Tonight, I crossed an intersection of understanding; realizing span in which I’ve traveled – the long road ahead towards a tomorrow of change. As humans, we often develop an air of entitlement and charge; boldly taking ground with our steel-toed boots and ambitions. As such new beings of consciousness, we fail to realize the ground we so freely trounce, contains the ecosystem which gives us life. Our lives are such a miracle that were it not for the right combination of infinite possibilities, we would cease to exist.
And yet, here we stand…as magnificent examples of life. The apple may glisten in the sun, but it will never give the roar of laughter, the warmth of a hug, or words that will inspire thousands. Instead, it sits on the podium…
I received news that a dear friend of mine had passed away. There is a semblance of peace that happens when our loved ones pass away in what we deem a ‘respectable’ form of death; often gained through living a long life, only to pass with the years that come. In this case, it broke my heart to learn that my friend passed away from malnourishment and lack of medical treatment; a basic antibiotic would have saved his life.
Instinctually, there is a part of us that looks at such senseless loss of life and has a spark of emotion; realizing that ‘something’ more could have been done to save this life — an antibiotic that cost less than my sneakers.
A few weeks ago, Sepi and I discovered a stray cat in the abandoned warehouse district of the office. Eyes glazed over, he cautiously stood back while we emptied cans of cat food into a food bowl. Slowly, he learned to trust and accept the company. Looking at him, he seemed to have a distinctive look that required a bold name. “Napoleon” it was.
Shortly after, we noticed that he would wait for us in the parking lot; no longer afraid or ashamed. His glazed eyes slowly regained a healthy look, and we discussed ways of finding him a home.
Several days ago, Napoleon was nowhere to be found.
Looking back at the life of Napoleon, the cat, I realized that he received two of the most important things any of us can receive while we are here; love, and a name.
This evening, I spoke with somebody who had also been a caretaker of Napo (his nickname) who had also noticed our missing friend. Walking through the neighborhood, the day after Thanksgiving, he came upon Napo’s body, curled up in the cold. Lifeless.
It then dawned on me that all of us can find pieces of ourselves within our dear Napo, just as we can find the building blocks of our human lives within the apple we now eat. This element of understanding sparks something in us that thinks things could have somehow gone differently; better, or somehow more fair, for Napo.
Napoleon wasn’t just a stay cat – he was Napoleon.
We may only be able to make marginal changes in our lives; giving love and a name to another. However, these changes have incredible impact on the world around us and have the ability to make true change, even if we don’t see it within our lifetime.
Never in the history of mankind has our ability to have a voice been greater for the advancement of all, where we can give names, love, and support to thousands of others with the simple click of a mouse or keyboard.
We no longer have to wait months/years for mail to reach overseas; it happens instantly with the click of a mouse. This is the age where the right idea can get kickstarted with nothing more than an idea and a well-spread YouTube video.
More importantly, we now have access to objective information that eliminates the excuses for us to be ignorant.
This is the most important time in the history of our existence for us to leverage our resources and pull together.
Instead of using these tools of instant communication; where we can fund entrepreneurs in 3rd world countries to make businesses that will feed their families, or provide access to clean drinking water…we are using these tools to perpetuate the divides, fueled by our dark periods of information-ignorance, that have plagued us for generations.
Instead of arguing Republican vs. Democrat, why are we not instead questioning why we are sending our own families to fight wars created by corrupt suits in offices we no longer trust?
There has never been a greater opportunity for love to permeate our world, break through cultural divides, and multiply its voice. We are the solution we’ve been waiting for.
Unless.
Featured Image From Deviantart
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