It seems that the last few months have highlighted the suffering of the planet. No one can escape the news about natural catastrophes, genocide, nuclear disasters, wars and brutalities against humanity, not to mention our personal problems. I do not pretend to have an easy answer for this situation, yet I would like to share some words written by Thomas Merton many moons ago. His words have given me much food for thought!
"Indeed the truth that many people never understand, until it is too late, is that the more you try to avoid suffering, the more you suffer, because smaller insignificant things begin to torture you, in proportion to your fear of being hurt. The one who does most to avoid suffering is, in the end, the one who suffers most: and his suffering comes to him from things so little and so trivial that one can say that it is no longer objective at all. It is his own existence, his own being that is at once the source of his pain, and his very existence and consciousness is his greatest torture." Thomas Merton, The Seven Storey Mountain, Harcourt, Inc. New York, 1978, pg.82
Are we allowing the smaller insignificant things to torture us? If so, then the tragedies that surround us today will totally annihilate our spirits.
Is there room for hope and growth in the midst of it all?
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| Alaska glacier 2011 |
