Live in Light, Love, and Hope—Conquer Fear

Personally, I believe all people are essentially good inside, and the reason that people hurt each other in this world is because people are trapped in habitual patterns that are encouraged by socio-cultural-economic pressures, and fear.

I think applying labels, like hawk and dove, make it difficult to move past pre-conceived notions, false assumptions. I think this labeling is a problem—it promotes prejudice, and it promotes jumping to conclusions.

Rather than judge others, I think it is better to pursue communication, to challenge peoples' assumptions about each other. To be patient, and persistent, and hopeful. To talk, and to listen.

Because in a world that is so rife with violence, what good is it to live without hope for a better future? What service would we be doing for the childrens' children of today's children if we were go forth into the world, into the supposed work of bringing peace, with gloomy countenances stooped low in hopeless desperation that the world is fated toward violence and destruction. Nay, it seems to me that peace, true peace, peace with justice—real world peace—is possible.

I believe that the great great great majority of people, if not all people, are essentially good, caring people; we have common values: like honesty, truthfulness, respect for one another and the planet, to ask and gain consent before taking, etc.

I believe it is a product of fear that some people exploit and steal, plundering the planet and human labor for some supposed economic self-interest...

So instead of giving in to fear, re-doubling and re-doubling its effects by allowing them to pervade our own sphere, what if we walk in light, and hope, and belief that another world is possible; what if then we encourage and allow others to do the same, to promote, support and accelerate their liberation from the gloom of helplessness in the very real and tremendous face of economic and political violence: violence that is daily visited upon the people of this small planet...

I don't believe in a utopia where all suffering can be eradicated. I think life will always involve some amount of pain and suffering. People will always stub their toe. Or fall down when they are learning to walk, etc.

But life in today's world, for most people, if not everyone, comes with unnecessary suffering: so much unnecessary suffering, and in some cases, extraordinarily horrible unnecessary suffering.

I believe much of this suffering, especially the worst of it, really is unnecessary, and I believe we humans have the ability to evolve our consciousness, our awareness of each other, to develop our understanding of the interconnected nature of humanity—and to radically eradicate this type of suffering which is unnecessary, and which is the product of fear-based socio-cultural patterns.

Walk in the light, live in the love. We are never alone. Hope springs eternal.

Berd