August 1, 2025: The Grace We Give is for Us, the Grace We Don’t is On Us

Harmony makes small things grow; lack of it makes great things decay. Gaius Sallustius Crispus

You’re perfect just the way you are…and you could use some improvement.  Zen plus others

God loves you just the way you are…and he loves you far too much to let you remain that way. Christian variant of Zen plus others.

Remind oneself about harmony before playing the kneejerk vitriol card?

• We are all living beings
• We are all Homo Sapiens
• We are all individuals and part of a collective
• We all have identities, which will change
• We are all oriented towards somethings and make choices about others
• We all want to be heard
• We all face many challenges
• We are all going to die

It doesn’t take much pondering to realize none of us really know that much. It doesn’t take long to even loosely remind ourselves of the above, even if we forget the list.  Given that, how much effort would it take to consider others before we apply blame.  If we don’t bother, relationships are at best uncivil.  At worst, there will be a lynching.

To those who live to do otherwise: Anyone can be a fool.  Consider it is a fool who fools with others.  The result is simply more fools.

Doing nothing about anything is to do much to many. It isn’t just about the Constitution (that document is a reminder). It isn’t just about voting (that’s an application). It isn’t just about taking sides (at best sides are helpful oppositions).  It’s about practicing grace. That’s the path to harmony. And on that path are the small things that lead to great things.

Grace is the single word that expresses living with so many differences. And I am not evoking religion; I’m evoking what we can be and what we can do without further ado. Grace does not require strident discipline, or more friends, or more money, or more invitations, or more to-dos. It does require a brief pause before speaking or behaving.  And that doesn’t mean we have to take a beating for it. We can put down any assaults without hate, though we might hate having to apply the law or stand against the recalcitrant. If we hired a recalcitrant into any position, we can be sorry and still say goodbye. A bad fit in one area doesn’t necessarily mean a bad fit everywhere.

If we can get to grace—it’s there already—then we can occasionally dump more sugar onto sugary stuff. Then we can occasionally go sideways and side-eyed. Then we can sample life, not exploit or take it. It will take practice (don’t I know it!) to make it our North Star so we can find our way when we screw it up. My guess is that’s the path we’re really seeking.