How can we put the United back in the United States? It’s unrealistic to think any two people (let alone a whole nation) could truly agree on everything. But can we learn how to understand and respect each other? Can we promise to protect each other’s rights?
I don’t know how to get there yet, and I’m sure it will take a lot of work. But I’m keeping this quote in mind & trying to figure out what we can do:
Peace is not just about the absence of conflict; it’s also about the presence of justice. … A counterfeit peace exists when people are pacified or distracted or so beat up and tired of fighting that all seems calm. But true peace does not exist until there is justice, restoration, forgiveness. Peacemaking doesn’t mean passivity. It is the act of interrupting injustice without mirroring injustice, the act of disarming evil without destroying the evildoer, the act of finding a third way that is neither fight nor flight but the careful, arduous pursuit of reconciliation and justice. It is about a revolution of love that is big enough to set both the oppressed and the oppressors free.
As much as I love this quote, I’ve hesitated sharing it. Radical is such a pejorative these days. But I do call myself a radical moderate, and not just because it’s a play on words. I want to actively work at creating a more moderate country. People would still have their differences, and I don’t expect anyone to find a true middle ground. But I’m not talking about a country of fence sitters. I just want to take down the fence.
Legend of Velda 