PRAYER
O fist of bitterness
unclench my heart,
Forgive the ignorant
their petty trespasses
and bid thine own devils,
depart!
— Robin Izer (robinizer@earthlink.net)
Some say that peace, piece of mind, world peace and many other lofty human goals must first be realized within ourselves before they can gain a foothold in the world around us. Is it possible that the reconciliation of differences and conflicts that lead to continuing anger, hatred and bloodshed around the world must begin within me and within you?
Maybe we don’t have to be purely altruistic to put our personal energy into forgiveness and reconciliation. Caroline Myss, author of several books, including Why People Don’t Heal and How They Can, says that seemingly intangible things — things like blame, the inability to forgive (ourselves and others) and attachment to a who-did-what-to-whom past — drain our personal energy and consume a vital portion of our life force. The bigger the drain, the less we have available to fulfill our dreams and our potential and, maybe, the more likely we are to be hindered by obstacles and setbacks or incapacitated by illness.
