Evil

This morning I got to thinking about good and evil. I've always believed that God os omnipotent - everywhere and in every part of life. As such the universal spirit doesn't get involved in what is good and what is evil. It is just "It is what it is" and we as humans put oour own perceptions on things. It doesn't mean that our perceptions aren't clear. We know what we believe is good and what we believe is evil.

So I just sat with my wife and read her this opening paragraph and then mentioned that I don't think I know anyone who is evil.

Yet there are horrific events that occur in the world and all we can do is shake our heads. Just recently a rocket was sent onto a soccer field resulting in the deaths of 12 children. It is so hard to believe that someone did that action knowing what the results would be. Is this a person with a family? Is this a person with children at home?

But we in the United States are so separated from living in a war-torn country. Living in a land waiting for the daily possibility of hearing a whine and then a rocket takes out everything. Each day is a day of survuval to make sure there is water and food and a place to stay. Notice I didn't use the word 'safe' in this piece. That is the one thing that is not available - a safe place.

I lived in the generation that ended up with the Vietnam War. I served in the National Guard but had many friends who served in Asia. Some developed PTSD and some had Agent Orange health issues. I was a medic in the National Guard. Our unit had twin brothers who had served as medics in Vietnam. They were in the Marines and accompanied teams that went out on long-range missions. Yet they seemed so balanced so I talked to them about it. They said it helped that they had each other. The other thing was they had to accept the reality that people were intent on killing them. They had to continually change their daily routine to be safe. They had been back for four years and they still varied their travel patterns - just in case.

I wonder is that is part of my comprehension difficulty. I have an innocence that has not bee ruined by a bomb or a local war. I think to move into ego revenge and taking actions resulting in death there must be a loss of innocence.

I'm reminded of innocence just last night watching the Olympics. Katie Ledecky had just won the gold medal in the 1500 meter race. As she was leaving the pool, a small blonde little girl was jumping up and down with excitement. Katie waved at this little girl and she had a melt dow. Katie had waved at her and there was nothing more important in the world. It was awesome! She said over and over again to her parents "She waved at me!"

So I pray that innocence continues in the world and that we all work together to hold innocence and safety for all we know.

I write a piece like this and I realize I've added nothing to the process - but I have such hope and optimism...........