coming out of my shell

coming out of my shell

Saturday, March 25, 2017

My faith has been tempered in Hell.

“My faith has been tempered in Hell. My faith has emerged from the flames of the crematoria, from the concrete of the gas chamber. I have seen that it is not man who is impotent in the struggle against evil, but the power of evil that is impotent in the struggle against man. The powerlessness of kindness, of senseless kindness, is the secret of its immortality. It can never be conquered. The more stupid, the more senseless, the more helpless it may seem, the vaster it is. Evil is impotent before it. The prophets, religious teachers, reformers, social and political leaders are impotent before it. This dumb, blind love is man's meaning.

Human history is not the battle of good struggling to overcome evil.  It is a battle fought by a great evil struggling to crush a small kernel of human kindness.  But if what is human in human beings has not been destroyed even now, then evil will never conquer."

--Vasily Grossman, Life and Fate

20 comments:

  1. Evil is so BIG. So rampant. It feels like it might overtake us. But then I read something seemingly insignificant as a blog post and I am reminded that there is so much good. It's just very quiet and unassuming. It is polite and meek and doesn't force itself on us. It is there, going about its way. Quietly. And it is BIG.

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    1. In those moments when we surrender to kindness, it feels almost transcendent. Yep, BIG!

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  2. Human kindness. I talk about it often. It can be as simple as a genuine friendly smile for each person you see. It takes little effort and makes that person feel goo and the more you smile the better you feel inside.

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    1. You were kind to me once. I misbehaved (because I am a notorious hothead) and you easily and kindly forgave me. I will never forget it.

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    2. I am sorry but I do not remember any instance of you being anything but nice. You may have me mixed up with someone else. I cannot imagine you being anything but the friendly person you are here.

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  3. I see and seek human kindness everyday. Good and evil have always been with us. Today we are bombarded with horrible news 24/7 that paints a negative picture of the world and taints our perspective. We, though, just have to look around us and see all the good that is out there and how caring most of humanity really is. I can't and won't give up hope.

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    1. You inspire me with your gentle ways. We all made a difference this week, didn't we?

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  4. I weant this to be true and try to act in a way that'll help it to be true.

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    1. I think that's the best we can do, to get up every morning and try, try again. We must set that example of kindness for our children and grandchildren.

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  5. A wonderful, thoughtful, uplifting way of holding the reality of the world in our hearts.

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  6. Kindness is so gentle that it doesn't make all the noise and attract all the attention that evil does. I don't think that it is accidental that evil is so loud and attention seeking, anything not worthy of the spotlight and center stage will always try to force itself into a coveted position to be seen and acknowledged. Kindness need not do any of that, it's worth is immeasurable and even the smallest bit of it makes such a profound difference in the World. Kindness is Love in Action and is so Powerful that it will never be destroyed by the evil that is so inferior to it. Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian

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  7. "Some people live in a bitter, angry, hate-filled world. Some people line in a friendly, caring, love-filled world. Same world . . . "

    - Jose Harris

    It is a choice and everyone has the power to choose for themselves, although I truly don't understand why some people choose the former rather than the latter.

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    1. Yes, that's a head scratcher. I don't get it, either.

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  8. Kindess, like cats, need better a better PR agent.

    Thank you.

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    1. Ha! Thanks Middle Girl. Let's spread the word.

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  9. we all have an instinct inherited to grab the good are bad from the world around us .

    we learn according to that instinct and take shape as
    personality out of this learning .tow different people looking at same view can not observe same .

    humanity cannot be defeated because it is against the laws of nature

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So, whadayathink?