DISGUSTED

How cowardly are these men who strut around with guns!  The images out of the Ukraine, with rebel militiamen "guarding" the site of their misdeed while the bodies of their victims rot is indeed disgusting.  No less disgusting is the refusal of Russian President Vladimir Putin to accept responsibility for his part in what is essentially a massacre, nor to bring his influence to bear on the perpetrators.

It's a sad reflection on our times that strength is measured in weaponry.  These men with guns are prevalent not only in the Ukraine, but in too many parts of Africa, in the Middle East, in Central and South America... and, more sadly still, in our own country.  There are bullies everywhere, empowered not with human intelligence, a passion for justice or compassion, but with sheer firepower.  They are, in today's world, anachronisms, out of touch with the realities of an emerging global community of people who are desperately seeking basic human rights.

If I find it in my heart to send them goodwill and compassion in my morning meditation, it is because I pity them for the ignorance, insecurity and pain that cause them to act as they do.