Leaning Toward Neutral

Leaning Toward Neutral

~~~~~
Neutral?

Here’s what Webster has to say:

To be neutral means not taking sides in a conflict, whether directly or by allying oneself with one or another party to the conflict

Neutral, a powerful state to be in, giving power to live in harmony and enabling access to deeper infinite intelligence.

~~~
There are so many sides!

These days, 
To everything.

So many splinters
Of experiences,

Of interpretations
Of experiences.

So much 
Miscommunication.

So much
Mis-information.

Bottom line:

All these
Fuse together,
Causing
So
Much
Suffering.

Oh, so much
Suffering.

We are splintered 
And severed
And
Separated 
By
Words,

By
Our
Understanding
Of words,

By our assumptions
And pre-assumptions.

Oh,
Our different perspectives
Of reality
Keep
Us
Apart.

Inflicting suffering
On ourselves
And each other.

(Keep tuned…
Things get better below.)
~~~

When I read this poem by Rabbi Irwin Keller, my heart flew open.  I could feel myself relax and take an-almost-breath:

Here it is.  Taking Sides:

~~~

Taking Sides                                                                       by Rabbi Irwin Keller

Today I am taking sides.

I am taking the side of Peace.

Peace, which I will not abandon
even when its voice is drowned out
by hurt and hatred,
bitterness of loss,
cries of right and wrong.

I am taking the side of Peace
whose name has barely been spoken
in this winnerless war.

I will hold Peace in my arms,
and share my body’s breath,
lest Peace be added
to the body count.

I will call for de-escalation
even when I want nothing more
than to get even.
I will do it
in the service of Peace.

I will make a clearing
in the overgrown
thicket of cause and effect
so Peace can breathe
for a minute
and reach for the sky.

I will do what I must
to save the life of Peace.
I will breathe through tears.
I will swallow pride.
I will bite my tongue.
I will offer love
without testing for deservingness.

So don’t ask me to wave a flag today
unless it is the flag of Peace.
Don’t ask me to sing an anthem
unless it is a song of Peace.
Don’t ask me to take sides
unless it is the side of Peace.

~~~
What I learn as I reread Rabbi Irwin’s poem is this—

I can despise something, and still hold the posture.
I can want all the revenge in the universe, and I can still lean into neutral.
I can have feelings upon feelings, yet choose to not act upon them.

I find the humanity of his words to be awe-filled.
His capacity to paint the human condition and 
To be still.

And be still
And
To stop.

To stop for peace.

To surrender.
To surrender for peace.

To release.
To release for peace.

To choose the high road,
To choose it 
For peace.

~~~
Equanimity—to hold all things in equal regard.

Wow.
To have feelings.
To be human.
To rage against the machine.
To shiver with the need for revenge.

And to lean toward neutral.

To hold
All things
In
Equal
Regard.

~~~
Friends,
Here is a wonderful Broadway tribute for the hostages, singing Bring Them Home, from Les Misérables.  If you have heard this, listen again: