The next quote by Carl Sagan brings the first one into poignant focus:

“The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot.”

This second quote by Carl Sagan brings the first one into poignant focus. Think about it, has the Earth ever been without conflict between one faction and another? This jewel of a planet is a prize, but to whom? Do we honestly think it is merely humans that want possession of it? Or is there a much bigger story unfolding than we imagine? Is full possession of human beings also the ultimate prize for some of the power hungry?

When you think of human, do you think humans are capable of the sort of cruelty that you see before your very eyes? What human wakes up in the morning thinking, “Gee, I think it would be a really great idea to bomb people in another country today”? No, we’re not. We’re thinking about our work, our families, how to build a life within all of this madness. We love. And there’s the crucial difference. We love.

It’s our love for our families, our love of life that keeps us sane and going. But will love sustain us through all of this forever? I suppose in the higher realms, yes. But what about here on Earth, right now? While madmen are threatening each other with atomic bombs, and building robots that they hope will overtake human civilization, where are we in the equation? To those “inhumans”, we are mere cannon fodder in the pursuit of their domination.

Carl Sagan was right. We are too caught up in the minutiae of our lives, and not paying attention to the bigger drama unfolding before us. Yes, I think our love has the power to save us, but not in some fairy tale, Pollyanna way. Spiritual warriors love, yes, but they are also prepared to defend that which they love, with eyes wide open.

There is a very good word, it’s a very short and powerful one, but much underused. That word is “No”.

Susan L Hart 2023 | HartInspirations.com | SusanLHart.com