Tonight People Are Afraid

Tonight people are afraid. In some places they are afraid for their lives. They are afraid for the lives of their families and loved ones. They are afraid for their communities. Their fear is very real, and for many the danger they face is very real.

Some fear others who don’t look like them. Some fear those who don’t believe what they believe. They fear the differences. Some have been taught this fear from the time of their birth; it’s an inherited fear that hardens their worldview from an early age. Their fear doesn’t allow them to recognize that we are all the same.

For some this fear is a quiet loathing, something always simmering underneath and never spoken of. For others this fear turns into a vocal detestation. And for a few, fear turns into hatred, and hatred turns into violence. Their fear overwhelms them, and as they destroy others they unknowingly and unintentionally sacrifice themselves.

At the core of the most horrific news stories you read, the cause is always the same: fear.

Fear has one enemy. There is only one thing that can defeat it, and that thing is Love. Love is the heart of understanding. Love is compassion.

Fear causes problems from one end of the Earth to the other, most of which are beyond your reach. But because you can’t fight it everywhere doesn’t mean you can’t do anything.

Tonight do something wherever you are, however small it might be. Do what you can. The battle is being fought everywhere, every day. What you do may not make a difference everywhere, but it makes a difference where you are right now.