Flashpoint

Yesterday, Barack Obama condemned acts of terrorism before the United Nations in his comments about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the quest for world peace.

Yesterday, the United States executed Troy Davis, a black man convicted of killing Mark MacPhail, a white man in a case filled with reasonable doubt.

Yesterday the United States executed a Lawrence Brewer, a white man convicted of dragging James Byrd, a black man, to his death behind his truck.

Today at the United Nations, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused the US and others of racism, colonialism, war-mongering and causing the financial crisis.

Right now, American citizens’ right to vote is being snatched away.  A new super-committee, focused on telling the public how their taxes will be spent, has been given more power than Congress.

Nations from Japan, China, the United States, Indonesia, Turkey, and Somalia are rocked by natural disasters.

Yet…

Today’s top news is who will win the US Presidential race in 2012 and what’s wrong with Wall Street.

Change is not comfortable.  And growth without pain is limited.  ‘Cause we all know we’ll never push ourselves past what we’re comfortable with willingly.

So when do we get so uncomfortable we change?

And what happens next?

Humans are born inherently good:  We love babies because they are innocent and pure along with being cute and cuddly.  We’re nearing our breaking point.  And when we break we must know the manner of our spirit.

Ours is not to murder.  It is not to hurt.  It is not to lie, steal, or cheat.

Those are the easy ways out.

It is infinitely more challenging to love your enemies: Act in mercy.  To understand your foes: Act in love.

The US, infant nation that it is, has gone through radical changes our generation forgets:  We were born of a revolution.  We have warred to split our nation over slavery.

It seems people feel pulled in all directions without any clarity: The political world is a shambles with no decisive positions to be seen, except from the extremes.  So when the tea party burns and republicans fail, what is left?

Let’s make sure it’s the best the human spirit has to offer.