A time to change

IN our country, we are going through a period of change: with Brexit, the flux of our legislature, terrorist attacks, and how all these things affect our lives individually. And it is not only our own lives that are in a time of change: in areas of the world, there seems to be a shift.

People are frustrated, angry and anxious.

People’s views and opinions are becoming highly charged and some are becoming heavily polarised to the point of disregarding facts.

Some are becoming riled and some go further still, in attacking others.

What is to be done?

It is my firm belief that in periods of distress, change and uncertainty, that love needs to permeate people’s lives.

When I say love, I do not mean a ‘twee’ thing that is affected, and nor do I mean something that is about satisfying one’s own needs, like loving food or clothes. I mean something that is self-giving.

This type of love involves the ability to be with someone, to be in what they are experiencing, good or bad.

This type of love involves a yearning to be with a person’s humanity, in all their imperfection, in all their beauty.

The tensions that are arising between people on their views and beliefs, love can be a way of people meeting each other enabling understanding to form and grow.

It can be a vehicle for people to move to a state of togetherness, away from division, to being with instead of being without.