"I breathe in, I breathe out"

As I digested the horror of the Paris attacks with the rest of the world, my reaction was steeped in the thought, "Oh, shit.  Here we go with the violent retaliation, the "anything goes" spying, the easy doorway of acceptance for new policies that will create a stronger military world order."  And that chain of thought made me a little desperate to see countering perspectives, to see messages about unity, about being the peace we wish to see in the world, about retaliation just turning the next violent cycle.

And I had to dig deep, but I found this really lovely letter: Alexis' Letter about Peace.  It was heartening for me, reflective of my own sense that the work that's needed for peace is work for all of us, in our own hearts, in our own breath - in and out.

And then, I stumbled on this article: Gary Johnson-Isis, Refugees, Syria, Terror, and was a little more heartened to find a politician saying some things I feel myself, some things that make sense to me in relation to all this.  In 2012, my hope for Gary to get some traction and actually win the presidential election exploded, but I was let down.   I feel like gathering some hope again.

I, too, am 100%, a pacifist.

I know it's not a popular point of view, and in times like the present, pacifism gets such criticism as being weak, uncaring, and cooperating with evil.  But to me, that could not be further from the truth.  I'm all for being strong, for caring deeply, for trying to help, and for fervently disagreeing and opposing terrible acts of violence.  I'm even for self-defense as well, if one's not using a ridiculously broad definition of defense.

I just think it can be much simpler, if we slow down, breathe in and breathe out, and stop letting fear call the shots.

I say: send food, send education, send love; welcome children, welcome those who are suffering, welcome a new way forward; stop with the weapons, stop with the divisive hatred, stop with the messages written in blood.