"Do you know where Light comes from
and where Darkness lives
So you can take them by the hand
and lead them home when they get lost"
- Eugene H. Peterson
There is a humbling feeling in my body and sense of great responsibility in my mind when I contemplate these words.I think about the enormity of light and darkness in all our lives. I think about how many of us think we have the answers or try to fix the suffering of another. "Sufferers attract fixers the way road-kills attract vultures" (Peterson, 1996, p. 11). Suffering is a great mystery and there are many who ready to tell us exactly what is wrong with me/you or have a prescriptive method or spiritual cure on hand. I consider my own desire to alleviate suffering in the world, bearing witness to the suffering of others is hard to bear, yet, to witness without judgment or the desire to "fix" is to honor the dignity of suffering with heartfelt intimacy. There is an old idea that anyone who lives intelligently and morally and with goodness is exempt from suffering - we have been misled.
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these feelings are very present for me right now.
ReplyDeletei believe that if i don't allow the suffering to pass through me and those around me, then it will sit in the shadows waiting for another day rise up. but then, when it does come out it won't be in heartfelt tears, it'll likely be in unconscious claws.
i think our world needs us to feel the pain, so that we don't direct it back at each other unconsciously. it's not an easy process; it's one needing so much courage.
Susan, as always you speak with profound heart and wisdom. I am grateful for your willingness to speak. My own view of suffering and its role in human evolution continue to shift and change, yet one thing seems to be true: witnessing it without judgment is the essential foundation for its transcendence.
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