Let me start with a story! A young lad complained to his Dad that his mother had burnt the toast, to which the father replied. “Your mother has had a difficult day, and she is really tired. She went out of her way to prepare this meal for us; why blame her and hurt her? Burnt toast never hurt anyone, but words can be very painful!”
This set me thinking, again, as you may have noticed in my writings: WHAT IS OUR COMMON GOOD? The father’s response worked towards the common good of the family; this example is easy.
As we descend into shortages and more complex political confusion, it may be of use to note the old maxim: We have 2 ears to listen, we have one mouth to speak. Thereby challenging us to hear each other before we run our mouths with an opinion that we have harbored and maybe not been willing to change. It reminds me of my friend Alex Herskovitz, who suggested to me years ago, MAKE SURE ALL PARTIES BENEFIT BEFORE YOU OPEN YOUR MOUTH.
Once we can hear, listen, and reflect, we enter the realm of “HOW DO WE WORK TOGETHER?”
The father worked with his son to keep a sense of kindness in the family. The father had the trust of the son, and the son trusted the father’s word, and so in a very simplistic sense, life proceeded in harmony.
For us, the populace faced with derision, this social cohesion is infinitely more complex. The press and politicians are awash with “polarization”. What a cop out this is!! A cowardly act of self-righteousness.
If you are afraid of something, walk towards it, meet it head-on! World War I showed us that, given the chance, soldiers were willing to cease fire and play soccer over Christmas, until the officers intervened and forbade such fraternization. We are confronted with a similar dilemma. Republicans, MAGA, and Democrats, Israeli leaders and Hamas/Iran, Putin, and former Soviet satellites – there is endless lip service by the leaders spinning conflict, danger, revenge, etc. I am willing to bet there is not one reader of this blog who, if given the chance, would not prefer to enjoy a summer BBQ with another like-minded human than be stressed by ginned-up propaganda!
So how do we reach this social cohesion and trust? I come back to my previous writing where I suggested that we examine our position and can say: HERE I STAND!
Is my mission to feel I am right, or do I want peace and goodwill to prevail? WHAT IS YOUR MISSION TOWARD your family, friends, community, and country?
Once established, WHAT IS YOUR HEALTHY OUTRAGE?
I am confronted with the reality that a very close family member is vehemently anti-immigrant. We are first-generation immigrants, brought in by my mother! It is very easy to “pick a fight” over this. However, my friendship with this member is worth more to both of us than a standoff. Therefore, as she rants on, I listen and voice my dissent as a matter of MY TRUTH. The relationship endures; we have many topics we need to cooperate on, and life goes on.
HEALTHY OUTRAGE, this enables soldiers to amble at a march, enables people to go out and protest, allows us all not to live in fear but stand upright in our conviction. I wish you the strength and good fortune to LIVE WITH LOVE IN YOUR HEART, as we enter the second half of 2025. Go out and meet opposing views and find common ground to join on.
Having said that, I also urge you to love your lips, be ready to maintain your wounds, and pamper your dry skin! Click on this link www.honeyforhealing.com and let’s work together. We need your support, and we know our products support your needs. We use the highest quality ingredients, and reviews and testimonials support our position.
Yours aye, Gjoko
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