all you need is love

Like most of the country, I have been spending a lot of time thinking about and praying for the town of Newtown, Connecticut.  All of us with small children in our lives who we love, nurture, and protect can't help but feel heartbroken.  But the one thing I keep returning to is how our society not only tolerates violence, but perpetuates it.  And yes, this occurs on a large-scale level: in the news, in movies, in video games, etc. - but the real problem is that this occurs on a small-scale level as well.

I've seen it countless times, the mother who verbally abuses her child in public because they can't "behave;" adults who display anger in harsh and lavish ways in front of small children; children who are taught to respond to situations that make them uncomfortable, sad, or angry by lashing out at the source instead of searching for a peaceful solution.  And even deeper than that, we are a culture of greed and immediacy, to the point that when someone doesn't get what they want in life, they feel personally insulted or attacked, and frequently respond with violent anger.

Obviously, I don't have a solution.  There is no way that I could, having no real training in psychology or child development.  But what I do know is that the solution is going to require all of us to change the way we see ourselves and our society.  We must strive to be optimistic in the face of uncertainty, we must look for the truth in one another, we must search for hope in every place, we must believe in love and share this love with everyone we meet through every action we take.  I am blessed to have a community of friends, mostly fellow musicians, who live the mantra of love to their fullest every single day.  They are raising beautiful, loving children, and through music teach many others how to live in love as well.  They inspire me.  They are making a dent against the culture of violence surrounding us.  And if the rest of us will follow suit, we just may see the day where individuals who are suffering and need help search for an alternative other than violence, because they grew up in a world where violence wasn't the expected immediate reaction.

All we need is love.