Solidarité with Paris: Being Peace Wherever We are in the World
I don’t know what to say about Paris. So, for two days I have written nothing in my social networks. What can I do but hold the victims in my heart? Practice staying in the moment. (I say practice because it’s not something I’ve yet fully mastered.) And love big. Love All.
I have not overlaid my Facebook profile picture with a French flag, because to me, (only to me and NO JUDGEMENT of others,) it seems a bit meaningless. I’ve even done as Facebook suggested in my feed and created a trial overlay. But I did not post it.
I wonder about the meaning of it and what others are trying to communicate. Please remember, I’m not passing judgment on others’ choice to do so! Are we communicating to our French brothers and sisters that we are in solidarité? I think that is the point. Can they see our faces lit up like the flag? Is it just something catchy to do in a moment of crisis?
I get it for those who have been there recently, have loved ones there, who feel a connection with the city. I have not been to France since 1973. Sure, I would love to return someday and I know how Paris captures one’s heart. And I understand our bonds of history with France.
I hesitantly shared two posts last night because they spoke to me.
Beloved American author Anne Lamott* writes deathly long and most wonderful posts on Facebook and I knew from shares she’d penned her magic about this current horror. I didn’t make the time to read her quirky wisdom, however. But, I did catch a friend’s pulled and shared quote. Spot on, Annie:
“You can safely assume you’ve created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.” ~Anne Lamott
But I felt like there was a part of the action of sharing that was meaningless. Cliché.
Who are we trying to communicate to when we remind people to love in this crisis of hate, terror and war? So many of my Facebook friends are liberal like me. And a good number are not. And, I kind of like it that way. I believe all are wanting, in the end, the same things for our world. Compassionate Communication teaches that we often simply seek the same things through different means, practices, belief systems.
Maybe the strategy for me here is to continue on with my life moment by moment aware that people hurt and are hurting and are losing their lives in pointless struggles for power everywhere. All the world over. People in my neighborhood, city, town, state and country are hurting for many reasons. We are all seeking peace in our lives and for the world in which we live.
Maybe the strategy for me is to live the life I was given and be the love I was born. To continue to love me and from that love of self, love others, as we are all One. And that love translates in many ways moment by moment in every situation. (Sometimes I forget and fail miserably.) But the point of the journey is to get up and keep on carrying on.
Maybe the strategy is to continue to reclaim the peace within me. Peace starts at home. And from there, may I be peace to all those I meet.
*Disclosure: The Anne Lamott reference, above, and here, is an affiliate link. I make pennies if anyone orders her books or any others from Amazon by clicking and following that link. Otherwise, this is purposely not a monetized blog. You’ll see no advertisements here other than links to my book and my daughter’s art. xo
Best I could find, the illustrator of at least the peace symbol is Frenchman Jean Jullien.
