Inspiration for Difficult Times

[Maria WHittaker]

Inspiration for Difficult Times

"The hardest thing to do is not to allow yourself to be overwhelmed by despair. That is the hardest thing, because when you are overwhelmed by despair that is the worse thing that can happen to you. I remember when the war (Biafra, Nigeria) was going on, we did not see the light at the end of the tunnel. It seemed that the war would go on forever. And the young people came and asked, : "Dear Baba, do you think that the war will end soon?" It is very difficult to answer because you have not seen the light at the end of the tunnel, But if you say I don't know. you water the seeds of despair in them. So I had to breathe in and out a few times. What I said was that "Dear ones, the ancestors say everything passes. The war too should therefore pass, so let us continue to work for peace..."
Chinua Achebe

Breathe!

 

Maria Whittaker

Program Director

Kansas Chapter Family Farm Defenders

http://www.familyfarmers.org

dba Local2Global Advocates for Food Sovereignty

http://fssg.blogspot.com

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"Smile, breathe and go slowly."

"I open my heart and send forth my energy of love and understanding to everyone who has made me suffer, to those who have destroyed much of my life and the lives of those I love. I know now that these people have themselves undergone a lot of suffering and that their hearts are overloaded with pain, anger and hatred. I know that anyone who suffers that much will make those around them suffer. I know they may have been unlucky, never having the chance to be cared for and loved. Life and society have dealt them so many hardships. They have been wronged and abused. They have not been guided in the path of mindful living. They have accumulated wrong perceptions about life, about me, and about us. They have wronged us and the people we love. I pray to my ancestors in my blood and spiritual families to channel to those persons who have made us suffer the energy of love and protection, so that their hearts will be able to receive the nectar of love and blossom like a flower. I pray that they can be transformed to experience the joy of living, so that they will not continue to make themselves and others suffer. I see their suffering and do not want to hold any feelings of hatred or anger in myself toward them. I do not want them to suffer. I channel my energy of love and understanding to them and ask all my ancestors to help them." 

Thich Nhat Hanh