Chasing Sunlight

"Someone was hurt before you, wronged before you, hungry before you, frightened before you, beaten before you, humiliated before you, raped before you…yet, someone survived…You can do anything you choose to do."

- Maya Angelou -

I often wonder how long it will take humankind to realize that hatred is not only tragic, but also thoroughly unproductive and self-destructive. Yes, self-destructive. Aggressive or violent behavior may harm the victim, but it also hurts the perpetrator. Shouting racist remarks, shooting masses of people, burning buildings used for worship... that doesn't prove that you are strong and victorious or that evil prevails. It makes the individual weak, ignorant, and cowardly. 

"Victims" are not inherently victims. They're the ones who are brave and strong, with an opportunity to be resilient and forgiving despite facing immense adversity. They are the ones who grow; they are the ones with the real power because they can choose to show mercy and find flecks of sunlight amidst a cloud-laden sky. Even those who have not survived tragedies leave us with the spirit of perseverance - a feeling, a sense, that we must continue moving forward. In the end, people who commit atrocities drown in their own hatred and are never able to truly be content because hate breeds hate and hinders our capacity to form meaningful relationships and to live with purpose.

"Stars may be seen from the bottom of a deep well, when they cannot be discerned from the top of a mountain. So are many things learned in adversity which the prosperous man dreams not of. "

Sometimes it takes momentous trials and horrendous tribulations to reveal strength, beauty, and a deeper meaning of some kind. Such a discovery may take minutes, or it may take a lifetime, but it's a journey reserved for those who are courageous enough to love and to live.

My heart and my thoughts are with the American Sikh community, the Muslims of Burma and Syria, the members of refugee populations I have had the privilege to meet and serve during my internship at Freedom House, and anyone else who has refused to lose hope.

Embrace.