One thing that frees me, that keeps the darkness from taking me over, is the belief that there are no bad people out there, just regular people doing bad things, whether with malice, ignorance, or good intentions.
I am freed by this thought because it feels less permanent. Behavior can be changed, sometimes by a single act.
I’m not exonerating evil deeds; just acknowledging the cause-and-effect that drives even the most horrible of our behaviors.
There are things so small we cannot see them.
There are things so deep in the past, we forget they’re there, wreaking havoc.
The worst of the evils, perhaps, are these:
The enlightened mind that uses the light to illuminate selfish treasures
The thinking mind that has awareness of calamity but decides not to change
The controlling mind that seeks to make others in the image of themselves
The destructive mind that only critiques and dismantles
These evils can be consumed and excised at will. In worshipping evil, we become evil. In consuming darkness, we become darkness.
“Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Dr. King,’s prophetic words.
Not everyone deserves our love. Indeed, the most visible of dark figures should not be the targets of our delicate arrows; we cannot reach them.
But there are people all around us everyday, who are doing bad things, or who just did a bad thing, or who are evil for the seconds that we pass them, and these people need light and love, just as we do.
To send love sometimes you need only to not send back hate. But if you can do more, then do more.
The weight on your back is an arsenal.
We are the ones to free each other.