Hi all.
By now, I am sure everyone learned about what happened at the Sean Bell case. May he rest in peace.
Two interesting thoughts that I wanted to share with you. One a story; another a teaching.
Story:
God decided to make man. He called four of his ministering angels together. Truth! "here I am, O Lord". Peace! "Always at your service!" declared Peace. Kindness! "Yes, O Holy One!" Charity. "Here!" stood Charity.
"Well, well well. I have decided to create Man. What do you think of that?" Questioned God.
Kindess and Charity were all for it! "Do it!" they cried, "He will do much kindness and acts of charity!"
Peace and Truth were against it!
Truth snorted, "He will be full of lies!"
Peace declared, "he will be full of strife! Don't even bother."
In response to it all, God took Truth and threw him down into the earth. Then proceeded to create Man.
What does this story come to tell us? First of all, they were all correct. Man does much kindness and acts of charity. Furthermore, he can be full of lies! And full of strife!
But why did God have to fling Truth down? Why not Peace also?
According to Breslov teachings, the "strife" that Peace was complaining about is from the lack of Truthfulness that Man had. Each man thinks their own conclusion is correct. But that does not bring about peace. It only causes that each one fights for what they believe and no peace comes out of it. Just forever strife. If, however, man could be made to understand that what they believe and hold so dear could be perhaps their personal truth and not The Ultimate Truth, thus not kill over it, but rather attempt to see things from another's point of view to the effect of finding a compromise --peace would reign!
Thus there was no use to send peace down. Only Truth had to be given, so to speak, to man.
But still we haven't got it yet.
The NYPD has its personal truth. They know that they like to play with their guns -maybe like in the western movies they grew up on??? They also know that a black man's life is worthless to them. They put those truths together and we get the Sean Bell incident.
What they HOPE will happen is that the BC will shake their heads, do a protest, shake their heads again and that's that. Peace!
This would work IF the BC's truth is: they are hopeless and helpless. There is no way to fight "the system".
Another teaching I learned was this:
The arrogant can never come to godliness. However, those lacking in holy boldness will also not achieve it!
What is holy boldness? And why is it that anyone folks want to portray as goodly has to be small, weak-ish, scrawny, lowly, and lamb-y? Can there be no fierceness in goodness? Was Abraham "small" when he chose to go and fight to retrieve his nephew Lot? Was Moses being 'scrawny' when he stood before the super power of his time, Egypt, and requested the freedom of his people? Was Devorah lamby when she chose to go out to battle with Barak against Cicero? Was Gideon (aka the "burnt barley" in the enemy's dream) lowly when he gathered his men to fight? (Don't get me wrong, one OUGHT to be lamb-like and meek when standing before God -which is always. But when dealing with the injustice of man, one should "set their face like flint!" I should heed my own advice, eh?)
Sometimes fierceness is needed. A bit of holy boldness to say NO! this is NOT JUST! And to make no Peace out of (false) truths.
I pray that we can gather ourselves and group up and strategize well enough to counter the personal truth of the NYPD. By not allowing that peace should reign from this. By showing that this brings conflict and not peace, they will have to realize that what they have is not the Ultimate Truth, but one of those lies that Truth was weary about.
Ultimate Truth is that LIFE MATTERS. To gun down a 23 year old, unarmed man -no matter what his color -is WRONG WRONG WRONG!!!
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