Monday, March 30, 2009

Sacred Life Sunday: A Little Longer....

Yes, I know I am a day late.

This morning I got up to the news of yet another mass family killing. This one in an "upscale" neighborhood in Santa Clara, California.

It's certainly not the first report of someone going off the beam and killing their entire family because of a job loss, foreclosure or another type of financial setback.

I've believed for a long time that the timing of this depression (recession, my hiney!) is spiritually significant. It's the proverbial fork in the road.

For too long, people in this particular social system have defined themselves by what they own instead of who they are. Consequently when financial setbacks or losses occur, people feel their entire identity is compromised.

This economic depression is providing an opportunity to re-evaluate our priorities, to do things differently, to value things differently, to choose differently.

My hope is that it will change us at a fundamental level. We'll stand still a bit longer, listen a little more closely, look at each other with a bit more compassion and take the time to see below the surface. Reassure someone. Notice when someone is in trouble and take some action, however minimal, to re-establish our core humanity.

Communicate the fact that we are all in this together and we're all prepared to help in some way.

It's time.


~*

7 comments:

heartinsanfrancisco said...

You're so right about all of this! I also believe that the depression is an opportunity for us to search our souls and renew our core values that have been displaced by the culture of ownership.

Everything is spiritually significant. We are here to learn certain lessons and at first, life knocks gently on our door. If we don't open it, life knocks harder, eventually kicking the door in, if necessary, because one way or another, we WILL learn.

We can do it easy or we can do it hard, as they say in crime shows. This depression is certainly doing it hard because that is what we require and what we earned. I know those are harsh words, but I don't believe in accidents. Things happen for a reason, and it is up to us to figure out what it is and to learn from it until doing better is second nature.

Carla said...

Yes, good can always come about from the most dire situations. Hopefully things will change for the better, just hopefully. Sorry about the news, that kind of stuff is always horribly depressing.

S said...

Yes. It's time.

Past time.

(That photo is so serene that I want to crawl inside it.)

Anonymous said...

I hope you're right.

But from what I've seen, materialism, narcissism, and greed are not going to go down without one heck of a fight.

Woman in a Window said...

Yes, definitely time to join together. But I have to say, I just don't understand murder coming from financial situations. There is so much more in life to fear, and love!

Billie Greenwood said...

We who are the rich top 15%of the world have much to learn from the majority. Yes, it's time.

Janet said...

Sadly, I don't think many will seize the opportunity to shift their thinking. Stimulus packages will kick in, times will improve and we will go back to consume, consume, consume.

Now *that* is depressing.