| September 11, 2001 We have been shaken to the core. And yet...and yet...if we have the courage to be still, to feel and to listen within, we will discover that, underneath the rubble, the core remains vital. It is to this core, this place beyond our tears, our anger, and our fears, that we now must go. This journey to this center does not deny grief and rage but works through them -- not by acting out of the emotions, but by feeling them, by holding them as you'd hold an injured child; knowing that deep inside, at the core, the essence of life and love and healing is continually bubbling forth. Being shaken to the core is to be shaken to the source of our greatest power. It is from here that our greatest strength and our greatest contributions have emerged throughout human history. World War II is said to have created "the greatest generation." It is now our turn: We can breathe deeply and bring our awareness to center, to gain the courage and ability to let go of judgment, prejudice, and righteousness. We can walk a new path to lead humanity to higher ground. Criminals and terrorists are grown in a soil created by revenge, fear and separation. We can plant our feet in soil based on tough love and centered connection. We can make our "rescue mission" to listen actively to each other, to lend our prayers and our helping hands to others, and to seek and appreciate the gift of being together. We can be centered in the possibility of ending the cycle of violence forever. In our own actions and conversations we can help others aware that force follows force blindly, causing a never-ending cycle of suffering and revenge throughout the ages. Only when we are centered will we be guided to the most effective actions without injuring or implicating the innocent.
Thomas Crum, Cofounder of the Windstar Foundation Reprinted by permission from AIKI Works, 2001 Return to: | ||