ACCUSTOMED, CEREMONIOUS
And, guess what?
It's exactly the same for grown - ups as it is for kids.
Thanks to my nephew Dan for sharing this one!
Why strive for connectivity? Because for the most part we still want to believe that people are really good at heart. We still want to value the true, the honest, the lovely -- over the unjust and the impure. At every turn, people are trying to honor their connection to others, to acknowledge the humanity of those with whom they share space on this globe, pandemic or otherwise.
That's why no matter how many centuries or decades have passed, the noble words of Anne Frank and the Apostle Paul are worth remembering, because they set a precedent for us.
Nadia Bolz-Weber describes this kind of previous generational connection in her essay "Unprecedented Hope": "Because for it to be a hope on which I can truly rely, it has to be a hope for which there is indeed a precedent. It has to be a hope that has been worn smooth . . . already established in those who came before me. . . . . Those who have come before us have already lived through pandemics and social upheaval and loss and grief and death and labor pains. Which means we are never alone in our struggles."
Anne Frank: "It's difficult in times like these: ideals, dreams and cherished hopes rise within us, only to be crushed by grim reality. It's a wonder I haven't abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart. It's utterly impossible for me to build my life on a foundation of chaos, suffering and death. I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness, I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too, I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too shall end, that peace and tranquility will return once more. In the meantime, I must hold on to my ideals. Perhaps the day will come when I'll be able to realize them!"
St. Paul: " . . . whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Philippians 4:8, KJV
make them!
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Next Fortnightly Post
Friday, August 14th
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THE QUOTIDIAN KIT
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