As we sat in a hot spring with the intense heat leaving its mark, I realized this was a great moment to ask a question.
“What keep you awake at night? Is there anything that you worry about?”
I knew I was taking a risk. To ask the question expecting an answer presumes trust. Without trust, whatever follows the question is pointless. It will not be the truth. Whatever it is, it will not be useful. When I asked the question I was expecting something predictable. If I paraphrase the answer, it would be along the following lines.
“I worry about someone forcing something on us and destroying what is working. People have a choice. If one breaks the glue, they will leave.”
Force is a natural tool used when one has an idea s/he believes in. One believes others should adopt it. When they do not, force in a wide variety of ways is the answer of choice. Guilt is a form of force. Mandate is another. War is a third. Whatever form it takes, force is used by the powerful and informed to dictate. As I look at the world around me it seems that the greater the belief the greater the force.
Life likes to remind me that force is never the answer. It may work temporarily but it is not a tool that lasts. Wisdom applauds those that “bans war from pole to pole, breaks all the weapons across his knee.” (Psalm 46.9) Yet, despite the repeated calls, force is a tool of choice.
As I probed for possible solutions and alternatives, I was struck by the stories that unfolded. The situations where force has been used are many, but the truth behind them has remained intact. What works still works. What does not work still remains unfinished even with force has the tool of choice.
As we sat in the hot springs under a dark blue sky, I realized I had an opportunity to do something different. I could release part of my old tool belt and reach for something better.
