The Space Between

Space intrigues me. I have never really understood it. What does the space between the earth and moon consist of? It must be something, otherwise that space wouldn’t exist.

According to Einstein, space and time are related, a fabric if you will. Mass warps this fabric, like a bowling ball on a rubber sheet. Objects with less mass fall towards objects with greater mass. We call this “gravity”. Gravity unites objects across space. I have never seen gravity, yet it impacts my life in innumerable ways.

Einstein’s theories are the undisputed foundation for laws governing “outer space”. Undisputed authority doesn’t exist for the laws governing “inner space”.

Consciousness fills my inner space. It feels like a real thing, yet scientists don’t understand exactly where it resides or how it arises. One of the founders of quantum physics, Niels Bohr, observed “consciousness is the singular, for which the plural is unknown”. That is fascinating to reflect upon! Are we alone in our inner space or is there a force, like gravity, that unites us?

I believe there is such a force. Unfortunately, unlike gravity, we can choose to ignore it. That force is love.

If I ignore the laws of gravity, for instance while using my chain saw, I’ll get into big trouble.

What if I ignore love? Clearly myself, family and close friends will be impacted, but as unfortunate as that would be, that’s about the extent of it. The sun’s gravity impacts earth from a distance of ninety-three million miles. Love is powerful, but it operates at much shorter distances. Right?

Not necessarily!

Two examples supporting that answer are making headlines. “Black Lives Matter” and “White Privilege”. I didn’t get the Black Lives Matter movement, “don’t all lives matter”? The term “white privilege” alienated me. Why? Because I worked hard and made sacrifices to be successful. I was offended by the accusation that my success was due in part to privilege.

Those attitudes ignored the universal law of love. Worse yet, I was not alone in my ignore-ance. Such attitudes across society sum to tragic affect.

When one race or gender sets the rules for everyone, outsiders are subordinated, marginalized and distanced. When mutual understanding and love are absent, the space between us grows.

While it’s true that all lives matter, it’s clear that even one hundred and fifty-seven years after The Emancipation Proclamation, some lives matter more. This deserves immediate attention.

Love has the power to bring us into mutual orbit. But, we have to be open to that. Change doesn’t come without challenge. Reading James Baldwin and John A. Powell hasn’t been comfortable, but I am beginning to understand things I previously rejected or ignored.

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