Is it the End of the World?

So much lately, in world news, has been excellent fuel for those in the global community who believe the end times are near. Disasters of every kind, natural and economic, killing, death, and greed make the headlines, and those who are moved to help can barely keep up with the tragedies. In my own neck of the woods, a woman, who had a FEMA trailer as a result of losing her home in early June in a extreme torrnado, had that same trailer destroyed last week in a freak microburst. People shake their heads and say, "what is the world coming to?" And more seriously, some people, in some places, are scared.

I came across this piece written by Martin Luther King in a response to the Norway tragedy.

I am convinced that love is the most durable power in the world. It is not an expression of impractical idealism, but of practical realism. Far from being the pious injunction of a Utopian dreamer, love is an absolute necessity for the survival of our civilization. To return hate for hate does nothing but intensify the existence of evil in the universe. Someone must have sense enough and religion enough to cut off the chain of hate and evil, and this can only be done through love. ~MLK

I don't think I can add to this, certainly not with any more eloquence, power or truth, save to say, I think we ought not merely to Love, but to FOCUS on love, not simply do GOOD, but LOOK for the good. As a culture we are obsessed with disaster, and we must actively free ourselves from this addiction by retraining our minds to see the Love around us, talk about it, build it up, add to it, the same way we can generate excitement and energy around the dismal news.

Love is a "practical realism." It is a real tool we can use, not some sentimental Hallmark card. It is a force and a power. We ought to train ourselves to know it, use it, and grow it. Rather than being helpless in the face of it's opposite, we can become professional Lovers. We can learn about it, notice it, and swiftly use it, in every situation, every day. If hateful acts begin with a seed of hate to which a person puts lots of time, energy and attention, so do acts of Love. And there are more Lovers among us than haters, so let's begin to take seriously our work keeping in mind: love never fails.  --Rev. Sam Wilde