Pilgrim Pathway

Yesterday many of us were captured by the news report of the Malaysia Airlines jet that was blown out of the sky by a surface-to-air missile. It’s a tragedy. It’s difficult to comprehend, the severity of the act and the lack of conscious one must have to have launched that missile.

I could go on about how wrong and evil this act was, but I want to focus on the way this tragedy was covered by the media. I was watching ABC World News with Diane Sawyer (reporting by David Muir), and the reporter made reference to the two hundred ninety-eight “souls” that were lost in this event. At first I didn’t think I had heard them correctly. I don’t think I had ever heard a reporter talk about the “souls” instead of how many people died in the this tragic event.

As the reporting continued, a second reporter when speaking about the people on board the plane also referred to them as “souls”. It was then that I was sure I had heard them correctly. The news was referring to these murdered individuals as “souls” and yet on most days the word “soul” doesn’t arise, so why now?

I’m not sure if the news reporters would differ between the “soul” and “souls”, but believing that they are one and the same I’d like to think that the two go hand-in-hand. I’m not sure if the reference to “souls” was just a targeted word to evoke more sympathy for those killed in a senseless act of terrorism or if the reporters were expanding on the shared humanity for everyone witnessing this act of violence. I’d like to believe that by acknowledging the “souls” and the “soul” we honor the memory of those who were killed, and honor their humanity.

This is one of those moments when the idea that we’re spiritual beings having a human experience is punctuated. The experience of loss is enormous for the families. For those of us who did not know these “souls”, the moral injury we suffer when senseless violence occurs is horrific.

I urge you to protect your soul. I invite you to remember the innocent people murdered and to use that as a catalyst for kindness throughout your day. It will boost your “soul” energy. If the reporters can talk about “souls” and in turn the “soul” so can you.

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