Something new is upon us,
and yet nothing is ever new.
...
We are alive in a fearsome time,
and we have been given new things to fear.
We've been delivered huge blows but also
huge opportunities to reinforce or reinvent our will,
depending on where we look for honor
and how we name our enemies.
The easiest thing is to think of returning the blows.
But there are other things we must think about as well,
other dangers we face.
A careless way of sauntering across the earth
and breaking open its treasures,
a terrible dependency on sucking out the world's
best juices for ourselves—these may also be our enemies.
The changes we dread most may contain our salvation.
and yet nothing is ever new.
...
We are alive in a fearsome time,
and we have been given new things to fear.
We've been delivered huge blows but also
huge opportunities to reinforce or reinvent our will,
depending on where we look for honor
and how we name our enemies.
The easiest thing is to think of returning the blows.
But there are other things we must think about as well,
other dangers we face.
A careless way of sauntering across the earth
and breaking open its treasures,
a terrible dependency on sucking out the world's
best juices for ourselves—these may also be our enemies.
The changes we dread most may contain our salvation.
small wonder - barbara kingsolver - 2002
Excerpt from Small Wonder; a collection of essays by Barbara Kingsolver.
www.worldprayers.org