I was watching the funeral service for Ted Kennedy just now and realized I've lived during the deaths of the three Kennedy brothers and Reverend Martin Luther King. The Mass of the Ressurection today was so beautiful and the stamp of the Kennedy legacy was very evident in the profiles of the family members. Whether their politics matched yours or did not, the dignity, intellect and love of mankind they shared was undeniable. It makes me wonder how history would have been different had these four men lived to fulfill their prophecy. Who will step up to the vast challenge that is now empty? I'm overwhelmed with sadness at these great losses and flooded with memories. I'm hoping the example they lived will help make us all more compassionate people, but I wonder ~~~
[Edited 8/29/09 12:55pm]

MoonSongs said:

The Mass was beautiful.

What we need are more compassionate people willing to get up and do something.

babynoz said:

Precisely ~ how do we get there?
[Edited 8/30/09 10:51am]

MoonSongs said:

To answer very broadly, we could start by promoting holistic and evolutionary thinking. By that I mean realizing our interconnectedness with our environment and one another. It's happening in small pockets here and there but it's not enough yet to mitigate the downward trajectory.

The mentality of "to hell with everybody else" and demonizing of the "other" is destructive energy. In the world of matter there will always be opposites and therefore there will be people who embrace destructive behaviors. The average person resents being preached at but leading by example is a good alternative in many cases.

The old Native American story says that the wolf that grows is the one we feed. We should all pause from time to time to consider which wolf we are feeding in our own lives.

Finally, evolutionary minded people need to be more proactive. Anyone able bodied and of sound mind can do lots of positive things on a small or large scale to improve society. One person might be good at mentoring young people, for example, while another may be qualified to run for office as Kennedy did. There's lots of choices, but doing nothing accomplishes just that.

My idealism is showing...

babynoz said:

Thank God.

I think there is an underground movement in the country, where many individuals are pursuing idealistic ways of life. Often to personal success. The key will be in making a quilt of the many patchworks that exist in this country and I think this comes down to each of us who are called to make those connections with others in ways that really matter.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Love the way you put that...

I try hard to remain optimistic that more will answer the call. Some days it takes a monumental effort.

I know that the term "paradigm shift" has become a new age buzz word but I don't think the idea should be dismissed because of that.

babynoz said:

What a thoughtful and thought provoking response ~ I've got it printed out to take the time to really absorb it. Funny you mentioned mentoring young people ~ that is what I do at my job and this past three weeks has been especially challenging. The group we have currently in our homeless shelter is very diverse, intelligent and in extremely difficult situations. There are few resources, especially for children in Michigan. All of my creativity, logic and idealism is stretched beyond capacity and I keep looking for the missing piece. It is very frustrating but I push forward because they have no one else. The staff at the shelter has been amazing with this group and hopefully we will make a difference ~ then we will start all over again with the next group.
The story about the wolf is so simple but so profound. Thank you for your post.