This is a sacred time of year. For Christians it is Holy Week, an occasion to remember the life, suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He walked among us as a human being but many of us believe that He was truly the Son of God. He attempted to teach us how to live with one another. His message was simple but so difficult to follow. He only asked us to love our neighbors just as we love ourselves. He showed us how to do this by example. He modeled the behavior that He wanted us to also have. In the end even this good man who had done no harm to anyone was sentenced to death, executed like a criminal. In a last act of extreme compassion He forgave the thief who was penitent and the people who were responsible for killing Him. He commended His spirit into the hands of God, His Father. He died for all of us, not just some. We sometimes forget that He was so inclusive.
We have suffered of late. We see the work of terrorists and we wonder what we can do, what we must do. We are shaken. We want to answer hate with love but we worry that to do so is naive and will only make things worse. Then again, we cringe at the idea of anger and force, even understanding that sometimes it is the only way to be safe. We are confused. In our anxious state of mind we strike out at one another. We attempt to find someone or some group to blame for what is happening. We exclaim that our leaders have let us down. Our hearts are sickened and we want to ignore the problems but we know that to do so will solve nothing. It is a dilemma and we worry that the path that we choose may be wrong. Continue reading “Conquering Our Fears”
When my brother, Michael, was only a small boy he often carried a book by Werner von Braun under his arm. He would flip through the pages and gaze at the illustrations long before he was able to read. It was a volume from my father’s library and it envisioned what space travel might be like if man were ever to venture to the moon. It was only natural that after Michael graduated from Rice University he would be drawn to NASA and the work that was taking place there. He turned down other opportunities that might have ultimately been as exciting in order to fulfill a lifelong dream of working with the men and women who wanted to conquer the frontiers far beyond our planet. He accepted a job as a NASA contractor and has never looked back.
On March 20, 2013 the United Nations celebrated the first ever International Day of Happiness, decreeing that every human on earth has the right to pursue happiness. Sadly there is no possible way to insure that all people actually have a shot at feeling joyful, even if for only a day, but it is a noble cause. Perhaps a bit more publicity for the event might have been in order. It was promoted so quietly that I actually missed it altogether, as I suspect many did. I luckily had a most pleasant day but I wonder how many souls were too busy attempting to survive in a sometimes quite threatening world to be able to pause for twenty four hours to enjoy life the way that the UN intended?
Kindness and humility sometimes seem to be very unpopular traits these days. We adulate those who are boastful and arrogant while assuming the someone with quiet dignity is somehow weak. Given the current climate I was thrilled to learn that Mother Teresa will soon become a saint. I can’t think of a more deserving person nor one that I more admire.
