This Message Will Not Self-Destruct

Quote 1:

“All the good inside us is measured by the good we do for others.”

Quote 2:

“We all share the same fate, the same future -- the sum of our infinite choices. One such future is built on kindness, trust, and mutual understanding, should we choose to accept it. Driving without question towards a light we cannot see. Not just for those we hold close, but for those we'll never meet.”

I think of these words spoken by Ving Rhames. I think of these words as they apply to my life. What is he saying to you?

As a society, are we willing to accept a future built on kindness, trust, and mutual understanding? Or, are we sliding toward that 'other' future, the one not mentioned but certainly implied? Are we hiding in the darkness, turning away from light with a selfish mistrust and rejection of others?

There is a stubborn prayer in my heart that hopes for a society that embraces everyone as worthy and good. It's that will-not-go-away wish that reads the poem (noted below) attached to a bronze plaque on America's Statue of Liberty - and believes.

There is that I-refuse-to-accept-hopelessness crying out to "accept" the driving toward the light of a bright future. But this dream-for-a-future requires committing to a great deal of deliberate work. And, without a doubt, it asks the question: Do we stand (mind, body, and soul) with each . . .

• Tearful parent who is being violently disappeared and may never be seen again.
• Panicked Gay person living in fear for their very existence.
• Venezuelan fishermen, hesitant to ply their trade while wondering if today is the day they will be vaporized by missiles for the crime of feeding their families.
• Family struggling with an inability to obtain affordable health care.
• Person facing severe hardship, as access to food, medicine, and protection have been suddenly withdrawn across all continents, including our own.
• People-group that is being dismissed, dehumanized, and persecuted for the crime of not fitting the arbitrarily desired profile for inclusion and acceptance.
• Person living in a climate-threatened location as they witness leaders roll back agreements and reject the effects of human life on our planet.
• Family that feels the pain of arbitrarily imposed economic sanctions that increase the costs of staples through added taxes, supply chain interruptions, and scarcity.
• Currently marginalized person, including Women, LGBTQ+, People of Color, Immigrants who follow the laws to citizenship, and others who are experiencing their Constitutional rights being trampled, violated, revoked, and legislated away in areas like Voting, Fair Elections, Due Process, Speech, Habeas Corpus, Education, Privacy, and Medicine.
• Breadwinner who struggles with jobs that provide no benefits, no PTO, and low wages, and is now losing even more ground as SNAP, Medicaid, and other societal safety nets are being deliberately destroyed.
• Individual who experiences feelings of despair, depression, and hopelessness as human accomplishments are burned uncontrollably according to the whim of a few: Those who decide based on greed rather than society, who pillage for personal benefit at the expense of the whole, who encourage hate and reject compassion and empathy, who light the fires which incinerate the goodness leaving humanity choking in the winds of scorched earth policies designed to control, manipulate, steal, and kill.

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger, and you invited me in, I needed clothes, and you clothed me, I was sick, and you looked after me, I was in prison, and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you, a stranger, and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply,

"Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:30-40)

The complete quote from the end of Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning follows.

This link will take you to a YouTube video where you can listen to these words, should you find that preferable

“Hello, brother.

“If you're listening to this, the world is still here and so are you. For the record, I never had a moment of doubt. I knew you'd find a way. You always do. I hope, in time, you can see this life is not some quirk of fate. This was your calling. Your destiny. A destiny that touches every living thing.

“Like it or not, we are masters of our fate. NOTHING IS WRITTEN. And our cause, however righteous, pales in comparison to the impact of our effect. Any hope for a better future comes from WILLING THAT FUTURE INTO BEING. A future reflecting the measure of good within ourselves. And all that is good inside us is measured by the good we do for others.

"We all share the same fate, the same future -- the sum of our infinite choices. One such future is built on kindness, trust, and mutual understanding, should we choose to accept it. Driving without question towards a light we cannot see. Not just for those we hold close, but for those we'll never meet.

"I hope you know I'll always love you, brother. And I will see you again, though I hope it's not too soon. The world still needs you. Of course, they'll never know it, but we did it. We, who live and die in the shadows.

"This message will self-destruct in five seconds. Good luck, Ethan."

Written on the Statue of Liberty

"Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
"The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus..

Note: Take your time. This message will not self-destruct.