In Spite of All...

Goodness Prevails

“But if I’ve learned anything, it is that goodness prevails, not in the absence of reasons to despair, but in spite of them. If we wait for clean heroes and clear choices and evidence on our side to act, we will wait forever…people who bring light into the world wench it out of darkness, and contend with darkness all their days…”

Krista Tippett (Speaking of Faith)

          Krista Tippett says, “For every shrill and violent voice that throws itself in front of microphones and cameras in the name of God, there are countless lives of gentleness and good works who will not.” I know this to be true as well. I have known many people who could be crass and hateful one minute and turn around and sooth a dying person or a little child the next. No one is all good or all bad. What we have within us is a goodly portion of both. Flawed human beings often muster kindness and generosity, as well as speak groundless harsh criticisms. And we are, each and everyone of us, flawed human beings.

          I don’t know about you, but there are days when I stretch myself just to find one kind word for what I see going on in the world. There are numerous and glaring reasons to render the whole human race a lost cause and decide that humanity needs to go the way of the dinosaurs. But then I’ll run across a person who’s been going through his deceased wife’s belongings, and with each box unpacked, figuring out who can benefit most from the contents. Or the married man and woman I know who have raised half-a-million dollars to establish a foundation to support young LBGTQ people whose families have kicked them out, who are now homeless, or in need medications they can’t afford. This week, so many people showed up in Tennessee to help folks whose homes and businesses were destroyed by a tornado, that authorities had to send some of them away.

There are good and decent people who are doing good work and caring for others every single day. And some of those good people also have a mean streak in them. There are no perfect humans. We all cast a shadow. The sooner we get acquainted with our own shadow, the sooner we will stop casting it on other people. Then we will be gentler with ourselves, and maybe even stop blaming others for the problems we see in the world. Think what might be accomplished if we all worked together!

                                        In the Spirit,

                                           Jane