Last week at Bible Study, my roommate and I were leading the discussion/the group. We were focused on the theme of inclusiveness and community that we found throughout our studies of the Bible and of Jesus. Then today, while I was looking at our disorganized bookshelf, I found a book I had not read since my first attempt at college. "Dorothy Day: The Long Loneliness", had jumped almost right off the shelf into my hands. Before turning her autobiography over to see the cover with her standing there in the woods, I noticed the following quote:
"We have all known the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes from community." ~ Dorothy Day
How powerful, I thought. She was speaking right to me. Love being the solution and community being so vital in bringing about that love. I started to think about the Golden Rule: Treat each other how you would like to be treated. or as I always heard it. "Love thy neighbor as thyself." The question for me always was how was I treating myself? Did I love myself if not how could I love anyone else? This puts us in a disadvantage point. We become isolated and withdrawn. We do not see the good in ourselves and possibly in others because of our inability to love ourselves. Years of loneliness and isolation had brought me down. But a community of love and compassion built me up.
The Beaver is central to building a community. The Beaver family only gnaws down enough trees to feed on and to build the dam which in return makes a pond. Then the deer and the ducks and all the other animals including the fish have a place to live. It is a co-operative community. It is inclusive and full of love. Each animal and plant, the soil and water and rocks, all know what their role is in the community. Let us be busy beavers and build a compassionate, loving community.
No comments:
Post a Comment