Failing;
is not falling down,
it is staying down.
(anon)
Don't let this breed hate (tarley)
I want this to stop (anon)
One solution : evolution (anon)
The quotes above were written on the boarded up windows of the Debenhams in Clapham Junction, (London) after the rioting and looting of the last few weeks. Most of the messages were of love, but some were also of anger and hate. It saddened me to watch the young people (our children) destroy and pillage their own community. But through these events, we were awakened to the desperation and hopelessness that some of these young people feel. Out of these tragic events, a sense of community was born, whereby people came together in love and support to clean up their towns.
Russell Brand wrote a poignant and candid article (The Guardian, Aug 11) exploring the reasons why these young people would destroy their own community and his words came from a time in his own personal experience, as a teenager when he too felt a sense of hopelessness and frustration. He finished the article with the following message: 'If we want to live in a society where people feel included, we must include them, where they feel represented, we must represent them and where they feel love and compassion for their communities then we, the members of that community, must find love and compassion for them.'
And that brings me to my next point: Neal Donald Walsh talks about 'touch'. He says that we touch around 120,000 people in our lifetime, through every single person we encounter, from our family, friends, colleagues to the local tramp we give money to, or the shop assistant we see daily at our local shop. This gives us an opportunity day by day, moment to moment whether those encounters are inspiring, uplifting and positive or not?!
People want to be seen. By looking directly into their eyes you are saying 'I see the wonder and magnificence that is you.' Eyes are the windows to the soul.
Smile at people. It says I agree with what I am seeing.
Touch. Make a connection - recreate the connection between you and all of life.
This makes a difference to the people you encounter every day and creates a flowering, permission for people to be themselves. Being is doing!
Breath
Amongst a time of overwhelming,
despair and outrage -
A flowering must come;
Fragility and beauty revealing,
the wisdom within.
A whisper of its promise,
The gentlest of breath;
And breath unites us in our
humanity,
We are -
but one breath.
LB
The following poem was inspired by riots
is not falling down,
it is staying down.
(anon)
Don't let this breed hate (tarley)
I want this to stop (anon)
One solution : evolution (anon)
The quotes above were written on the boarded up windows of the Debenhams in Clapham Junction, (London) after the rioting and looting of the last few weeks. Most of the messages were of love, but some were also of anger and hate. It saddened me to watch the young people (our children) destroy and pillage their own community. But through these events, we were awakened to the desperation and hopelessness that some of these young people feel. Out of these tragic events, a sense of community was born, whereby people came together in love and support to clean up their towns.
Russell Brand wrote a poignant and candid article (The Guardian, Aug 11) exploring the reasons why these young people would destroy their own community and his words came from a time in his own personal experience, as a teenager when he too felt a sense of hopelessness and frustration. He finished the article with the following message: 'If we want to live in a society where people feel included, we must include them, where they feel represented, we must represent them and where they feel love and compassion for their communities then we, the members of that community, must find love and compassion for them.'
And that brings me to my next point: Neal Donald Walsh talks about 'touch'. He says that we touch around 120,000 people in our lifetime, through every single person we encounter, from our family, friends, colleagues to the local tramp we give money to, or the shop assistant we see daily at our local shop. This gives us an opportunity day by day, moment to moment whether those encounters are inspiring, uplifting and positive or not?!
People want to be seen. By looking directly into their eyes you are saying 'I see the wonder and magnificence that is you.' Eyes are the windows to the soul.
Smile at people. It says I agree with what I am seeing.
Touch. Make a connection - recreate the connection between you and all of life.
This makes a difference to the people you encounter every day and creates a flowering, permission for people to be themselves. Being is doing!
Breath
Amongst a time of overwhelming,
despair and outrage -
A flowering must come;
Fragility and beauty revealing,
the wisdom within.
A whisper of its promise,
The gentlest of breath;
And breath unites us in our
humanity,
We are -
but one breath.
LB
The following poem was inspired by riots
