn their dead and wounded has been amazing
to watch. The people of that city have been told to stay inside, to
not take chances as long as the manhunt continues for suspects in the
terrorist attack. Yet they are out on the streets, lighting candles,
laying flowers, singing songs and consoling one another. The human
spirit tends to rise up in defiance when something terrible happens.
What should drive it underground, instead brings it to the surface
and gives it wings.
We
have seen the same sturdiness of spirit in Syria. When there is a break in the
bombing, people are out gathering food and simply doing what needs to
be done. News footage from the enormous refugee camps in Turkey and
Jordan show children playing kick ball in the dust around their
tents. Children there, like children everywhere, play when they have
half a chance.
I do not mean to minimize the atrocities that people in many places experience everyday. We live in a world turned upside down by the insanity of power mongering. Innocent people are fighting for their very lives almost everywhere. This is where we are--this is where we, as a species, have taken ourselves. In the face of that, however, the
human spirit is strong, and, in fact, sometimes made stronger by adversity. We
don't choose it, we sincerely hope to avoid it, we even pray for it
not to find us, but when we are faced with our worst fears, we are
likely to stand up to them and prevail. When we do, we acquire the
confidence to overcome chaos with resolute courage.
“The
most intense conflicts, if overcome, leave behind a sense of security
and calm that is not easily disturbed. It is just those intense
conflicts and their conflagration which are needed to produce
valuable and lasting results.”
Carl Jung
Let
us hold this thought today: “My spirit is strong. I am calm and
confident. Nothing that happens today will disturb me.”
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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