Our Hearts Pump Blue and Yellow

My tears flow blue and yellow as I watch, hope, and pray for Ukraine. As a story as old as humankind is once again brought to bear. Ever since we stood up straight and formed into tribes, one has tried to oppress the other. All too often, the oppressed have lingered in servitude for years. But every so often, a stand for freedom is made. Sometimes it’s an individual — Gandhi, Mandela, King — causing the injustice to be reflected back upon society. Sometimes it’s a young girl — Malala Yousafzai — standing against a tide of oppression. And sometimes a nation — America 1776, Britain 1939, Ukraine 2022 — says no more. We will fight for our freedom or leave the ground stained with our blood. The tribes have gotten larger and far more dangerous, but the story stays the same. Today my heart pumps blue and yellow.

Once again, those weak of heart but large in number, brutalize those small in number but strong of heart. And we weep for the mother and child, the old man and woman, the young fighter who will not see another day. But we also lower our heads and shed a tear for our own destiny. Despite a long history written in blood, we insist on a new chapter with the same old story. And we watch, and we hope, and we pray, as our hearts pump blue and yellow.

A single spiritual force, freedom, extends to all humans. If you darken it anywhere, you darken it everywhere. It is…