Where is the LOVE, people??
Welcome to my blog, where I ramble on about the joys and heartaches of trying to live with more LOVE in our increasingly challenging 21st century environment - where I ask myself, and all of you: What would Jesus - and his beautiful wife - do in this situation..?
I will also discuss various aspects of my novels, The Expected One and The Book of Love, and address some of the questions that are asked of me by readers- issues of history, art and spirituality.
The Truth Against the World! - KDM
Welcome to the inaugural post of my new blog! Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you will find fodder here for your heart, your mind and your spirit.
My constant challenge as a human is to live each day with as much love as I can. Some days, that’s very easy to do. Others… not so much. As a deeply flawed inhabitant of this planet, I struggle with a lot of issues. My big one is anger. You too? It’s one of the 7 deadlies for a reason. But I found inspiration recently, in a most unlikely place, which has helped me work with it.
While doing a little inspirational research on philanthropy, I came across an interview with acerbic Irish rock star and mega-humanitarian Bob Geldof. Now, I happen to revere the man and all that he has accomplished for the betterment of humanity. This is a person of extraordinary character, whose work and commitment is an enormous inspiration for people all over the world. But from a personality perspective... Mother Theresa he’s not. Bob Geldof is angry, and he admits it.
In the aforementioned interview, Geldof discussed the difference between himself and his friend Bono, another Irish rocker who has dedicated extraordinary time and effort towards changing the world for the better. Geldof said, “Bono, as we all know, is in love with the world. He's enamoured by it. I'm enraged by it. He wants to give the world a great big hug; I want to punch its lights out."
Genius.
When I first came across this quote, I read it to Peter, my Irish husband. We both laughed about it at first – didn’t this beautifully represent two aspects of the Irish character? But then I started really thinking about it and came to this conclusion: Geldof’s quote was pure genius because it represents two aspects of the human character, regardless of ethnic or cultural origin.
And it illustrates my own personal conundrum. I am, at turns, both enamored of the world and enraged by it. Most of the time, I really want to give the world a big hug, but sometimes… I definitely want to punch its lights out. And it angers me even more during those times when well-meaning New Agey friends tell me that I’m not allowed to be angry and I need to control my wrath and I need to not speak out about the injustices in the world unless I can do so in a “spiritual” way, whatever that means. Then, the anger turns into guilt and shame and all of those negative emotions and it’s pretty much a downward spiral from there.
Proposition: How do those of us who are trying to embrace a philosophy of love deal with our anger over the injustices that drive us to the brink?
I’m willing to bet that a lot of you reading this can completely relate. Because I think this isn’t just my conundrum, it’s a human conundrum. We all wrestle with our anger over various issues in our own lives as well as out there in the world.
But the lesson I am taking from looking at Geldof’s example is this: anger is a powerful emotion, and when anger is channeled properly, it can be an irresistible force used to positive affect. Rather than simply ranting at the world – or worse, allowing the anger to eat you up inside by suppressing it – find a way to utilize it and work for change. Bob Geldof motivated the entire entertainment industry, and ultimately millions of global citizens, not only to care but to take action about the plight of suffering human beings. He did this by using his anger - and making it work in a dynamic way.
Resolved: Anger can be channeled into a powerful force for positive change.
You don’t have to be an activist to apply this idea (although it’s a nice thing to be and the world needs more of them, so maybe you should consider it if such a thing appeals to you). But the theory applies to our basic day-to-day stuff just as much as it applies to world crises. Something pisses you off? How can you channel that anger into some kind of positive energy to make changes in your life - or the world? Think about how much adrenaline builds inside of you when you are angry about something. What if you can take that same energy and re-route it, use it towards a personal goal that you may have?
Now, in keeping with my desire to live “The Nazarene Way” – which (for those of you who are new here) I believe is the pure form of spirituality as taught by Jesus and Mary before dogma and politics muddied it all up – I have to ask myself this question: What happens when we look to Jesus for examples on anger? Did he always turn the other cheek? Maybe not. What emotion was Jesus displaying when he turned over the moneylender’s and merchant’s tables in the
Is it possible that the Prince of Peace sometimes wanted to punch the world’s lights out, too? I believe it is. I believe that Jesus tried to give us his humanity so that we could relate to him that much more. So if even Jesus lost his temper at times, perhaps we shouldn’t be too hard on ourselves over our imperfections when we feel an emotion that is decidedly unspiritual. For me, and I would bet for many people, anger is a most difficult demon to tame. But in the interest of living with more love, I am going to really try to channel it into a force for justice, charity and truth. And I hope to do some of that right here on this site.
I invite you to join me in these blog sessions as often as you see fit. And while I sincerely hope that what I write will make you want to give me a big hug, I apologize in advance if it sometimes makes you want to punch my lights out.
With LOVE,
- KDM