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Goodwill? by Lon Levin
good • will noun
and goodwill to men, where in this context the word men is gender-, race- and nationality-neutral and all-inclusive.
1. friendly, helpful, or cooperative feelings or attitude. “the plan is dependent on goodwill between the two sides” synonyms: benevolence, compassion, goodness, kindness, consideration, charity “Increasing liberty among people who harbor ill-will toward others almost guarantees a decline in peace, while increasing liberty among people of goodwill almost guarantees an increase in peace. - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A popular Christmas carol has a repeating refrain of “peace on earth, goodwill to men.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem embodied in the Christmas carol “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” was written during the depths of the devastatingly destructive Civil War. And yet its lyrics inspire the desire for universal peace on earth
So what’s happened? How did we arrive at a place where immigrant babies are locked in cages, our President is praising murderous foreign dictators and the general population crudely argue with each on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter? When has divisiveness between it’s citizens ever created a wonderful environment to live in? We are at a crossroads my friends, at a time where what we do in this moment will shape our world for the next few decades. Do we want peace and love or do we want to fight our way to devolving into a “Mad Max” type existence from which there is no return. I’m a business-minded creative person and seeing the positive side of things is easy for me. I have faith that most of us are seeing that as well. With that in mind I think it’s up to us to be tolerant with those who see the glass half-empty and bring forth a focused and purposeful narrative. It does us no good if we complain and shake our heads when people espouse views that are intolerable. We need to engage with them and intelligently present our side regardless of how they respond. We also cannot wait and pin our hopes on a white knight to ride in and save the day. It’s up to us to “stay the course”. If our point of view is strong enough and highly focused we will arrive at a better place. One where we can finally practice “Good will towards all”.
Photo: Lon Levin
