Tuesday 19 August 2014

In times of horror, there will always be roses



There will always be roses,
there will always be new birth
and hope and joy.
The sun will always come up in the morning
and the stars will glow forever.

 
Only the ghastliness will pass away,
the stench and fear of death,
the greed and torment,
the unforgivable and irreclaimable.

 
Washed with a new rain, a summer’s day shines forth,
Clean and bright, optimistic and young.
How is it, that when all around us lies death and desolation
we can see beauty mitigating the night?
Yet in times of peace and plenty
all we can see is evil?



"There will always be roses":  Mrs Miniver, World War II English film

Thursday 14 August 2014

The power of kindness


There are so many videos these days on the internet illustrating the rewards – in terms of well-being – of helping one another in small ways.  The enduring appeal of the film It’s a Wonderful Life  is that we need to do so little to make someone else’s life happier, whether it’s encouraging them to follow their dream, supporting someone in their ill-health, or smiling at the lonely old lady in the park.

Because we see on film how little it takes, it encourages us to review our life and how we relate to others.  Mostly we don’t use the word ‘compassion’ in our daily lives.  But our desire to relieve suffering where-ever we see it, and in whatever form it impacts on us, is compassion.  Everyone we see is suffering in some way that is not known to us, and even if we do no more than resist judging them, we have helped.

Equally we need to recognise how much we are supported and encouraged by those around us, particularly those whom we take for granted – our partners and families; our neighbours; the person who doesn’t snap back when we have unwittingly expressed our inward stress; the stranger who points out that we have dropped something in the street.   Life is made up of such little kindnesses and such little heroes.  It shouldn’t take a film to point these out; but then we all need a reminder from time to time that we’re all in this together.  And that life will be sweeter if we help one another along the way.

 
A couple of recent films from the internet on this topic: