The other night when Eva and I were watching March of the Penguins, she said that it's really too bad that penguins don't trust people because we could take care of their babies for them. The winters are so extremely brutal. The penguins march and then find love — the filming of their matchmaking was poetry, just so pure and simple and beautiful. And then they hatch this precious egg, and then more and more marches start.
That film should have been called The Marches of the Penguins. I lost track of how many, but suffice it to say that there are a severe number of marches each year.
And they have these precious babies who they carry on top of their feet under their fur for months. The babies are passed from parent to parent — whoever isn't marching at the moment — but tragedies happen. And Eva's right, how great it would be if we could take care of those babies for just a little while.
But her thoughts struck me on another level too...Isn't that what our Creator God meant this world to be? That humans and animals and just all living things would peacefully co-exist and help one another? In our lifting one another up, we would be lifted by another one who is lifting?
I don't believe in “The Fall” as it is typically taught. I don't think Eve ate a fruit and the whole world was screwed for all eternity. I understand that Jesus came and taught us a new way to live and think and love. But I don't think that the fact that we are drawn to actions that oppress and destroy is hinged on a woman's bite. And I believe that God is Love. Not that God shows love or wants love or teaches love or gives love. God is Love. Except not quite because God is even bigger than just love.
My six year old is so pure. She sees that we could care for penguin babies. Of course we could, she thinks. There are no obstacles other than that penguins don't yet trust us. So simple. And couldn't it be so true?
I guess that regardless, I'm just sad that we don't all co-exist in a harmony of lifting up.
And I'm disappointed in myself for not being more firm with those I've met who think that children are born “fallen” and “evil”. I can't find any place in any tiny corner of my mind where that has one shred of truth. And I know for sure that, tragically, anyone who promotes that way of thinking can't be truly living in Love.
And I'm disappointed in myself for not being more firm with those I've met who think that children are born “fallen” and “evil”. I can't find any place in any tiny corner of my mind where that has one shred of truth. And I know for sure that, tragically, anyone who promotes that way of thinking can't be truly living in Love.