The toll of devaluing life

On the second day of Holy Week violence is occurring across the world. I am sure violence occurred in a part of the world that Western society does not deem important. I know this because it is a pattern. I know this because we (westerners) seem to only pay attention to violence when it is against the bodies of those we deem worthy.

My heart breaks for the people in Brussels; for the at least 26 innocent lives lost and their families. For another community that will suffer from communal PTSD. For people who were simply trying to go about their days and must now bury their loved ones or won’t see their next birthday.

My heart breaks that once again people have been caught in the cross fire of what imperialistic peacocking has created. We have to find a way to honor one another’s pain and suffering. We cannot keep allowing our governments to treat the lives of people in other (“lesser”) nations as though they are expendable and then turn around and be devastated when lives that we deem valuable are taken too soon. That’s not how any of this works. We cannot continue to prioritize our beliefs, needs, values over others in this ideological circle jerk and then feign shock when someone does something deplorable to prove their superiority. Something has to change y’all.

If you pray, pray. If you chant, chant. If you wish, wish. Whatever you do, do. Cause we need help that is bigger than us. And not Ina superior way; not in the way that has gotten us to this tragic point. Please don’t let your prayer be that your religion/God wins over or defeats someone else’s. May our prayers be compassionate; may they be as multifaceted as we are. May they acknowledge that not everyone believes what we believe and that’s okay.

May our prayers not be of the nationalistic variety that is rife with Donald Trump rhetoric. May they not reinforce the lies that Islam is a violent religion; may we not give credence to the way that this beautiful religion is being perverted.

May we find a way to truly look at each and every person and see a divine creation; may we learn the sacredness of all life. It may be the only way we survive.