I can identify chaos and remove myself from it if I'm uncomfortable but I can't prevent it and I will only make myself nuts by trying. I may also do a great disservice to those involved.
If most of what I've learned has come through difficulty then how can I rationalize preventing difficulty for someone else? Suffering, trouble and hardships are often extremely useful as most people will not bother to learn coping skills or seek out solutions to misfortune until driven to do so.
In The Beatitudes Jesus says:
"Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted."
If I prevent someone from mourning am I not also robbing them of the opportunity to be comforted?
This could easily be seen as an argument for 'not getting involved' but that is not what I'm suggesting at all. If I see violence or injustice I believe it is my responsibility to stand up for what I know to be right and change the situation if I can. Anything less than this would be inauthentic and even cowardly. When I see someone struggling with personal difficulty I need to remind myself that I don't know what that person needs to teach them their life lessons. It would be arrogant of me to think I did. If I am asked for help, however, it is my duty and privilege, as a member of this family of man, to be of service if I can be.
I'm writing this, not only because I think it's an important principle to practice, but because as I make myself ready for the day ahead, I need to be reminded that my job is not to prevent a crisis. My job is not to mind anybody else's business. My job is not even to please myself or to seek gratification. My job is to be of service where I can be and to align my will with that of Something greater than myself.
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There I was... having walked through the Valley of Death (not really sure what I feared - but pretty sure it wasn't Evil - the Tree People perhaps? Leticia the cleaning lady? I then struggled over to the Valley of Crap where "they" could not travel; here the smell of my fellows' waste permeated what was left of my body and soul - guilt and shame were my masters.
I reached the top of the mountain over the Valley of Crap and found the Guru Bard (druid by night) in peaceful repose - the aroma of healthy exersion rose from his glowing skin.
I asked if what I was doing was the 'right' thing. He replied, "life is not a multiple choice question, it just is: I suggest that when it is a meadow, you should eat of it; when it is a highway, drive it like you stole it."
I then asked him if the Not A Super Hero Blog was too serious OR did he like it. He laughed and said, "yes, Grasshopper." He then added (as if an afterthought), "Remember, Satan means Republican. Vote early; vote often."
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