countless thousands....

'Many and sharp the num'rous ills
Inwoven with our frame!
More pointed still we make ourselves
Regret, remorse, and shame!
And Man, whose heav'n-erected face
The smiles of love adorn, -
Man's inhumanity to man
Makes countless thousands mourn!

-Robert Burns

I am always amazed with the ability of man to inflict pain upon another soul.
Even more astounded when I find myself the unintentional inflicter.

As a student of history, my conscience is shocked by man's inhumanity throughout the ages. The persecution of religious minorities, Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge, the cutting down of Manuelito's peach trees, the Korematsu Internment camps, Dred Scott, Rwanda genocide....... and the list goes on. I read of these instances in our history and wonder what norms I have accepted in my day that are damning or painful to others, will make-up the text books of my grandchildren, and find need to question my myself internally.

For what grand design do I work, who do I serve, how do I treat those who serve a different creator? What are the true hallmarks of my mankind? Where does my innate sense of fairness and virtue really come from? How can I better understand my fellow men? How do I change behavior, belief, tradition, and inconsistency?

Food for though this week, unpalatable as it may be.