Listening to our local community radio station (WERU-fm) this glorious morning,
and, doing dishes after the satisfying and festive christmas breakfast, as sometimes happens, a song captured my attention wholly and solely.
My name is Francis Tolliver, I come from Liverpool.
Two years ago the war was waiting for me after school.
To Belgium and to Flanders, to Germany to here,
I fought for King and country I love dear.
The spirit of the season has such power to activate and elevate.
This problem of human aggression persists, and the lessons of history seem to come spaced just far enough apart for generational memory to fade in vividness. Still, the human predicament we all share responds favorably to this view:
we are all in this together.
The suffering we all experience will diminish as we evolve toward the role of collaborative cohabitants of this beautiful planet.
Aren't there challenges enough, without our inflicting harm on each other?
One would think...
In appreciation of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, back on 10 december, here's a link for love and peace, the Earth Charter.
We stand at a critical moment in Earth's history, a time when humanity must choose its future. As the world becomes increasingly interdependent and fragile, the future at once holds great peril and great promise. To move forward we must recognize that in the midst of a magnificent diversity of cultures and life forms we are one human family and one Earth community with a common destiny. We must join together to bring forth a sustainable global society founded on respect for nature, universal human rights, economic justice, and a culture of peace. Towards this end, it is imperative that we, the peoples of Earth, declare our responsibility to one another, to the greater community of life, and to future generations.
in joy, y'all