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”The grief that does not speak / Knits up the o’er-fraught heart and bids it break.” ~ Macbeth, by William Shakespeare
The grief of which Shakespeare writes is an experience many of us share.
A grief so deep it can hardly be whispered — “the grief that does not speak”
A grief that breaks our heart in two — “Knits up the o’er-fraught heart and bids it break,”
The outcome of the last election left —
- Our hearts broken for those who will surely suffer
- Our dreams shattered for a future darkened
A grief that feels like a death.
It is said:
True enough.
- The once bright shining house on the hill
- The beacon of hope for the world, and the tired, the poor and huddled masses
What once was our halo — is now our noose.
A new muscular period of insularity and ignorance has commenced.
First They Came ~ Martin Niemoller
To speak for me.
We, as a nation, have elected to fall into a state of pathological self-interest.
The pain we feel is real.
If left unattended it will numb us.
We need to be careful in how we share what we share.
To live in a perpetual state of outrage is no way to live.
To that end, I have:
- curtailed my news consumption
- stopped doom-scrolling
- engaged in active dissent
The Serenity Prayer has become my mantra.
Certain realities cannot be changed — no matter how hard we press the matter.
We must do as history does — intentionally move from one day to the next, wedding ourselves to a process that will eventually bring healing and usher in a new era.
I found a story that speaks to this moment.
Solomon’s Seal, a poetic story written by Edward Fitzgerald in 1858, is a tonic for the frightened, tired and sick at heart.
***
One day Solomon decided to humble Benaiah Ben Yehoyada, his most trusted minister.
He said to him, “Benaiah, there is a certain ring that I want you to bring to me. I give you six months to find it.”
“If it exists anywhere on earth, your majesty, I will find it and bring it to you. But what makes the ring so special?”
“It has magic powers,” answered the king. “If a happy man looks at it, he becomes sad, and if a sad man looks at it, he becomes happy.”
Solomon knew that no such ring existed but he wished to give his minister a little taste of humility.
Spring passed and then summer, and still Benaiah had no idea where he could find the ring.
On the night before Sukkot, he decided to take a walk in one of the poorest quarters of Jerusalem.
He passed by a merchant who had begun to set out the day’s wares on a shabby carpet.
“Have you by any chance heard of a magic ring that makes the happy wearer forget his joy and the broken-hearted wearer forget his sorrows?” asked Benaiah.
He watched the grandfather take a plain gold ring from his carpet and engrave something on it.
When Benaiah read the words on the ring, his face broke out in a wide smile.
That night the entire city welcomed in the holiday of Sukkot with great festivity.
“Well, my friend,” said Solomon, “Have you found what I sent you after?”
To everyone’s surprise, Benaiah held up a small gold ring and declared,
“Here it is, your majesty!”
As soon as Solomon read the inscription, the smile vanished from his face. The jeweler had written in Hebrew these words.
“This Too Shall Pass”
At that moment Solomon realized that all his wisdom and fabulous wealth and tremendous power were but fleeting things, for one day he would be nothing but dust.”
***
So for those of us still grieving, let us band together and take hope:
Just a thought…
Pat
Please enjoy “What a Wonderful World,” by Louis Armstrong. Hope springs eternal.
And “Redemption Song,” by Bob Marley & The Wailers