It is not by rising above our humanity, but above our inhumanity, that sets us free.

I missed a few of these posts because I had the extreme honor of performing in a play. While I've been on stage for many years now, it's been quite some time since I had lines and a character to portray. It was truly a transcendent moment; one which I will cherish tremendously.

It was the Andersonville Trial, a Civil War Court Room Drama, about the inhuman treatment of Union Soldiers in a prisoner-of-war camp. As the story unfolded, and the questions arose about following orders vs making humane choices, one couldn't help but think about the other astounding moments in history... Nazi Germany... Vietnam... Guantanamo.

Have we learned anything? Are times getting worse? Or are we just better televised?

I believe (perhaps this is the Optimist in me) that a majority of the world is made up of very good people... people who wish to lead a decent, moral life; raising their children to be more kind and forgiving than we've been.

And yet, it's not just about those that willfully do harm to others... it's also about how good people often turn away, doing nothing, that let's the bad things continue. The North and South knew those camps existed, so did the Germans in 1940... just as we know what's going on in places like Guantanamo, Iraq, Iran, Somalia and Afghanistan.

The question is... what can we do? What can you do?

All too often, we see our humanity as a problem... as if being human is somehow faulty, imperfect; something to be ignored or overcome...

But that's just not the case. To be Human is to be Divine. We are magnificent beings... enabled to do so much magic... as long as we believe in that magic.

The problem is when we forget that... in ourselves, and in each other... when we think of others as less than Human, less than Divine, in order for use to feel justified in our hatred and our cruelty to one another.

Loving one another is loving ourselves. Embracing our humanity, and remembering just how special WE ALL ARE is the key to freedom. Losing that means losing so much more.

Keep that light on! (and I mean it!!)

GuruStu