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I agree wholeheartedly with you post. I would like to add to it though. What was "right" for me at 19 is no longer right for me. I made choices at that time that are no longer a reflection of "what I want" to feel whole. In that same manner I empathize with those that are held prisoner (as I see it) by their anger. It is difficult to classify emotions into purely positive and negative, but emotions that do not bring about change are to me pointless, at least for a time. Often anger or jealousy awakens in us a greater knowledge of oneself in a more poignant way than happiness or love, for when we are happy, sated, or content, we often do not remember to examine the cause. Fear, anger, hate, prejudice, selfishness, etc all have to be examined to be first understood, and often overcome. Very often our anger exists because of an event (rightly so), then emotion gets associated, at another time or place that emotion resurfaces (for whatever reason) and the same association with anger arises as well. In a system that is so difficult to achieve economic equality broad generalizations are made. To me unity begins with individuals, rather than groups, and it begins by opening oneself up to "know" that other person. By no means are all people of any cultural group good or bad. In our communities that encourage, or often insist on homegeneity, someone that is different often threatens one's self-perception. But more often than not (I have found) most of us have the same large goals (i.e. to love and be loved, to see peace, to touch/know/find the Almighty, to see our children happy and to learn what "enough" is), often the means of reaching these goals differ greatly. Curry being a well-known spice mix, has many different nuances based on the country, the province, the ethnic group that makes it, and yet it is still curry. There is no excuse for the wrongs of the past, but to build a brighter future we have to be willing to "walk in our brother's shoes" at least long enough to know why he is the way he is.
There are evil people, there are good and righteous people seeking the truth, and there are those that are struggling to find who they are, and what it is that they really want, before they can decide which side they are on....I think
I suppose this is going on... so I will leave it at this unless you care to continue to reason on...
Selah
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