Paper Angels

     Paper Angels, the name of a movie I watched. Brief synopsis is a single Mom who cannot afford her kids Christmas presents, so she put their names on paper angels on the Christmas tree in the mall. But the shining star of the movie is her son. He is being bullied at school because he does not have the best of clothes, due to their poverty. When mocked on social media, by a peer who is bullying him at school, the kid turns the whole thing around with love.  He uses the social media shaming to ask for help for those who truly need help. He does not perceive himself as being poor and indeed he is not, because poverty does not come from not having money, true poverty is the soul who does not know love. This kid has love in abundance. Not only does he garner the support and admiration from his peers for shining a light, he does not react to the bully. He uses his paper angel to ask for presents for his mom, his sister and his bully, which by the way, throws the bully for a loop. Who can understand love when one does not deserve it?
     Most of all this movie made me see something my heart already knows, we are present on this planet to love and care for one another. That is the true light, it is not proclaiming love, it is living love.
    

Kindness Is Its Own Reward

     No big discovery in life, but sometimes it's the small things in life that give us the greatest rewards.
     I was on my way home from the gym this morning and there was a car in front of me pulled off to one side, struggling to move, smoke was coming out from under the hood. I drove past at first, but looking in my rear view mirror I knew I could not continue on and leave someone behind, someone  that might need help. So I made a u turn and drove back. I rolled down my window and asked the driver if she needed help, and she did. So I let her use my cell phone to make a call and then gave her a ride to her home. She profusely thanked me.
     Why is it when I help someone it makes me  feel  grateful in my heart. I think part of it is identification with others. I believe that identification is sorely lacking in society, and something that is so greatly needed. One of my favorite philosophers, Jacques Rancière, said in his book The Ignorant Schoolmaster, " Evil does not come from the first person who bethought himself to say, "This is mine." It comes from the first person who bethought himself to say, "You are not my equal." Identification with others brings us to a place of equality with others.   
     What does your mind think today? My mind sometimes thinks a lot, thus the reason I get on my soapbox. But it is not a soapbox of superiority, it is a soapbox that longs for a world of love and kindness and forgiveness. I identify with Rachel Carson when she said, "I am an idealist." Some things are truly not practical, but when a person is guided by a moral belief of helping others practicality is not always taken into consideration. A million other thoughts could invade the mind to dissuade what the heart knows to be right. I could philosophize on it until the cows come home, but I only know this one thing, I am thankful that I was able, in some small way, to help that lady.
     I leave you with some words from Bob Marley, "Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery None but ourselves can free our minds." When the heart knows love, freedom of the mind is not far behind.