Is it just me or is the world becoming more and more
dangerous? The latter half of this year has just been relentless with tales of
loss, horror and tragedy from around the world. Terrorism, massacres, missing
children, abandoned babies, tragic deaths of people far too young. And so much
is happening on our own doorstep. It terrifies me.
The way I see the world has changed since becoming a parent.
In my 20’s, I saw the world through young, naïve eyes. I saw beauty, adventure
and amazing detail. I pondered the universe, and higher power. I read The Alchemist and felt all spiritual. I
lived by the philosophy of the poem Desiderata:
a peaceful, kind life, as a ‘child of the universe’. Desiderata assured me that the world was a beautiful place.
Now, I see the world as something to be afraid of, and this
feeling has grown with every child I’ve had. I’m afraid of child-snatchers and
paedophiles. I’m afraid of drunk-drivers. I’m afraid of cancer. I’m afraid of
sharks. I’m afraid of drunken brawls in the city, and one-punch deaths. Now I’m
afraid of terrorism. All these things threaten my ability to protect my babies.
And the most important thing in my life is being a parent who can do this.
Sometimes I worry about what I have brought my children
into. Will they see the world as a threatening place, or as one of beauty and
wonder, like I used to? I know a lot of this is down to me, and how I describe
the world to them. But man, I am afraid.
Is the world still wonderful? Maybe I need to look a bit
harder. There are still wonderful people around, the aftermath of the Sydney
siege has proved that. But the news
consistently reports of new dreadful things happening to innocent people. Maybe
my parenting eyes filter everything so that only that which poses a threat to
my offspring stands out. Maybe that’s how I interpret the news these days. I
can’t watch it anymore.
I know my job is to raise my children, to love them and
protect them. To not be able to that is my greatest fear. I have to keep moving
forward, must show them that there are beautiful things in the world, despite
the ugliness around us. The way I see it, there are two choices for me: live a
life controlled by fear or live a life despite it. One choice renders me
powerless, the other empowers me. For the sake of my kids, I know which one it
has to be.
I mustn’t let fear win, and I won’t let evil win.
Join me if you will. Let’s try to move past the fear and
live our lives the best we can. Let’s be good people that practice good things
and show kindness to everyone we come across in our lives. Let’s remember the
beautiful people that we've lost this week and vow not to let evil hold us back. Don’t let them win.
And let’s cuddle our babies CLOSE.
Dedicated to everyone affected by the Sydney Siege x
Hi Laney,
ReplyDeleteI feel so sad for the victims of the Sydney siege. The little kids have lost their parents for no valid reason... It is so sad.
Nevertheless, I hope that we all can move on and love each other more...
Zoe
PS... I'm happy to be your first follower. I'm also giving away prizes until the end of Dec 2014. Interested? Glad to know you via FB and blogging. Cheers!
Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Zoe