i spy with my little eye

There is difficulty in knowing that the world is full of all us just trying to figure out who we are, trying to understand our selves- separate of the other. In so trying, it seems we cannot handle the struggle of the other, of the person standing next to us doing something annoying or despicable, or God forbide, evil. Is this because the one standing next to us reminds us so fiercely, on a level we can’t even comprehend, of our own struggle and therefore of our own annoyances, our own despicable acts, and God forbide, our own evil? That the only reaction we can fathom having toward them is disturbing disgust and hatred?  Because it’s quite a rare thing when we see the struggle of someone else, that we reach out and hug them, show compassion, grace and mercy toward them. 

I’ve been emotional the last couple days, listening to the news, hearing of horrors unexplainable where blame is desperately trying to be placed on someone, anyone, but there is no one to blame. Except maybe myself, for not trying harder to step outside of my own struggle and see the struggle of the other and show them compassion, grace and mercy. Maybe if I try to figure myself out, try to understand myself in connection to the other, rather than separate of, maybe the compassion, grace and mercy will more often become an extension of myself, rather than something I have to choose.

We can all hope, can’t we?