Time to Rebuild
©June 13th, 2016
By Vijaya Sundaram
I’m very, very tired today.
The car door of our rented car (a honking SUV, which I hate, but which we needed because someone rammed into our car over a week ago, and gave me a fender-bender) got whipped out of my grasp by the wind, as I was opening it, and whacked my poor nose, which promptly started bleeding profusely. Fortunately, I got ice on it, and lay down, and in forty minutes or so, it stopped. It’s still a bit sore.
Then, later in the evening, I spent a couple of hours, lopping away at some weed trees, and random small vegetation that had become strong, and was unwanted, and was blocking light from reaching our backyard plants. It was like plowing through the undergrowth of a small jungle. My daughter helped by gathering all the huge branches and piles of leaves, and stacked them neatly along the side. All that work with a big lopper made my arms hurt, but I liked the sense of accomplishment that came with it.
Apart from that, I worked some good dirt and manure into a patch of earth in the side yard, and planted a bunch of morning glories that a friend of ours brought for us, and watered all the plants in the front yard.
We had a good day, as a family and apart – we played Bach chorales on our guitars, each of us taking turns playing the main melody, alto, tenor and bass lines, while playing all the parts together. It’s always lovely to make music with my family.
So, at this level, I’m happy in my own, tiny part of the universe.
And at another level, I’m heartbroken about this world in which we’re bringing up our daughter.
I’m heartbroken for all the mothers and fathers who lost their sons and daughters in Orlando yesterday: 49 people killed, because of a hateful bigot with access to assault weapons, who decided that those who love people of the same sex are an affront.
I’m heartbroken about a country where it’s easy to get assault weapons, just because of some misbegotten notion that the 2nd Amendment has to be protected at all costs, without regard for the context in which the Second Amendment was put in place.
I’m heartbroken because there’s so much bloodshed, so much misery, so much hate, so much violence, so much darkness in the hearts of so many people.
It’s time to rebuild.
Say No to hatred.
Say Yes to love.
Say No to violence.
Say yes to healing.
Say No to bigotry.
Say Yes to acceptance.
Say No to war.
Say Yes to peace.
Say No to destruction.
Say Yes to rebuilding.
Oh, and along the way, don’t forget to say hello to your neighbours, call your faraway parents, siblings, friends more often, and give generously of your time and more to those who seek you out.
And save this beautiful blue-green planet of ours –Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and fight against complacency or despair, when confronted with Climate Change.
Please.
And thank you.
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