This reflection is from Thom Andrews, director of Kalamazoo’s Season of Forgiveness.

During this past weekend we again marked the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The question it brought to mind for me this year was this: can forgiveness make its way into mainstream civic discourse?

One of the many unsettling dynamics in our political arena is how thin-skinned our politicians make themselves out to be (though they probably aren’t so). Individuals are quick to take great personal offense at the mere implication of a slight, and these individuals are quick to go to the media and speak of their rage. The strategy becomes not so much to rise above the fray as to become the fray that pushes down the other person.

Exceptions to this political game seem few and far between. I wonder, however, if they aren’t so few but simply less reported. One recent exception I discovered is in Malaysia where, in the wake of multiple attacks on churches, Christians and Muslims and “even politicians across the political divide” condemned the attacks. They made statements and took actions so that “an air of repentance and forgiveness prevailed.” The writer called the acts “unprecedented.”

Wisdom and maturity can prevail over shallow political maneuvering. Let’s help make this our future.

Quote for reflection throughout the week
We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. –Martin Luther King, Jr.

From the web
Here is the article describing the situation in Malaysia that I mention above.

This article echoes Dr. King’s call to disarm our enemies with love.

Want to get comfy and watch a film that explores the theme of compassion this weekend? You’ll find 23 recommendations for films on the Spirituality & Practice Web site. Topping their list is “Central Station, an emotionally affecting Brazilian film about a selfish and cynical former schoolteacher who reluctantly agrees to escort a young boy to his father in the country. As their journey unfolds, we witness the slow but steady hatching of this woman’s heart as she begins to feel her kinship with others.”

Check out this great selection, along with books, stories, quotes, poems, and more–all exploring compassion.

The highest expression of love is creativity.
–Deepak Chopra

Love has inspired countless works of art, from immortal plays such as Romeo and Juliet, to architectural masterpieces such as the Taj Mahal, to classic pop songs, like Queen’s “Love of My Life”.
–Nira Liberman and Oren Shapiro, “Does Falling In Love Make Us More Creative,” Scientific American

According to a recent study, thinking of love can make us more creative. The experiments, conducted by psychologists Jens Förster, Kai Epstude, and Amina Özelsel at the University of Amsterdam, suggest that love induces us to think long term, “triggering global processing”–a sort of psychological distancing or perspective–which promotes creativity. Thinking of sex, however, actually engages analytical–short-term, detail-oriented–thinking.

“One of the most noteworthy implications of these experiments is that love and sex don’t simply influence the way we think about the people we love or desire,” says an article in Scientific American. “Instead, they influence the way we think about everything.”

A friend just rekindled a romantic relationship. She and her (re)new love have kicked the creativity quotient into high gear. They both are sending letters and writing poetry to each other. She is knitting, creating collage, and trying new things. There is an aliveness in creative areas of her life that had long been dormant. It may be anecdotal, but they both agree, their rekindled creativity is due to their rekindled love.

It makes me wonder how much more there is to it than global processing. I wonder if thinking of love does something that can’t be quantified–if it opens our hearts and if, with open hearts, we are more creative.

I wonder, too if the expression of creativity is actually a form of love itself. To me, it encompasses both self love and love of others by giving expression to the creative spirit–that kernel of uniqueness and connection to something larger within each of us.

And for those who think creativity is limited to those who express their talents through the “arts,” in fact, ways of expressing creativity are only limited by creativity itself.

If you haven’t already watched Playing for Change’s wonderful video, Stand By Me, or Matt Harding’s Where the Hell is Matt? videos of him dancing in locations and with people from around the world, check them out. It may just trigger that “global processing” the Dutch researchers refer to.

As we approach the unveiling of the Charter for Compassion on November 12th, TED.com and charterforcompassion.org have just released six short talks on compassion from six different perspectives–from a Rabbi, an Imam, a Reverend, a Tenzin, a Swami, and a secular/scientific perspective. According to the Charter, “together, these six speakers bear witness to the fact that compassion and the Golden Rule lie at the heart of all religion and all morality.”

