For Sunday March 1st, 2015

Hello all, under the heading of 'steal and reuse good stuff' here is Stanley Peele's latest writing dealing with reactions to a crime in Chapel Hill, NC. He covers a lot of ground here and centers on the deep responsibility encased in the phrase 'We create the world.' May we sit this evening for the true depth which it calls for from within us.

Thank you Stanley,

Richard

OUR REACTION TO THE TRIPLE MURDER

A newlywed couple, Deah Barakat, and Yusor Abu-Salha, and Abu-Salha's sister, Razan Abu-Salha were murdered in Chapel Hill on Feb. 10, 2014.

 

Our first reaction to that was horror.  The second reaction was fear.  Many people asked the police, "Are we safe?"

 

The third reaction was anger – that the lives of three promising young students could be snuffed out in an act of violence.   Two of the comments that were made were "I hope he is fried," and "Lethal injection is too kind.  He should suffer a painful death."

 

The fourth reaction was a heartfelt appreciation of the promising lives of the victims.

 

The fifth was an intense interest in the lives and background of the victims and the alleged killer.

 

The sixth was an intense feeling of sadness about the increase of violence in the world.

 

*           *         *

 

At one time, the native people of Hawaii practiced the philosophy of Ho'oponopono.

 

The belief was that if a person was sick, caused disharmony or committed a crime, that his family and friends shared the responsibility.   When a child became sick, the child's family would get together.  Then each one would ask, "Is there anything I have done to bring about this sickness?"

 

In other words, it was not as much a process of blaming others as it was a philosophy of looking at themselves with honesty and openness.

 

The responsibility expanded beyond the parents -- to include family, friends and those who interacted with the sick child.  This idea expanded to include all the people in the village.   It can be expanded to cover all the people in the world.  Total responsibility.

 

They thought that in order to change reality, they would have to change themselves.

 Their philosophy was that everything that exists is a projection from ourselves. All consciousness is a part of the whole: any error that a person clears will benefit everyone.   Thus, they would say to other members of the family:    "I'm sorry. Please forgive me. I love you.  Thank you."

You may feel this idea is hard to swallow.  

However, this way of thinking brings us closer to the realization that when a person commits a horrible crime, we should look at ourselves to see if there is an echo of the crime within ourselves.

If we say, "I hope he fries," this may be an understandable reaction.  But it may also reveal the anger and violence within ourselves.

Thus, we can recognize that a particular act of violence exists in this world as a result of a worldwide belief in vengeance.

It takes honesty and courage to truly examine ourselves for traces of violent thoughts. If you are driving on a highway, and another driver suddenly pulls right in front of you, do you get angry?   Do the actions of President Obama or Representative John Boehner make you angry? 

The next time you have a disagreement with a friend, and he is angry with you, say these four sentences to him:

"I'm sorry.  Please forgive me.  I love you.  Thank you." 

This does not mean you change your mind about the argument.  You and your friend still disagree.   However, it changes your outlook from blaming your friend to loving him.  Blaming others is a sure way to promote the disharmony of this world.

The man who killed these three people forgot who he is.  Let us not forget who we are.

 

       This is a time to reflect on our own lives; a time to shine light into the world; a time to talk to God, and to listen for that small quiet voice.

 

       It is a time to tell our precious family and friends that we love them. 

 

Right now, say these words: "I'm sorry.  Please forgive me.  I love you.  Thank you."

That wasn't hard, was it?  Just quietly saying those four sentences can ease some of your stress.

Thus, you create peace.  Peace in your heart and peace in the world.

Stanley Peele          Feb. 19, '15