Reflection
“Today, science has brought all the different quarters of the globe so close together that it is impossible to isolate them one from another. Today we are faced with the preeminent fact that, if civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships—the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together and work together, in the same world, at peace…The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. Let us move forward with strong and active faith.”
These words are from a handwritten speech FDR left a in a drawer when he died. He was talking in the context of the scourge of World War II. How appropriate this message is to our present situation! If we needed a wake-up call that we are one human race interdependent and interconnected it is the current threat we are all facing and with which nations are grappling. How easy it has become to understand that our actions impinge on one another and the fate of one group is tied to the fate of all!
Prayer
That all may be one.
Action
Reflect on the thoughts expressed above. How can we cultivate our human relationships and live together in peace after our common threat has gone? What specifically can you do beginning now?
Suggested Reading
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2
In Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
Romans 12:5
If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.
Mother Teresa
Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.
Dalai Lama XIV
This tenderness for life awakens when we no longer shield ourselves from the vulnerability of our condition, from the basic fragility of existence. It awakens through kinship with the suffering of others. We become so open that we can take the pain of the world in, let it touch our hearts, and turn it into compassion.
Pema Chodron
We all are so deeply interconnected; we have no option but to love all. Be kind and do good for any one and that will be reflected. The ripples of the kind heart are the highest blessings of the Universe.
Amit Ray
Compassion hurts. When you feel connected to everything, you also feel responsible for everything. And you cannot turn away. Your destiny is bound with the destinies of others. You must either learn to carry the Universe or be crushed by it. You must grow strong enough to love the world, yet empty enough to sit down at the same table with its worst horrors.
Andrew Boyd
Our task must be to free ourselves… by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and it’s beauty.
Albert Einstein
Tolerance and compassion are qualities of fearless people.
Paulo Coelho
You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.
Jane Goodall
The welfare of each is bound up in the welfare of all.
Helen Keller