Stepping into the cool gray, Seattle morning, I spotted the Yellow Cab hovering several feet from the curb. Little did I know the Vancouver Peace Summit would begin its work on me during my short cab ride to the train station. Though not a speaker on the summit agenda, my driver dispensed enduring advice.

After telling him where I was headed, Sunil, as I’ll call him here, gave me his prescription for peace: yoga, meditation, natural power (vs. fossil fuels), and a positive disposition.

Having grown up in northern India, the son of a farmer, Sunil told me he finds a special peace in his visits to a local park, listening to bird songs, the sound of a breeze blowing through the leaves, and water lapping against the shore. There he meditates.

As I gathered money for the fare, he shared a Sanskrit story illustrating the interconnectedness of the world and how it both belongs to and requires the guardianship of us all, but I’d mess it up in trying to retell it here…

He handed me my suitcase, we said our good-byes, and I turned to walk into the train station, his words lingering in my mind.

Tell us about someone who embodies love, forgiveness, compassion, or peace in your life by commenting on this entry.

It’s not uncommon to wish we’d handled a difficult situation better, especially when it comes to our relationships with our parents. Aiko, a campaign participant, shares a letter to her mother that may remind you of similar experiences in your life. Her mother’s poem almost seems to answer her request for forgiveness.

Dear Mom,

It’s bothered me since your death in 1997 that I was not more attentive and kind to you during the two years you lived with Ed and me. Please forgive me, Mom.

After Pop’s death you had been happy in the retirement home living amongst your peers and finally free from cleaning and cooking. After you fell and broke your hip and came to live with us, it must have been such a difficult adjustment to have no Japanese friends close by and be away from your poetry-writing group and especially your church. Coming to live here after 25 years of Southern California urban life must have been a shock.

Yes, I saw to your daily physical needs but I should have been more mindful of your social and emotional needs and spent more time every day listening and talking with you. I always thought you were a sensitive and wise woman but realized this even more so after I read and pondered your poems.

To forgive myself, I have gathered all your poems and plan to put together a computer-printed book and give copies to family members.

Your loving daughter,
Aiko

My mom wrote senryu poetry which has the same 5-7-5 format as haiku. While haiku deals traditionally with human existence in the natural world in a spiritual or ideal way, senryu looks at life realistically.

“He buttons my blouse
As a way of mending wounds
Our quarrel forgotten.”

–By Sanae

It doesn’t matter whether you’re in a meeting or a public restroom these days, cell phones seem to go off like Geiger counters in a nuclear power plant.

In a world where the latest technological advances allow us to communicate with one another almost anytime and anywhere, questions about the depth, value, and satisfaction of these ever present connections linger.

Do you feel listened to, heard, or recognized? Do you feel like important people in your life really know you and you them? Do you know how those close to you really feel? Your aspirations or concerns? When was the last time you really listened to someone or they to you–fully present and without judgment?

No cell phone plan, e-mail account, web connection, or Tweet can facilitate one human being deeply listening to another. That is up to us.

It is easy to impose our own beliefs, projections, and desires on others or indulge ourselves in impatience or distractions. Whether it’s a feeling of wanting to be elsewhere, boredom, indifference, self involvement, wanting to be right, or another distraction, it pulls us away from the moment, the connection. “Can you hear me now?” takes on a whole new meaning!

If, as theologian, Paul Tillich said, “The first duty of love is to listen,” then we know what we need to do. For the next few weeks, make a pledge to practice listening, deeply and fully. As culture and communication changes, “listening” may too. Try the Deep Listening practice in the Practices section of our site as a place to start.

We invite you to share how you’ve experienced love in your life. Tell us how you express love or about a time you experienced love that surprised you, moved you, stayed with you, or changed your life.

We invite you to share your thoughts about and experiences of forgiveness. Is forgiveness difficult for you? If so, why? Have you been able to forgive yourself and others for past transgressions, large and small? Is there something still nagging at you that you want to forgive or be forgiven for? Has your life been changed by an act of forgiveness?

People write to us recommending songs, books, films, and web sites about love and forgiveness. What are your favorites? What about favorite blogs or Facebook pages that explore love and/or forgiveness? Share them here!