Newton's Third Law

I believe hate fuels violence. This morning I woke with a deep sense of sadness as my thoughts drifted to the Las Vegas shootings and the hate that fueled them. I often practice the metta meditation (a Buddhist style of meditation that means loving kindness) in the morning before I get up and get going, probably an excuse to linger under the covers longer, but it's a good way to spend my time excuse or not. I traditionally start with Pete and Jayne and then move on to the people in my life that might be struggling. This morning I chose to send loving kindness to all those involved in the Las Vegas shootings, including the shooters.

As I lay in bed my thoughts drifted to how the gun wielding, anti-government couple came to be in Nevada and that thread lead back to the Cliven Bundy standoff with the BLM and then a little thought bubble rose up, “For every action there is a reaction" or so says Isaac Newton's Third Law. 

Had Mr. Bundy paid his fees for using public land to graze his cattle would this have happened? In my opinion, probably not. The Miller's perceived that Mr. Bundy's protest was a way to further what they called “the revolution” and they seized the opportunity. I realize that the Bundy family kicked this couple off of their land citing them as “too radical”, but still I find them, at least in part, morally culpable. For every action there is a reaction.

I know that had it not been Mr. Bundy there very well may have been another catalyst for this hate fueled couple, but then again they may have died in a fiery car crash before the opportunity arose.

Instinctually I know this might be a divisive blog, but that is not my goal. My goal is to get each of us to think about our actions. For each of us to understand there is a ripple effect that moves out from our actions, from our words, and to consciously choose positive, to let go of our fears, and to allow love to fuel our actions.

“We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men; and among those fibers, as sympathetic threads, our actions run as causes, and they come back to us as effects.” ~Herman Melville