Wednesday; February 9

John Stuart Mill is credited with this observation in an 1867 address to the University of St. Andrews, “Let not any one pacify his conscience by the delusion that he can do no harm if he takes no part, and forms no opinion. Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing. He is not a good man who, without a protest, allows wrong to be committed in his name, and with the means which he helps to supply, because he will not trouble himself to use his mind on the subject.”. Sir Edmond Burke is often credited with a briefer version, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”.

This has been on my mind recently because of the amount of violence I am seeing – not only in my community, but in our nation as well. Whether the information is anecdotal or based on factual trends, it appears that our communities are becoming more dangerous. While it is one thing to realize this, it is something altogether different to take the initiative to do something about it! If we are going to change things, we can’t just make an observation, we have to make a difference.
While it is tempting to throw up our hands in frustration, there is something any and all of us can do – we can simply start by loving one another. By understanding the true nature of love, “Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (I Corinthians 13:4-7) we can start the process of making our communities safer and our world better.
Let’s look for ways to break the cycle of violence, but as we refine our response, let’s remember the simple admonition to love each other. When we do this, we can take solace that we aren’t just sitting by waiting for someone to do something!

Think About It!

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