Our task right now - March 2011

In the first few months of this year we have seen crisis after crisis unfold, from Australia and New Zealand to Egypt, Libya and Bahrain.  Now we are witnessing catastrophe for the Japanese people with the worst quake since records began, a devastating tsunami which has killed so many, and a nuclear reactor disaster whose deadly consequences are as yet unknown.  And yet how brave and dignified the Japanese are in their time of tribulation.

So much suffering is deeply shocking.  How can we best respond to such tragedy, besides donating to the relief organizations to help with the work they carry out?  Our TV screens and phones connect us to the events as they happen and we are deeply affected.  We share in the suffering because we are all part of one humanity.  Although we may feel powerless and overwhelmed by it all as we try to fathom why such things happen, these events remind us of how impermanent our lives are and force us to look within for answers.  There can be only one response in the face of so much misery - we can open our hearts and become channels for love and compassion for those who have died or have suffered loss.  We can pray that those who are understandably afraid for the future find the inner strength to cope with what each new day brings.  We can be with them in their time of need.

For all of us the world is changing, and our task right now is to find deeper meaning and purpose in our lives.   We seem to be living in times of transition, in a world of death throes and birth pangs, where the very crises we see around us are forcing us to question our way of life.  We are challenged to play our part in this transition by becoming fully evolved human beings, working for a better world, a world of co-operation, of compassion and of peace.

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