The law of cause and effect

How can we create more peace and justice?

Just today, as I was riding the bus to work, the driver stopped at a transfer station and even though the bus was early, immediately left the station. A man ran toward the bus waving his arms to signal the driver to stop, but the driver continued around the station. The man crossed the driveway and signaled the driver to stop again, but the bus kept rolling.

We were ten minutes early to our next transfer station and I asked a fellow passenger as we got off the bus why the driver didn't stop. He told me that the driver was just mean and never stopped for anyone. I could understand if the bus was running late, but this bus was not only on time, but early.

So maybe the other passenger was correct. This bus driver was just plain mean. But how about the passenger who missed his bus? He had to wait an hour for the next bus.

I think the bus driver lacked compassion. He had his own agenda and saw this passenger as somehow not fitting into his narrow view of appropriate bus-passenger behavior. He failed to see his role to another human being as being one of service. He saw this passenger as an obstacle interfering with his life.

How often do we look at others in a negative light as obstacles to our happiness rather than possessing all the humanity that we ourselves possess?

We can create more peace and justice by seeing others as capable, intelligent, and lovable; by having compassion for each person's struggle; and seeing them as providing us with opportunities to learn a more peaceful way to live.

Our bus driver lost a golden opportunity to demonstrate compassion to a bus load of passengers. The law of cause and effect is strict. His lesson is yet to be learned.

Create more peace and justice. So many things come to mind that relate to this topic. I just finished reading Desmond Tutu's book, No Future Without Forgiveness and saw how the concept of asking forgiveness reconciled the differences, the anger, the atrocities of South Africans against South Africans creating an impetus towad a peaceful, forgiving society.

What did the Truth and Reconciliation Commission do? They listened. They heard the pain, the sorrow, the guilt and did not pass judgment. That's the first step toward creating more peace and justice. Listening without judging.

We don't listen.

We don't interrupt. We are, in fact, a civilized society.

But we don't listen. We wait until the other person takes a breath, all the while conjuring up our next brilliant, sarcastic reply, then we jump up on our own soapbox, not even considering what the other person said. We may not even be speaking on the same topic. Because we didn't listen.

How does one listen?

By putting aside all thoughts. By focusing on the tone, the body language and the words of the speaker. By looking at another person and seeing perfection, not deficiency. By giving our entire being to the content that is delivered. Not to the flaws in grammar or the nervous twitches. By listening to what is being said.

Just listen. Nod your head a few times. Say, "Um hmmm."

See what returns to you. See what the other person means. See where the discussion goes when you aren't in control of it.