Day 123c: Remembering the real Boss … (August 30, 2019)
Here, I noticed once more the interesting phenomenon of WMWMW – White Men Watching Mexicans Working. I to this day find it so odd (if not slightly disturbing) that all over the world this dynamic plays itself out in various forms: where members of the local upper class (far more often than not made up primarily of Caucasian males) stand by and boss around members of the working class (far more often than not made up of various people of color – along with a solid smattering poor whites) while lazily watching them work. And then thereafter these same “managers” – who earn far more money than their efforts merit – end up publicly criticizing said laborers for being lazy or unmotivated. A sad and ridiculous example of human greed & arrogance, no doubt. And then I remembered that these “enemies” are worthy of Love, as well, and so I smiled at them and waved as I flowed onward along The Way …
“In a world without forgiveness, evil begets evil, harm generates harm, and there is no way short of exhaustion or forgetfulness of ever breaking those cycles of suffering. For it is forgiveness – not just criticism or angered indignation – that breaks the chain. For forgiveness – which is nothing short of turning acceptance & decency into a verb – introduces into these interpersonal encounters the unpredictability of undeserved-yet-earnestly-offered Grace. It represents a decision not to do what instinct and passion urge us to do. It answers anger with a refusal to hate, animosity with an open-hearted kindness, rejection with a bold generosity, and fear with a stalwart sense of appreciation. In truth, few more daring ideas have ever entered the human mind or status. This kind of raw forgiveness means that we are not destined to endlessly replay the grievances of now or yesterday. It is the ability to live with the past without being held captive by it, and it is the ability to embrace the injustices of the moment without reacting emotionally to the same. Indeed, it would not be an exaggeration to say that forgiveness is the most compelling testimony to human freedom. We must ever strive to halt oppression & place ourselves between all perpetrators & their victims, yes, and yet we must do so ever with compassion in our hearts and forgiveness on our lips … Amen.” ~ inspired by Jonathan Sacks
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