TODAY The present moment - the exact seconds of time we are living right now - are of vital concern to all of us.
I think we, basically, agree with that statement, but a great many of us in our excess of leisure time and of comforts of life, ten d to expand that time restriction to include event which will, take place within the next few minutes.
At this moment in Sherman Oaks, California, a small, flash forest fire is raging. It is very small. Just an acre or two, at the moment but it is making its way across a heavily encrusted "open " space between heavy forest growth. It seems headed for expensive homes which is the main reason we are considering it at all. It was unknown this morning. No one reported any such fire danger, most of us hadn't thought of Sherman Oaks, California for, well - years,but ,suddenly, it is a part of our "now" Our present moment is, suddenly, filled with dire threats of potential loss for other people.
It is all happening far, far away, too. TV cameras and the comfortable helicopter we are soaring above it all make it a real part of our present moments. Their concerns are ours, as those thousand of people displaced by war in Lebanon, Israel, other mid-east and African nations where "at-war" attitudes rule entire nations of suffering people seemingly with any help of any change for the better.
My real reason for mentioning all of this composite, world-wide evil brought so very close to our daily lives affect us on the ways we must deal with them. These are major problems we face. The are new in proportions, in being physically closer, involving such strange variations of social, economic, and religious backgrounds. I also have a disturbing feeling that keeps telling me that our greatest trials will be in the religious differences. We are all in dire need of leadership bringing about serious transformation of the manner in which we control our religious beliefs and actions.
Even if you merely glance at the complexity of the day's news, you can see it is far more involved and confused than ever before and so very much closer to the average one of us. We see it happening. We find affecting us more and more as individuals - even to the extent of loosing loved ones. Do we watch too much news? Do we have proper respect for authority? Is "today"more than we can handle?
Andrew McCaskey amccsr@adelphia.net 7-25-06 [c432wds]
