With everything going on in the world today, one question keeps coming to my mind and to my heart.

Why aren’t people making better choices with their lives?

Why are we continuing to push ourselves to the brink of oblivion?

For what?

I see so much anger and hate and discourse and selfishness that is tearing our world apart.

When what we need is to come together for the sake of all.

For the sake of our world and planet.

Everywhere we turn these days the good news is buried under the carnage of a few.

It’s beyond exhausting.

The world increasingly feels like a tinderbox.

So much of the world’s fright appears created by a small number of people obsessed with power, wealth and ego.

Where are the rest of us?

Where is our outrage?

Our voices?

Our humanity?

Our willingness and courage to say enough is enough?

And mean it.

When will it all be enough?

When will we stop simply reporting on it all and actually do something about implementing solutions?

When will we have those respectful conversations in earnest?

One of the biggest questions I’ve heard others ask of late is this one.

Where are our faith leaders in this mess?

Why are they so silent?

What aren’t they providing better, more visible and vocal leadership to a world so in need?

Where are the human faith buoys that in the past have helped us find our path?

Where is our sense of right and wrong?

Our examples of compassion?

Where are the honest teachings of true faith?

The greatest of which is love.

Why aren’t they being shared more widely?

It feels sometimes as if we are all adrift in a sea of anarchy with nothing or no one to help right us.

I know where I turn to in such moments.

I get still.

Real still.

Uncomfortably still.

I turn to prayer and self-introspection and question my own path and actions and ask myself if they are helping make a difference.

I try to correct my own course by listening carefully in all the quiet.

I am reminded to embrace and act out only those things that seem to make the most sense of all.

Love.

Compassion.

Speaking up.

Voting.

Taking time for self-care, while also caring for those in need.

So much need.

I’m trying to make a difference in my community whenever the rest seems too impossible to embrace.

We must right our incredibly off-course world ship.

Some way. Some how.

Make no mistake. It begins with you and me.

Are you adding to the discourse, or will you be one that helps right the ship?

Are you excusing personal actions and decision making that you know is doing more harm?

Including to yourself?

No one wins in the direction of calamity in which we are headed, no matter how misguided the personal claims of shiny projected gains.

The world is a tinder box.

It’s time for all loving and compassionate hands to be on deck and help put out the fires.

Each one of us must now make choices about how we are living our lives and what our role is in impacting needed change.

Or, will we just continue to look away because it all feels like too much?

Yeah. It’s all too much at times.

But I believe we still have the courage to push for better.

Every single one of us that cares.

Together.

The big question is, will we?

That’s what fills my prayers during this time of much-needed personal introspection.

There’s too much silence and looking away.

I wish peace and humanity, respect and equality, and a more beautiful world.

For all.

Because I still embrace hope that most of us care enough to take loving action to ensure that good prevails.

That our planet prevails.

I still believe that most people are truly decent human beings.

Silly old me.

Forever the dreamer.

So much work to do.

Do your part.

Please.