To be understood as to understand

Life is a battlefield sometimes.

Love is a battlefield sometimes.

Sometimes it hurts for no reason.

Taking the fight and running with it, seems well, lonely.

We come face to face with fear and dig deep into our personal arsenals to figure out how to fight, the detractors, the so called enemy, the inability to hear and understand another in the simplest way.

There is no such thing as a small act of kindness.

We all become so busy, rushing here, rushing there we oftentimes forget to,

STOP, LOOK, LISTEN.

There is nothing worse than crying out and having no one hear you.

The crying does not always present itself with tears, weeping or whimpering. It can blast out off our own mouths like a canon of bad words, hurtful decisions or mis deeds. We continue to fight a fight and we might even get so caught up in ourselves and our tunnel vision,we forget to ask,

Why do you hurt and sling the arrow? At me, at another? To release the pain, maybe. To release the hurt, maybe. It can get pretty bottled up inside.

The worst part of bottling it up is the throttling that may result. At and of another. Intentionally, or planned, makes no difference. The result may be the same.

It hurts.

Hope feels gone.

But it isn’t.

Reaching deep inside to understand another is not for the weak.

It is for the weary.

Receptive listening is a tool for the begotten, forgotten, and the besotten.

Be it words, deeds or actions, it is good to know someone is listening. It may simply be difficult to understand. Difficult because hurt has a way of clouding our rose colored lenses of clarity. So we search and we search for a reason.

A reason to live.

A reason to die.

A reason to hurt.

A reason to lie.

To bury deep inside that which we do not understand. Take the pot shot of all pot shots at another. Piling on when what we really need to do is seek solace in a being other than ourselves.

The fight becomes a battle becomes a war become death becomes destruction and we become so enmeshed in it we forget what the fight was all about. Our minds have a powerful way of directing our steps each day. We are all guilty of wrongdoing at times.

Fight back or take it on the chin becomes the decision of the day.

That is a lousy way to live, a lousy way to cherish a day the Lord has given us to rejoice and be glad.

How does a dispute turn into an argument turn into a fight, turn into a war?

Important to remember. Not all folks think the same. Surprise or no surprise. Defense becomes an exhausting action of self. Never ending. Lifelong. Exhausting. Where to stand?

Neutral. Staying neutral is a gift borne of patience, kindness and forgiveness. Sometime, unfortunately we choose to draw blood.

Negotiations. Compromise become an exhausting lesson of who is right and who is wrong.

The answer: We all are.

What to do? Prevention. Engagement. Battle it out for the best?……of what…..

The first one to blink is oftentimes considered the weak. When combat is evident, back down or engage in the moment as a way to understand. Sometimes the process is the punishment. Why not focus so hard as to not hurt. One may assume others are “ok”.

But deep in their core the throttling may be continuing, and you are the pot shot recipient. Defending one’s territory becomes a life lesson in pursuit and defense. Diplomacy is a possibility. However………

Take the time to understand where another is “coming from”. It can make all the difference in the world.

All the difference in the world.

For example. History has a way of repeating itself. Trust is a hard pill to swallow or it can be an innocence beyond measure. Measure small. Measure often. In the early part of the 20th century, two countries were on constant guard of one another. Diplomacy was a possibility. But two sides were

Wary. Weary. Of one another. And.

Rejection. Hurts.

Japan had taken a hostile policy toward the U.S. after the rejection of the Racial Eauality Proposal. The relationship was cordial enough that they remained trading partners. The business of business must go on. Tensions did not seriously grow until Japan’s invasion of Manchuria in 1931. For the next ten years—TEN years, Japan spent considerable energy and effort trying to isolate others and endeavor to secure anough territory, secure enough independent resources to attain victory on the mainland.(wk)

Being alone on an island sounds pretty good, huh? But it is not.

Attacks hurt, sometimes for a very long time. That is why it becomes imperative to understand. To dig deep. To probe the words, deeds, and actions of another before a war ensues. Any way possible. Japan’s proposal?

The Racial Equality Proposal: A proposal to abolish racial discrimination.

Sounds simple enough, huh? If only life were that simple. The proposal was an amendment to the Treaty of Versailles that was considered at the 1919 Paris Peace Conference. Proposed by Japan, it was never intended to have any universal implications, but one was attached to it anyway, which caused it controversy.(wk)

For years! My goodness, is that anyway to live. Or die. Broadly supported, the proposal did not become part of the treaty, largely due to opposition. From the US and dominions of the British Empire.

The principle: Equality. Being. A. Basic. Principle. Equal. Just. Treatment. In. Every. Respect. Making. No. Distinction. Either. In.Law. Or. In. fact. On Account. Of. Their.Race.Or.Nationality.

Sounds simple enough.

But.

Life is seldom ever simple.

Oftentimes messy.

Perhaps the only, best way to achieve harmony is sticking up for one’s belief and the belief that we are all created equal. In God’s eyes.

Then take it from there.

Historically men have died trying to defend the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness to teach us to continue to fight. Consider they fought for us to teach us a better way. We owe them the ultimate respect for their lives being taken for us. Do so by listening now.

Like Jesus and our anticipation of the empty tomb. He never leaves us. Alone. Abandoned. He left us to teach us it is better to remain close to restore our life. Keep the faith close to our heart. Don’t be crushed by negative feelings (pf) He teaches us to take away the stone, take away the mistakes. Draw out of ourselves everything that is inside.

Look into the eyes of another and Stop. Look. Listen.

Then take it from there.