It is a beautiful, beautiful Friday evening here in the city of Toronto; it’s been a marvellous week in all and the glorious sun still shines. It is almost Sabbath time; a time of rest and quiet; a time of refreshing and renewal.
I just spent the last 6 hours at a meeting with people from all walks of life. What was most interesting about the whole thing wasn’t the meeting itself, but the very fact that I used the subway system for the first time (okay, once before and not that long ago) to go downtown to the meeting which was being held at Ryerson University. Anyone who knows Toronto and Ryerson, knows it is located right in the heart of Toronto activity, especially on a Friday evening and even more so on a hot sunny Friday evening. I was plunk in the middle of the Eaton Centre core of Toronto and it really was a zoo. The ride of the subway; well it was like it had been only yesterday when it was my daily mode of transportation. I chose to stand the whole of the ride home and observe the passengers. Amazingly, not much has changed in the last 5 years. People still looked wiped and there weren’t a lot of smiles. People pushed and shoved and standing on the platform I noticed how it had changed. Five years ago you wouldn’t have found people lined up against the wall waiting for the train to arrive, but they were now. What’s different about that, what’s the point you might be asking. Well, the point is, five years ago, we were all crammed against the edge of the platform waiting to be the first to jump into the train when it stopped. No longer. Everyone appeared quite happy to “stand back” and take their chances on getting on the train – or not.
Why the change? Probably because there have been more weird things going on; people, strangers pushing people onto the subway tracks for no apparent reason. Not a pretty thing to have to consider.
So, I travelled underground and stood observing the passengers. A few people sat and chatted with one another, obvious friends or acquaintances. The majority of the people were lost; lost in thought, frowns depicting worry or concern and just plain so tired looking. It’s one of the things I commented about several years ago while travelling on the subway. Everyone always looked so tired; like they never slept; dark circles under their eyes. I wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that we’d become “mole people” never seeing daylight? Travelling underground, getting off in the basement of a building where you rose in an elevator to your cooperate office 50 floors above ground; never having to step a foot outside. Perhaps that has something to do with it.
But most of all, it’s the sadness and the lack of any visible, vibrant life I saw on the faces of the people I was travelling with; very robotic and no visible signs of enthusiasm or excitement about anything.
Like I said I heard a few people chatting, and saw others. Those that I could hear, well, not listening to the exact conversation (eavesdropping) I was able to hear that the one was complaining to the other person, critically, about somebody from work; not kind words but very cruel and derogatory. The words just added to the darkness of the atmosphere, the negativity hanging around taking hold to all the other negativity; including the dust and air pollution that we whipped through. As the doors opened people shoved to get off and people shoved to get on. Amazing. No smiles just angry posturing and pushing.
Shabbat Shalom. Oh that it would permeate the air that we all breath; that with each breath we inhaled it somehow got cleansed and as we exhaled we exhaled peace and love into the atmosphere. You know, using the “heart of God” as a filter; for where love abides…evil and all things negative cannot; they dissolve into nothingness.
Shabbat Shalom to everyone out there. Peace, be still. We are all one, all connected…I wish you peaceful thoughts, peaceful things…Peace of YHWH.
